Dr. Julia Hines has connected her passions and works with Auto Racing Medicine because her dad took her to races growing up. She joins us to discuss her story of becoming and AT and PT as well as how she is helping make racing safer.

Julia, What is your favorite race event and why?

Going to Monaco would be a bucket list item

What is your experience in driving racecars?

I have done some courses

Dr. Hines’s husband is a racer

I get in the racing go-karts now and then.

How did you get into Athletic Training and Physical Therapy?

Dad is an amateur racer and started going to the track at 3 or 4 years old.

He got a concussion in her senior year of high school.

They basically did not treat him at all

He drove the pacecar the next day

He had symptoms for about a year including BBPV

I grew up close to Limerock park and love all those events

Went for PT school but ended up doing the combined AT PT program.

I got injured a lot as a dancer growing up

There are ATs with racing, but they are few and far between.

Showed up at races and talked to everyone I could

My doctoral thesis was on returning the motorsports PT.

Talk about the evolution of concussions in Auto Racing Medicine.

This is not a team sport.  If the drivers are not driving, they are not earning their money and they are potentially out of the industry.

The big teams, NASCAR, INDY, F1 they have traveling medical teams

The “arrive and drive” guys do not have any sort of consistent medical care.

Julia is currently working with more of the endurance events where they are driving for 24 hours.

NASCAR has been focusing on improving the health of the pit crews and a lot of ATs

Back in the 90s they would grab the guy from the local oil shop to be part of your pit crew.

Do you have experience treating Pit Crews with random injuries?

They have medical personnel in the pit..and everywhere.

If there was an emergency we would work as a team, allowing the emergency medical crew to lead and then being the primary on the follow-up or continuation of care.

Talk about the marathon races...how do you prepare them?

Anytime a driver exits the car after 2 hours...something is going to be sore.  Low back, foot, hand.

Rule out red flags.

What can I do in this instant to help them get back in the car in a few hours?

As a PT I avoid passive therapies

As a MotorsportsPT we utilize a lot of the passive therapies because they are not really done with their event.

If it is the night time you are trying to allow them to get treatment and get rest.

Letting them know you have a plan in case treatment one does not work

Do you ever have to “talk” them back into the car?

 I had a driver with a torn ACL who was concerned about driver changes.  We had to work through the process of what causes pain and what does not.