Meet the Team – Rich Rainville

Rich Rainville ATC for The Center FoundationRich Rainville hails from the Midwestern state of Michigan. For his first year of college, he attended Furman University in Greenville, SC and competed for their cycling team. After that, Rich transferred to Illinois State University, where he pursued his passion for sports medicine in their athletic training program. Rich graduated In 2018, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in athletic training.

After graduation, Rich’s first position was with a sports performance and physical therapy group in Michigan. While there, he gained valuable experience as an athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach focusing on local high school and college athletes. Although he enjoyed the work, Rich was eager to head west to the mountains and an active outdoor lifestyle. He is excited to join The Center Foundation as the athletic trainer for Culver High School, and he looks forward to exploring Central Oregon.

In his free time, Rich enjoys playing and refereeing hockey, skiing, mountain biking, and running. On a Saturday in the fall you can find him glued to the television watching University of Michigan football. And, in the winter he will be rooting for the Detroit Red Wings.Rich Rainville ATC for The Center Foundation Hike

Rich Rainville, ATC, CSCS is an athletic trainer with The Center Foundation and serves Culver High School in Culver, Oregon. Find out more about Rich and our entire athletic training team here.

Eating Disorders in Female Athletes

weight loss

Eating disorders are a group of abnormal and harmful eating patterns. They are typically used in a misguided attempt to lose weight or maintain a lower than normal body weight. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia is severe weight loss and refusal to maintain body weight. It often includes an intense fear of gaining weight even if the person is under weight. Coupled with this is a negative self-image due to body shape or appearance, known as “body image disturbance.” Most females will also stop menstruating.

Outwardly, an athlete suffering from anorexia may avoid eating in public and wear baggy clothing to disguise their body. Inwardly, people diagnosed with anorexia are often in denial, depressed, withdrawn, irritable, and have difficulty sleeping. In addition, they can also experience fatigue, low blood sugar, thinning hair, and a slowed heart rate.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia, defined as binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting and laxative use (purging), includes a feeling of being out of control. Dehydration, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, damage to vital organs, or blisters in the throat, are a few typical physical signs of the disease. Notably, the body weight of someone suffering from bulimia is usually in the normal range, and can even be higher than normal. Regardless, there will be obvious fluctuations in weight, both up and down. Depression and anxiety are also typical with bulimia.

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating is the most common eating disorder in the United States. It is similar to bulimia in that it involves recurring episodes of eating significantly more food in a short period of time than most people would under similar circumstances. However, people with binge eating disorder do not typically purge after an episode. Like bulimia, sufferers will say that they feel out of control. Symptoms include eating too quickly even when not hungry, feelings of guilt, embarrassment, or disgust. Many people occasionally overeat, and may even have feelings of guilt or embarrassment after. For this reason it is important to note that to be considered an eating disorder, the behavior has to occur at least once a week for three months.

Female Athletes and Eating Disorders

Individuals suffering from all three eating disorders can be difficult to identify. This is because they go to great lengths to eat alone and hide the behavior from others. With this in mind, it is important for the athletic trainer to understand the signs and keep an eye on their athletes. Studies show that female athletes are at the greatest risk. Perhaps this is because of the number of sports for women that emphasize slim bodies such as gymnastics, swimming, and track and field. Likewise, athletes that tend to be perfectionists, have obsessive-compulsive behavior, social withdrawal, depression, and high-achievers are at a greater risk for developing eating disorders.

Female Athlete Triad

Eating disorders in female athletes can lead to what is known as the “female athlete triad.” The triad’s three elements are eating disorders, the absence of a menstrual cycle, and osteoporosis or bone loss. Eating disorders can lead to chronic fatigue, dehydration, anemia, and decreased bone density as mentioned above. When this happens, there is less iron in the blood. Lower iron combined with less body fat can result in loss of menstrual cycles, or amenorrhea – defined as the absence of three or more consecutive menstrual cycles. In an effort to maintain menstruation, the body will begin to break down bone for nutrients. The result is osteoporosis – premature bone loss. One sign of osteoporosis in a female athlete is repeated stress fractures that don’t heal.

Treatment

Once a young person starts an eating disorder it is very difficult for them to stop. This is because they gain a false sense of control over situations that becomes addicting. Due to the severe health risks and possibility of death, it is critical to seek treatment as soon as possible. Treatment for eating disorders is different from person to person. The good news is that most eating disorders are treatable. With the help of a qualified health care professional, many people are able to recover and regain their health.

Prevention

Ultimately, prevention is best. With this in mind, athletic trainers can help by educating athletes about nutrition and weight. Helping young athletes understand that being skinnier isn’t always better for their performance can go a long way towards heading off an eating disorder. Furthermore, teaching athletes the difference between body fat and body weight helps to create a healthier self-image. Finally, coaches play a role as well, by taking the focus off body weight, eliminating group weigh-ins, recognizing individual size and shape differences, and acting on signs of eating disorders before they get worse.

Written by: Nicole Porter, MS, ATC, former athletic trainer for The Center Foundation . Learn more about our Team HERE.

The Center Foundation places dedicated athletic trainers in local high schools to provide sports medicine services to young athletes at no charge to the students or their families. Learn more about our work HERE.

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References:
  1. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ (accessed online 12/12/2018)
  2. Beals KA. Subclinical eating disorders in female athletes. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. 2000;71(7):23-29.
  3. Pearson FC, Rivers TC. Eating disorders in female college athletes: Risk factors, prevention, and treatment. College Student Affairs Journal. 2006;26(1):30-44.
  4. Feeding and Eating Disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association; 2013.
  5. Beals KA, Brey RA, Gonyou JB. Understanding the female athlete triad: Eating disorders, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. J Sch Health. 1999;69(8):337-40.

 

Nutrition and Injury Recovery

Nutrition and rest are key when recovering from any injury. From a muscle strain to a concussion – providing your body with the optimal environment for healing is essential. When injured, your body becomes unbalanced, and requires more energy to heal. By being mindful of good nutrition and rest, you give your body the best chance for full recovery. The nutrients you need to recover, called macronutrients, are protein, fat and carbohydrates. Remember, the best and easiest way to get these nutrients into your body is by eating whole foods instead of processed or fast foods.

Proteins

Protein helps with muscle growth and prevents muscle breakdown. Healthy lean proteins include fish, white meat chicken and turkey, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs and lentils.nutrition healthy proteins

Fats

Studies have shown that healthy fats like those found in nuts, salmon, and avocados, help reduce inflammation in the body. They also improve mental function, protect heart health, and provide long-term energy. Great sources of healthy fats also happen to be delicious foods! Healthy fats can also be found in cooking oils such as olive and sunflower, and seeds like flax and chia.nutrition healthy fats

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel for the body, and they are essential to giving the body the energy it needs to heal. Healing carbohydrates are the “complex carbohydrates” found in whole wheat breads and pastas, brown rice, quinoa, and lentils.nutrition healthy carbs

As you can tell from the lists of healthy macronutrients, some of these foods are the source of two or more macronutrients. This makes it easier to get more healing from the foods you are eating. By eating healthy sources of these three macronutrients, you help your body fight off the inflammation associated with injury, improve the body’s ability to heal injured muscle tissue, and give those injured tissues the energy they need to recover.

Rest

However, in addition to diet, plenty of sleep is vital to healing. Your body does the majority of its healing while asleep. Therefore, it is essential to get the best quality sleep you can when recovering from injury. While the required number of hours of sleep depends somewhat on the individual, experts recommend getting at least eight hours of sleep each night. So, when recovering from injury, don’t short yourself on sleep!

In summary, by providing your body with healthy foods and getting enough sleep, you can keep your body balanced as you heal from injury and fully support the body’s recovery process.

Written by: Tessa Cashman, ATC, athletic trainer for The Center Foundation and Bend Senior High School in Bend, Oregon. Learn more about Tessa HERE.

The Center Foundation places dedicated athletic trainers in local high schools to provide sports medicine services to young athletes at no charge to the students or their families. Learn more about our work HERE.

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References:

https://www.gssiweb.org/en/sports-science-exchange/Article/sse-117-protein-ingestion-prior-to-sleep-potential-for-optimizing-post-exercise-recovery
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4424767/
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/91/2/398/2843254
https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/diet/good-carbs-bad-carbs/
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/good-protein-sources#1

Meet the Team – Ross Dexter

Ross Dexter athletic trainer for The Center FoundationRoss Dexter is a native Central Oregonian and a graduate of La Pine High School. After high school, Ross left the area to attend Southern Oregon University. There, he studied Health and Physical Education while also competing in cross-country and track. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Ross’s love for athletics took him to Vancouver British Columbia to continue his education. In 2010, he completed a Master’s Degree in Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia.

For the next several years, Ross worked in healthcare while simultaneously coaching at several institutions. His coaching experiences included University of British Columbia, Florida State University, St. Mary’s College, The University of California, Berkeley, and Bend’s own Summit High School. During this time, Ross developed a keen interest in athletic training as a profession. With this in mind, Ross decided to continue his education with the University of Idaho’s Athletic Training Program. There, he received both his Master’s of Science in Athletic Training and Doctor of Athletic Training degrees.

As part of his doctoral studies, Ross enjoyed the opportunity to develop the first athletic training program to serve the middle and high school students of Troy Idaho. Rewarding opportunities like this one helped him realize his belief in delivering the highest quality sports medicine services to young athletes. Ross was eager for the chance to return to Central Oregon and pursue his athletic training career with The Center Foundation and Summit High School.

Ross Dexter fly fishingWhen not at work, Ross is a kettle bell training enthusiast, an avid runner, cross-country skier, and fly fisherman. Ross is also looking forward to honing his paddle boarding skills. He is excited to be back in Central Oregon where he can enjoy all of his favorite activities.

First job?

Hydro-ceramic Technician (a.k.a, “dishwasher”) at Michael’s in Sunriver.

Favorite food?

The kind I am currently eating…but I especially enjoy Japanese cuisine.

Something quirky or interesting about you?

I have lived in 10 cities in 6 states and 1 province.

What is one thing you would like people to know about athletic trainers?

The value of Athletic Trainers to our patient population and the communities we work in. When we are utilized, supported, and collaborated with by our stakeholders, regardless of practice setting (e.g. secondary school, college and university, professional sports, industrial, police, fire, and military, and medical practices) Athletic Trainers save a great deal of resources, not only financially, but in the form of lost time from work, participation, etc.  Support your local Athletic Trainer!

 

Ross Dexter, DAT, MKin, LAT, ATC, CSCS is an athletic trainer with The Center Foundation and serves Summit High School in Bend, OR. Find out more about Ross and our entire athletic training team here.

Meet Our Team – 2019 Fall Line-Up

athletic trainer team We are excited to announce our Sports Medicine Program line-up for 2019-20! Once again, we have dedicated certified athletic trainers at eight of our area high schools; Bend Senior High, Crook County, La Pine, Mountain View, Sisters, Summit, Culver and Madras. In addition, we have three new athletic trainers to introduce this year. With our amazing team, we are proud to be serving more student athletes in Central Oregon high schools than ever before.

How Far We’ve Come

Thanks to YOUR support, we have increased our funding by more than 50% since 2015. Due to this increased capacity, the number of high schools we serve and athletic trainers we employ has doubled. Consequently, more than 5,000 student athletes at over 1400 sporting events benefit from our Sports Medicine Program each year. But, we have more work to do! Specifically, a new Central Oregon high school is slated for construction in the coming years, and middle schools and club sports teams still need our help. Reaching more young athletes means we are ensuring the safety of kids in Central Oregon by keeping them healthy and active in the sports they love. Most importantly, we deliver our Sports Medicine Program at no cost to the students or their families.

Our Athletic Trainers

Athletic trainers are the heart of our Sports Medicine Program, and they work hard each day to protect and support young athletes. Sometimes, athletic trainers are confused with personal trainers. However, they are vastly different. As highly qualified, multi-skilled, healthcare professionals, athletic trainers specialize in injury prevention, recognition, and evaluation. Our athletic trainers collaborate with physicians to make appropriate immediate-care decisions for a young athlete’s illness or injury. Additionally, their responsibilities include treatment, rehabilitation, and reconditioning post-injury.

Our certified athletic trainers are highly educated. They have a bachelor’s degree in athletic training and most have a master’s degree in athletic training and other areas related to sports medicine. All athletic trainers employed by The Center Foundation hold national certification from the Board of Certification (BOC) and have obtained registration to work in the State of Oregon by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Drawing on this combination of education and credentials ensures that we are placing excellent athletic trainers in our local schools.

The 2019-20 Line-Up

The Center Foundation welcomes our newest athletic trainers, Amanda Rodrigues, Ross Dexter, and Rich Rainville. In addition, we proudly announce our returning team members, Tessa Cashman, Michael Estes, Lindsay Hagler, Nicole Porter and Alex Walker. You will find each of them on the sidelines of practices and high school sporting events, bringing their vast knowledge and experience to care for your young athlete.

Athletic Trainer Supervisor, Stuart Schmidt, MS, ATC, CSCS
Bend Senior High School, Tessa Cashman, ATC
Crook County High School, Michael Estes, MS, ATC
Culver High School, Rich Rainville, ATC, CSCS
La Pine High School, Amanda Rodrigues, ATC
Madras High School, Nicole Porter, MS, ATC
Mountain View High School, Lindsay Hagler, MS, ATC, CSCS
Sisters High School, Alex Walker, ATC
Summit High School, Ross Dexter, DAT, MKin, ATC, CSCS
Per Diem Athletic Trainer, Kathleen Thompson, ATC
Program Administrator, Shawn Taylor

To learn more about our team here.
Find out how you can support the work of The Center Foundation here.

 

Written by: Shawn Taylor, Program Administrator for The Center Foundation. Learn more about Shawn HERE.