Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University professor Dr. Terry DeWitt presented research at the recent American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition (AAP Experience) in Washington, D.C. DeWitt presented his poster, “Four Week Lumbo-Pelvic Hip Complex Intervention Program and Its Effects on Tuck Jump Assessment in Active Youth,” as a part of the Council on Sports Medicine & Fitness for the AAP.

“The significance of this presentation was the audience,” explained DeWitt, who serves as chair of Ouachita’s Department of Kinesiology and Leisure Studies. “They are the pediatricians of the U.S. These are very well educated professionals. I was honored to be able to share my research with them.”

The conference serves as a forum for AAP members and non-members involved in the medical field to convene annually for updates and reviews of pediatric practice, research and advocacy. Known as the “premier pediatric education event,” the conference featured around 350 sessions in almost 60 content areas in varying educational formats this year.

Physicians with a focus on sports medicine from across the country were in attendance as DeWitt shared study results on lower extremity rehabilitation and injury prevention, specifically the jump landing techniques of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. Dr. Gretchen Oliver, a researcher from Auburn University, served as DeWitt’s colleague and assisted in the study implementation and research.

“We found half of the people we studied had a poor landing technique when they jumped up into the air (Tuck Jump Test),” DeWitt explained. “Research shows these people are more likely to tear the ACL in their knee if they remain physically active.

“We provided an intervention group of two exercises they were taught to do for six weeks,” he said. “We re-tested them, and they demonstrated a significant improvement in their landing technique, thus reducing their likelihood of tearing an ACL through physical activity. This decreased the valgus angle at the knee when they loaded their body weight on their lower extremity.”

A group of DeWitt’s students at Ouachita also played a role in gathering and compiling the data he presented.

“I believe we should be able to ‘practice what we teach’ in showing students how to do the things we are talking about in class,” he added. “Getting a realistic opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives matters. I am blessed to be in a position to help students in their pursuit of doing this. I hope to be able to take students to a regional or national conference in exercise science or kinesiology in the future to give them the opportunity to have these same experiences.”

For more information contact Dr. Terry DeWitt at [email protected] or (870) 245-5264.

 

By Anna Hurst