Blog Posts in October, 2020

• Reader's Digest The Healthy Quotes Dr. Williams: A Covid-19 Winter Is Coming: Use These Expert Tips to Prep

  Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD || 28-Oct-2020

  Let’s face it: This winter is going to be different. Not only are many places still dealing with the effects of wildfires, hurricanes, and political unrest, but the Covid-19 pandemic is still raging. Experts say the worst days of it may yet be ahead. Unlike the early days of the pandemic, when we had everything to learn about the deadly virus, we almost feel like we know too much—and ...
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• Dr. Williams for U.S. News & World Report: Is Limiting Tackling During Youth Football Practice a Good Idea?

  Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD || 16-Oct-2020

  TO ADDRESS PLAYER safety and injury risk, the governor of California recently signed a bill that places restrictions on the amount of time allowed for tackling during any given week at football practice for high school and youth athletes. Aimed at reducing the amount of contact allowed during football practice (reducing exposure), this move follows other state and athletic legislatures in the ...
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• The Dreaded "Burner" Injury in Athletes

  Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD || 14-Oct-2020

  Burner or stinger injuries are a common nerve-related issue among contact athletes. Despite a pandemic-caused delay, professional football is now in full swing minus the stadiums being filled with the teams’ passionate fans. As would be the case even during a "normal" season, the player injury reports have begun to roll in, from ankle injuries to ACL tears and plenty in between. ...
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• Verywell Health Quotes Dr. Williams: AI Can Help Reduce Opioid Prescriptions After Surgery, Research Finds

  Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD || 8-Oct-2020

  Artificial intelligence (AI) can help determine which patients are at high risk for severe pain after surgery, as well as which patients may benefit from non-opioid related pain management, a new study finds. The research, which is being presented at the American Association of Anesthesiologists’ annual meeting, aims to reduce the number of people who are exposed to opioids in an attempt to ...
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• Pain and Addiction on the Sidelines

  Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD || 2-Oct-2020

  How can athletes avoid pain and addiction post-surgery? As a sports-neurologist and pain medicine specialist, I have specific expertise in the management of chronic pain in athletes. Unfortunately, with this expertise, I bear too-frequent witness to the dual-heartbreak of athletes who experience a season- or career-halting injury and subsequent surgery, only to have it be accompanied by pain and ...
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