Introduction

Hello everyone! I wanted to take some time to give an overview of what The Parents’ Sports Injury Playbook will be and to introduce myself.

My name is Hunter Greene. I am a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) and Orthopedic Physician Assistant (OPA-C). I received a Bachelor's Degree in Athletic Training from the University of Central Arkansas in 2003. I followed that up with a Master's Degree in Exercise Science from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville in 2006 while working as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer. Following grad school, transitioned to practicing in the clinical setting within orthopedic and sports medicine clinics. After doing that for a few years, I became certified as an Orthopedic Physician Assistant (OPA-C). Over the course of many years, I worked with Orthopedic Surgeons and Non-Operative Orthopedic Specialists that provided care for patients of all ages, including youth, high school, collegiate and professional athletes. In 2011, I started an Orthopedic Surgical Assisting Business with a friend and colleague of mine. We worked alongside surgeons every day in the operating room doing surgeries in all facets of orthopedics.

Orthopedics and Sports Medicine have been a passion of mine since I was a teenager. I unfortunately suffered many injuries as a young athlete. All of the appointments, surgeries, rehabilitation and interactions with various sports medicine professionals really sparked my interest in the world of Sports Medicine. That passion has not wavered over the past 20 plus years.

I am currently a stay-at-home dad to three wonderful children. I stepped into this role a few years ago, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to be able to spend so much time with my family. Even though being a family man every day is amazing, my desire to be involved in the sports medicine community is still very strong.

I decided to start this blog to allow me to scratch that sports medicine itch but still be at home and available to my family.

When I was brainstorming ideas of what would interest me and provide a resource for others, the idea of the Parents’ Sports Injury Playbook came to mind. There are millions of parents out there of active young people that do not have any medical training to help them understand the injuries that their children may suffer. Over the years, I have always had friends and family members asking me about their injuries or their kid's injuries. I have always loved being a resource for them.

For this reason, I wanted to develop a blog that discusses common injuries that happen to the young and active population but address them in a way that everyone can understand. It will be informal and conversational. You will not feel like you are reading a stuffy medical journal article. There are many resources out there, but the majority of them are geared towards medical professionals. Medical terminology can be confusing and overwhelming. How many times have you left a doctor's appointment just confused because injuries and illnesses weren't explained in a way that you could understand?

Hopefully, this blog will help parents and coaches understand injuries better which will in turn result in a better outcome for their injured young people.

Hunter Greene, MS, ATC, OPA-C