Put me in, coach

Football season came and went, and so did a rush of young patients through Jeff Webb's office.

The Emory sports medicine doctor, who specializes in treating children and teenagers, sees more injuries from football than any other sport, simply because of the hard-hitting contact of the game. 

A former teen athlete himself, Webb (right) played football, soccer, and baseball on Atlanta's sports fields, swam competitively, and ran cross country. These days, he treats others for the bumps, bruises, and pains that result from physical activity gone awry.

With so many children and teenagers playing sports today coupled with the advent of off-season leagues, Webb's schedule is full. The most common injury he treats is overuse.

"Now kids are playing baseball all year around," he says. "Overuse can cause not only stress fractures and tendinitis but also growth plate problems."

The best cure is one that kids and parents don't like to hear: stop playing temporarily so the injury can heal. Telling professional athletes to do the same is no easier, says Webb.

Before joining the Emory Sports Medicine Center in 2008, Webb completed a fellowship at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Ala., under orthopedic surgeon James Andrews. The institute's clientele included a host of professional athletes, such as John Smoltz and Reggie Bush. But two of the most important things Webb learned there were Andrews' golden rules: Don't be a fan, and put the player before the team.

Webb continues to doctor by that rule, he says, as he and other Emory sports medicine doctors serve a wide variety of teams across Atlanta, including those at Emory, Georgia Tech, and other universities and high schools, as well as performance troupes including the Atlanta Ballet and Cirque de Soleil. Additionally, more than 100 NFL athletes are patients at Emory, and Emory sports medicine doctors work with the national U.S. Soccer, U.S. Ski and Snowboard, and U.S. Track and Field teams, among others. —Kay Torrance