As we tune in to the 2024 Paris Olympics, it’s easy to dream of what it would be like to make it to the Games—even though the closest most of us will get to international competition is watching it on TV. But athletic trainer and physical therapist Kathy Hemsley, a 35+ year veteran of the Temple Health Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, has actually been a vital part of the action.
Hemsley worked as an athletic trainer with the US Olympic Gymnastics team at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul and the US Wheelchair Rugby team for the 2000 Summer Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia. It was her job to rush in at those moments that are hard enough to watch from our couches: when a world-class athlete falls out of the sky or crumples to the ground with an injury.
“Most of what we saw were either established overuse injuries, like tibial stress fractures a gymnast was managing effectively with a bone-growth simulator embedded in a brace that she wore when not working out, or an acute injury, like an ankle sprain she sustained during Podium Night, which is a ‘dress rehearsal’ where the gymnasts can work out on the actual performance equipment the night before the start of competition,” Hemsley explains, recalling her time with the US Gymnastics team.
“These ankle sprains were managed classically with ice, compression for swelling mitigation, and supportive taping, which used brown Coban tape so that the visual lines that are so important for gymnastic presentation would remain uninterrupted,” she continues. “You would see a similar approach with today’s injury management of a prominent gymnast.”
Individualized Care at the Highest Level
One of the most important lessons Hemsley learned in providing this care—which she’s carried with her during her career at Temple Health—is to treat each athlete or patient as an individual. “You have to listen to the person you’re working with, see what they need, and offer options that will help them specifically,” she says.
“Conversely, a provider may need to back off,” she adds. “You’ll see even in today’s Olympic coverage that many gymnasts prefer to tape themselves. You have to respect that, and earn their trusts with timely and effective management, and by looking to serve their needs when or if that need arises. A provider always has to be open and willing to alter whatever treatment strategy they’re using to maximize its effectiveness based on the patient’s responses.”
And while many sports injuries can be treated so that athletes can return to competition, Hemsley stresses that competing while seriously hurt is never worth the risk. “An underlying reason for injury is pushing yourself through the pain,” she explains. “A veteran athlete at the US Olympic Training Center told me that to be good, you have to work hard, make good decisions, and be lucky. And a good decision is not to work through serious injury.”
Elite Advice for Everyone
While most of us aren’t trying to get in shape for the 2028 Olympic Trials, there’s still a lot Hemsley can teach us that we can apply to our daily lives. That includes her advice about staying informed about our physical health and preventing injuries.
“You can prevent deconditioning by performing extremity and core-strengthening exercises every other day, and cardio conditioning in between those days, with a day off once a week to rest,” she says. “Maintaining flexibility is also essential, especially as we age. As a rule, you don’t want to increase the intensity and duration of exercise by more than 10% a week. That’s the number that will keep you progressing without violating the body’s physiological tolerance to work. And affording yourself adequate recovery—even if that just means getting enough sleep—and adequate hydration are essentials.”
Unbelievable Opportunities
As Hemsley tunes in to this year’s Olympics, she finds herself recalling some of her favorite memories from her time at the Games—including some very special behind-the-scenes moments. “I remember that, after the US Women’s Basketball team won their gold medal, they left behind their sneakers for their cleaning teams back in the Olympic Village, as a way of thanking them,” she shares.
“When the Gymnastics team was still being processed in Los Angeles prior to flying to Korea, we had practice at UCLA prior to our departure,” Hemsley continues. “In walked John Wooden, the retired UCLA coach of 10 NCAA title teams, along with his great granddaughter, who was interested in gymnastics. Everyone was introduced to him but me, as athletic trainers are often working in the background. We started the workout, and Coach Wooden chose to sit next to me, so I introduced myself. He kept his questions to a minimum, respectfully focusing on practice, but I knew my basketball fan friends back home in Philly would never believe it!”