SDSM Caring for Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics
The upcoming Tokyo Olympics will be an exciting event. Three of the doctors from San Diego Sports Medicine and Family Health Center will be taking care of Olympic athletes during the event. Dr. Michelle Look, Dr. Lee Rice, and Dr. Alexandra Myers will all be serving in different capacities throughout Japan for the Olympics.
Dr. Michelle Look is the Tournament Physician for World Rugby, and will oversee both the Men’s and Women’s Sevens Rugby tournament. The games will be played in Tokyo Stadium which most recently hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2019. Dr. Look has extensive experience working with rugby including caring for USA teams locally and at international tournaments. She also serves as the Medical Director for Major League Rugby, advising the league on best practices to protect the professional rugby athletes’ health.
From Dr. Look: ‘My passion for rugby started with covering OMBAC games with our founding partner Dr. Lee Rice. He introduced me to the sport and I fell in love with the traditions, the athleticism, and the camaraderie of the rugby community. Not only did I cover multiple levels of rugby, but also the senior games where Dr. Rice played as well. Highlights have been traveling around the world with Men’s and Women’s Sevens in Australia, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Alberta. I also enjoyed covering the Women’s World Cup in Ireland and Men’s and Women’s World Cup in San Francisco. Now I serve rugby as part of the Medical Board of Directors for USA Rugby and the Board of Directors for Major League Rugby. I have served as tournament medical physician for several World Rugby events. I am so excited to serve as the Tournament Medical Director for Tokyo 2020 rugby for the Men’s and Women’s Olympic tournament alongside a colleague in Sports Medicine from the United Kingdom. This highlight of my sports medicine career is made even more special by the Olympic presence of my colleagues Dr. Alex Myers and Dr. Lee Rice who will be there as well.’
Dr. Alexandra Myers will serve as the Team Physician for the USA Women’s and Men’s Sevens Rugby teams. She is happy that Dr. Look will be there on the pitch to manage the medical care for the tournament. It was Dr. Look who first introduced her to the sport of rugby, and she has enjoyed working with the teams ever since. Dr. Myers currently cares for the teams while they train in Chula Vista at the Elite Athlete Training Center. She has also traveled with the team to Uruguay for a men’s tournament and to the Panamerican Games in 2019 with the men’s and women’s teams. She also helps cover the local San Diego Legion professional rugby team.
You can learn more about Team USA Rugby at these links:
Men (teamusa.org)
Women (teamusa.org)
One of the five new sports included in the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games is surfing. It’s been over 100 years since Duke Kahanamoku, three-time gold medal winner in swimming and “father of modern surfing”, proposed while on the medal podium at the 1912 Games in Stockholm that surfing be included in the Olympics. After many years, and buoyed by the incredible efforts of Fernando Aguerre, the current president of the International Surfing Association (ISA), Olympic surfing is now a reality. The ISA is the governing body for all surfing competitions world-wide, now including the Olympic Games.
From Dr. Rice: ‘Every sport included in the Olympic Games is required to have a medical commission that oversees the health and safety of its athletes, especially during all competitions. Surfing has never had such a commission until now. I have been asked to serve as the inaugural Chair of the Medical Commission for the ISA, which now consists of five medical professionals from different parts of the globe. As such, I will be attending both the ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador (which is the final qualifying event for athletes to win the right to compete in the Games) and the Tokyo Olympics. You can view opening day of Surf City 2021 and see how the ISA is making an impact worldwide in this video.
For the Olympic Games, I will also serve as the COVID Liaison Officer (CLO) for Surfing, involved in the protocols for testing and prevention of COVID-19 infections among the athletes and the myriad of support staff involved at the venue.
In a related duty, I have been asked to serve as a member of the Olympic Eligibility and Nominations Review Panel that pertains to the appeals process for athletes who were sick, injured, etc., and unable to meet the participation requirements. It clearly is both an honor and a privilege to be involved in sports medicine in this capacity.
The Medical Commission’s mission is to enhance the popularity of surfing globally, to optimize the health and wellness of surfers (anyone who rides the waves in any manner), and to increase research and education related to all sports medicine aspects of surfing.
It is our hope that our commission can contribute to research regarding the beneficial aspects of lifetime surfing as they relate to health risk factor reduction, prevention of chronic disease, longevity, and overall mind-body wellness. To broaden international participation in our commission, we have recently accepted applications and are in the process of selecting members of a medical advisory board, representing all related specialties, who will help to support and guide the medical commission in achieving our mission.
Mask Updates
by Jo Baxter
In May 2021, the CDC updated their mask guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals. The CDC advised that fully vaccinated individuals can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by law or workplace guidance.[1] However, the CDC’s recommendation conflicts with local government policy currently in place as of the time of this writing.
Presently the County of San Diego and State of California require face coverings for all individuals, including those fully vaccinated, in most indoor settings outside of one’s home.[2] Vaccinated individuals are not required to wear face coverings outdoors except when attending crowded outdoor events, and a few other exceptions.
The County of San Diego still requires all individuals to wear a face covering in certain circumstances, including while attending medical appointments, while shopping inside a store, while inside a restaurant except when seated and eating, while riding public transportation, and while working an essential job that interacts with the public.
Masks are not required while at home, while in a car with members of your household, while working alone in a room at your workplace (unless required by your employer), while exercising outside alone or with household members and maintaining appropriate distance from others, and other reasons including certain medical conditions. You can see the complete guidance from the State and County here and here.
Many of our vaccinated patients ask us if they still need to wear a mask in our offices, and the answer presently is yes. We follow State and County policy with regard to face coverings. All employees and patients are required to wear face coverings indoors at our offices, regardless of vaccination status. We frequently reevaluate our practices to make common sense decisions to ensure safety for all of our patients while staying compliant with changing government policy.
What happens on June 15?
Last month, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the mask mandate would be lifted on June 15, 2021. Clarity on that announcement has not yet been given, however, that likely does not mean face coverings will go away. Businesses still have decision-making power regarding the enforcement of masks on their premises. County ordinance may supersede State ordinance in some circumstances.
At this time, please be sure to continue to wear your face covering to your appointments in our offices. We will closely watch for updated policy from the State and County so that we can stay compliant and provide the safest possible environment for all of our patients. We will all celebrate the end of mask wearing when it’s the right time.
1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html
2. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Face-Coverings-Guidance.aspx
Meet Your Provider: Nicholas Schroeder, DPT
Nick was born and raised in Reno, NV with the forest and desert as his backyard. He grew up with a passion for anything outdoors and hiked, backpacked, rock climbed and caved all over the west coast. Nick had an active childhood, playing any sport he could including martial arts, baseball, basketball, soccer, skiing/snowboarding, squash, tennis, running and track and field.
In 2010 while working in Supply Chain management in San Francisco, Nick got involved in cycling and also completed a 250 hour Yoga Teacher Training course at The Yoga Tree of San Francisco. While traveling the world in 2011 and 2012, he completed a secondary Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India where The Beatles studied Transcendental Meditation. Wanting to be involved with movement and health care, he went back to school in 2015 to get his Doctorate of Physical Therapy at the University of St. Augustine. Believing that movement is the best medicine for holistic health, Nick enjoys working with individuals from all walks of life for injury prevention, working through injury, and getting that edge for competition!Pilates is back!
Pilates Is Back!
While we were never actually gone, we are back in the studio and seeing clients! Now that the tide of COVID is beginning to recede and the vaccination rate is moving forward, we are ramping up our program of Pilates classes. We of course are still following all the COVID protocols including wearing masks that are still required in a medical facility. We’ve even added a HEPA filter in the Pilates room for added protection. Our focus at SDSM is to make our environment safe and protective for everybody. So don’t wait–come join us!
Each class is designed to address a wide and varying population and differing medical issues. From athletes to beginners, chronic back issues to rehab, young and old, we offer classes that are catered to all fitness levels and needs. Our fitness classes are offered Monday through Saturday at varying times (please see schedule below).
We also offer a “Pilates for Back Care” program. The program is a guided process teaching participants ways to release painful tight areas, identify compensation patterns, and develop a strong symmetrical core. Class will also include a element of healthy back education. This class will help you with a plan of action for correcting behaviors and movement patterns that are keeping you in pain, and implement exercise and stretches that will help you progress towards optimal spine function and a more active life. All participants will be required to do a few one on one sessions before joining the back class. Reservations are required, there are no drop ins allowed for classes, and we only allow a maximum of five people in a class at a time. (We really want to make sure you get a lot out of it!)
Please contact us at pilates@sdsm.com if you would like to come in and we can get you started on the process. If you and your friends are interested in starting your own class, let us know, we are more than happy to arrange a class just for you!
Pilates Schedule
Fitness class:
Monday 8:30 am, 12 pm
Tuesday 4pm and 4:30 pm
Wednesday 8:30 am
Friday 8 am
Saturday 9 am
Back Care Class
Monday: 11 am, 4 pm
Tuesday 3 pm
Wednesday 11 am, 4 pm
Thursday 4:30 pm
Friday 10 am
Rehab Pilates
Wednesday: 12 pm
