Hips Are Bringing More Athletes to Their Knees

Hips Are Bringing More Athletes to Their Knees
By: Michael S. Schmidt

The increasing intensity of modern day sports has led to an influx of injuries that previously were unheard of in prior sports eras. In the New York Times article Hips Are Bringing More Athletes to Their Knees, this assertion is supported by noting the elevating rate of hip injuries in professional athletics, especially baseball, hockey, and soccer. Michael Schmidt, author of the article, claims that there is a direct correlation between athletes intense specialized training at a young age and the increased number of athletes experiencing hip injuries. He attributes this increase in hip injuries among these athletes to muscle overuse and overtraining. Schmidt suggests that athletes in the present era of sports are bigger, faster, and stronger than their counterparts in past history because of the rigorous training that they underwent at ages such as three or four. He states that athletics has become so competitive, that in order for an athlete to have a chance to compete they must begin training at an earlier stage of physical development. This, according to Schmidt, is the reason for this sudden increase in hip injuries. Schmidt begs athletes to stop overtraining and to become aware of this growing problem. In his plea, he quotes trainer Mackie Shilstone, “No matter what we do, as complex as we try and make workouts and training methods, we lose sight of other things.” This article serves as a wakeup call for all athletes who hope to be able to enjoy an active personal lifestyle when their professional athletic careers end.
The author’s style in this article is direct and concise. He is factual and supports all claims with medical evidence. However, there is an absence of any specific medical studies or experiments to substantiate his claim. Specific medical studies cited would add credence to his claims and create a powerful change agent for his readers and other athletes. While his conclusion appears logical, some orthopedic studies in kinesiology or anatomy would have been pertinent. His assertive style and informative tone all aid in the purpose of this article. His objective was to warn athletes of the dangers of overtraining and resulting hip injuries, and he accomplishes this objective. Despite his success in conveying the essential purpose, he failed to use certain emotional words that may have led to a more personal response to the article. A more personal message may have been more effective in creating a call to action for the reader. The article was informative and factual, but its lack of emotion and medical studies make the reader unaware of the dangers presented in the article.