As area high schools begin their fall athletics programs, Sparrow is reopening its sports injury clinic in Lansing.
The clinic was closed for a majority of the past two years, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to shut down their sports programs.
Now, with the start of seasons of football and other contact sports, Sparrow is offering the specialized care again.
Dr. Michael Shingles is an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine expert with Sparrow.
He says student athletes must understand the difference between playing hurt and playing injured.
“[You can] certainly get away with playing hurt, but if you’re injured, you can make things worse,” Shingles said. “So, the way I treat my athletes is I’ll sit down and explain to them, 'I’m not going to necessarily take you out of your sport, but we need to know what we’re dealing with.'”
Shingles says as football season begins, he’ll be watching for signs of concussions and closed head injuries.
“That’s tough because sometimes they can fake it, and you don’t get it,” he added.
“Everybody wants to the kid to play; parents want the kid to play, and it’s one of those things that are hard to tell a parent. It’s not hard taking care of the ones that are real obvious. It’s hard to take care of the ones that are sort of below the radar.”
The Sparrow sports injury clinic is located at 3394 East Jolly Road, Suite A.
It’s open on Saturdays from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.