Alternative treatments to painkillers making inroads

PHOENIX - Joyce Rash, who lives in Canada but spends her winters in Arizona, was using muscle relaxers and traditional physical therapy to help with her leg pain, but they weren’t working.


Trainers turn focus to preventing injuries, not treating them with painkillers

FLAGSTAFF - Joshua Johnson’s title at Northern Arizona University reads athletic trainer. But he calls himself a “performance enhancer.”


Former NFL players seek game-changer to painkillers

BOULDER, Colo. – It’s been nearly 10 years since Jake Plummer retired from football. He still experiences soreness and pain from his neck and shoulders to the soles of his feet.


In his own words: Former Sun Rex Chapman opens up about his battle with addiction

LEXINGTON, Ky. – “When you’ve made the decision to go to rehab, you’re gonna go in there guns blazing,” said Rex Chapman, a Phoenix Suns guard from 1996 to 2000 who later spent time in the team’s front office. “Meaning you’re gonna take probably more (drugs) than you normally take because this is your last hurrah for a long time, maybe ever.”


Football participation in Arizona high schools on the rise despite concussion concerns

PHOENIX - In many parts of the country, high schools are shutting down football programs because of falling participation numbers. Growing concern about concussions is believed to be one reason for the drop, according to Bob Gardner, executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations.


Helmet improvement not perfect solution to concussions

PHOENIX - A Cronkite News survey of high schools in Maricopa County found that many are willing to invest in the highest-quality football helmets in order to ensure the safety of their players.


Programs stress importance of reporting concussions by high school athletes

GLENDALE - Dylan Leblanc, a former football player at Ironwood High School, remembers being upset at an opposing player about a hit that he absorbed during a game. And then, everything turned to fog.


December 21, 2016: Sports Special

Cronkite News special: Pain and performance in sports


High school athletes reporting of concussions increasing

MESA - Bike. Peach. Umbrella.


National anthem protest has national trickle-down effect

University High School, located in West Los Angeles, features a socially aware group of players under the direction of coach John Washington.


Fairfax boys basketball team rallies around memory of Isia Slater

LAVEEN - Fairfax High School boys basketball head coach Josh Wray put his phone on vibrate on the night of Oct. 14, an unusual move for him.


Award-winning football player overcomes cystic fibrosis to find success on and off field

PHOENIX – Balancing academics and athletics is a delicate juggling act, but Phoenix College wide receiver and former Joy Christian School quarterback Matthew Mitchell excelled at both - while also dealing with an inhibiting disease.