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5

Nov, 2019

What Is An Athletic Trainer?

Introducing the Athletic Trainer... Who is that?

Many people in athletics have probably heard a coach say, “go see the Athletic Trainer.” For those who didn’t play sports many have heard a commentator on TV talk about the “Trainer” coming on the field when someone is hurt. The Athletic Trainer or ATC (Athletic Trainer Certified) is a member of the sports medicine team, but there is often some confusion on what role the ATC fills.

Athletic Trainers are nationally certified and state licensed health care providers who work directly under a physician. The National Athletic Trainer’s Association (NATA) defines athletic training as, “encompass[ing] the prevention, examination, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries and medical conditions.” The bread and butter of an ATC is injury evaluation, rehabilitation, injury prevention, and sport related emergency care. Athletic Trainers are also skilled in determining which doctor someone should see for a particular injury or condition if necessary.

Now the burning question...What can the PRO Motion ATCs do for you? The ATCs from PRO are with BRYSA to help all of the athletes. On game days that an ATC is present he or she can evaluate injuries, determine if the injury needs to be seen by another healthcare professional, and provide treatment at that time. Any and all injuries can be assessed ranging from minor scrapes needing to be covered to broken bones or life-threatening events. When PRO ATCs are present for practices (at Sherando Park we set up shop in the middle of the four fields or at the Sportsplex we will be in the Blue Ridge United office next to the turf field) athletes can come by and get injuries evaluated before, during, or after practice. From that evaluation the ATC will be able to set you up with a plan of action. This may be some exercises the ATC shows you on-site, you may need to be referred to physical therapy, or maybe you need to go see a doctor. Either way the ATC can help point you in the right direction for free!