Physical Therapist's Opinion

We asked Todd Gentzler PT/OCS, Physical Therapist and Board Certified in Orthopedics his opinion on whether a rubberized track and field venue would reduce injuries to athletes. Here’s what he told us:



“All weather rubberized track surfaces have been around since the early 80s. I was a former 2-time high school state track champion and collegiate track athlete from Wyoming. My school had an all-weather track that was installed in 1986. As you may know, all weather/rubberized surfaces have been shown in research studies to reduce the risk of chronic overuse injuries associated with running and jumping. Athletes who run on subpar surfaces often times are diagnosed with early stress injuries such as shin splints, stress fractures, sprained ankles, chondromalacia patella/ runner's knee, Achilles tendinitis, Posterior Tibial Tendonitis Spondylolithesis to the spine and many more. This causes millions of dollars in health care that can so easily be prevented.
Having an all-weather track is not only the best thing for our athletes, but the community. It would definitely prevent the overuse injuries mentioned above and significantly improve the chances of your athletes for success, such as decreased times and scholarships. The community members can use this for their health and fitness throughout the year.”

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