By Corbin Vanderby
The Spokesman-Review
SPOKANE, Wash. — Broken arms, ruptured Achilles and many other minor injuries were seen during Spokane’s Hoopfest, but with 892 total incidents as of 4 p.m. Sunday , numbers were down from previous years.
“Injury numbers have been a little bit different than previous years,” said Nicholas Strasser, medical director of Hoopfest. “We saw a reasonable decline, which is kind of what we’re hoping for, right? We want as few injuries as possible.”
Four MultiCare medical tents were positioned across downtown Spokane and were staffed with around 150 workers, according to Nicholas Strasser, medical director of Hoopfest. The tents offered free care to people at the event ranging from ankle taping to on-site x-rays from a portable machine.
Last year, MultiCare treated almost 1,200 injuries at Hoopfest, but as of writing, MultiCare spokesman Kevin Maloney said he’d be surprised if it surpasses 1,000. Strasser attributed the decrease to lower temperatures on Saturday and improvements in communication devices as well as partnerships with the Spokane Fire Department.
“Every year we’re trying to get better,” Strasser said. “This year, we’ve streamlined our procedures and coordination has become really really smooth.”
Strasser said some common injuries resulted from such conditions as the high weather, which peaked at 86 degrees Sunday, and the inconsistent court materials. Strasser recommended things like ice baths, stretching and predisposing yourself to the heat to prevent some of the injuries.
“Not very often are folks going out and playing 30-minute basketball games every hour for four to five hours in a row,” Strasser said. “It’s certainly a pretty substantial physical burden to be a part of this whole tournament.”
Some severe injuries led to hospital visits, but Strasser said with minor ones, medics work to get them back in the game.
“If they don’t have much going on, we get them back on the court in a safe fashion,” Strasser said. “We want them to miss as little playing time as possible.”
Parker Munns, Bradley Runge and Ben Fried, played in the tournament under the team name the Leopard Boys, and have participated in Hoopfest for the past 15 years as kids. They all agreed that injuries seemed to remain pretty steady with nothing too major. However, they did see a shoulder dislocation and someone hit their head and got knocked out.
“You know what you’re signing up to do,” Runge said. “Anything active can come with pros and cons, but just playing the game safe is the best you can do.”
None of the Leopard Boys said they experienced any injuries while playing other than rolled ankles, scraped knees and bloody noses but said it was worth it.
“There’s nothing like it,” Runge said. “No city shuts down completely for basketball and everybody all comes to play together and just be happy.”
Strasser also said MultiCare expects hospital visits to increase following Hoopfests as people have lingering injuries. Joseph Labrum, an orthopedic surgeon from MultiCare working at the event, said that the biggest thing to look for is any continued pain or limitation.
“If you’re worried, come to us and let an expert make that assessment of whether something more needs to be done or not,” Labrum said.
For those recovering from Hoopfest, Strasser also recommended doing gentle mobility to keep muscles active and blood flowing.
“I always tell folks, don’t stop moving,” he said. “The worst thing you can do is sit on the couch and wait for your soreness to go away.”
Strasser said the event, other than the injuries, is good for people and encourages them to participate.
“People say, ‘Hey, I kind of got a taste of moving more and being healthier here, maybe that’s something I can get into,’” Strasser said. “Regular exercise is better than anything else I can do.”
MultiCare Injury Report:
- Fractures: 21
- Achilles Ruptures: 9
- Knee (ACL/PCL/MCL): 12
- Dislocations: 7
- Concussions: 13
- Dehydration: 3
- Strains/sprains: 121
- Lacerations: 29
- Wounds: 215
- Blisters: 14
- Tape: 448
Total: 892
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