Friday, December 9, 2016
Taking a Break
Hey everyone.... I have been thinking about this blog for a while now. It's been over a year since I started it and I have enjoyed doing so. However, I feel like I am running out of ideas to talk about and not engaging my audience as much as I would have liked. It seems as though many people have stopped reading as well, and I am having trouble keeping the audience interested. So... I will be taking a break. I don't know how long this break will be... Could be months, could be forever. But I just wanted to thank those of you who have read. It's been a joy finding new stories to talk and learn about. I would love to continue learning and growing with you all. Maybe I will find a new venue for learning. Maybe I'll come back to this. But thank you everyone for taking time out of your day to read this. I appreciate it.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Recognition - Not Expected but Still Appreciated
On October 28th, Xavier Pease was given the game ball from the Billerica Memorial High School's football team. He was being recognized as one of the important roles on the field. His dad was also being recognized as a great supporter of the team. Pease's dad is battling a genetic disorder, called Alpha-1, which causes breathing problems. His dad went through a double lung transplant on October 9th, and had some complications. The football team knew that Pease was going through a rough time, and dedicated their game to his dad and him. The football team view Pease and his dad as members of their team. Pease has only been there a year, but has had lastly effects as their athletic trainer.
It's nice to hear stories like this as an athletic trainer. It's nice to know that you are considered part of the team. But we never expect it. We are here to do a job, being recognized is not something that we really think of because this is what we chose to do with our career. Helping people is in our blood. We don't do this for the recognition. BUT! It is nice when we get it. I'm sure Xavier Pease had no clue he was getting recognized. And it's the best feeling when you are.
When I worked with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, my first Opening Day I was recognized.. They announced every member of the team on the roster, and that included me! Also, my first season, the last home game of the year, I got a little trophy, a little recognition, for being the athletic trainer. It's the little things... I wasn't expecting to be recognized at the end of the year in front of the whole time and fans, but it made me feel great. That all my hard work was paying off!
Any of you have a story of recognition or something good that has happened to you at your workplace? It's always nice to hear good stories! Especially with all of the negativity going around right now. I needed a "feel good" day!
http://billerica.wickedlocal.com/news/20161111/billerica-football-team-supports-trainer-during-trying-time
It's nice to hear stories like this as an athletic trainer. It's nice to know that you are considered part of the team. But we never expect it. We are here to do a job, being recognized is not something that we really think of because this is what we chose to do with our career. Helping people is in our blood. We don't do this for the recognition. BUT! It is nice when we get it. I'm sure Xavier Pease had no clue he was getting recognized. And it's the best feeling when you are.
When I worked with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, my first Opening Day I was recognized.. They announced every member of the team on the roster, and that included me! Also, my first season, the last home game of the year, I got a little trophy, a little recognition, for being the athletic trainer. It's the little things... I wasn't expecting to be recognized at the end of the year in front of the whole time and fans, but it made me feel great. That all my hard work was paying off!
Any of you have a story of recognition or something good that has happened to you at your workplace? It's always nice to hear good stories! Especially with all of the negativity going around right now. I needed a "feel good" day!
http://billerica.wickedlocal.com/news/20161111/billerica-football-team-supports-trainer-during-trying-time
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Creating a New ATR
Hey guys! I know I haven't written in a while... Lots have things have been going on, some personal and some work related... Most intertwine the two. It's been a struggle. But.. I'm back! And I need your help!
I am creating a new ATR space. We have a big space to work with.... about 15'x34' for the new training room, and 15'x20' for the new wet room. I have been going over everything that I would like, and my assistant has given her input... But we are stumped with what else we should put in our new ATR!
On our list we have new treatment and taping tables, new whirlpools, new stim units and carts to put them on, new desks,,, You know... The essentials. But what ELSE? What is your favorite thing you have in your ATR? What do you wish you had?
We are trying to figure out how to fund getting one of those Grimm Whirpools. Anyone have one of those?
Also, we need to fundraise for this whole project. What are some things that you can think of to help fund this probable $100,000 project?
All input is welcome and wanted!!!
I am creating a new ATR space. We have a big space to work with.... about 15'x34' for the new training room, and 15'x20' for the new wet room. I have been going over everything that I would like, and my assistant has given her input... But we are stumped with what else we should put in our new ATR!
On our list we have new treatment and taping tables, new whirlpools, new stim units and carts to put them on, new desks,,, You know... The essentials. But what ELSE? What is your favorite thing you have in your ATR? What do you wish you had?
We are trying to figure out how to fund getting one of those Grimm Whirpools. Anyone have one of those?
Also, we need to fundraise for this whole project. What are some things that you can think of to help fund this probable $100,000 project?
All input is welcome and wanted!!!
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
STIRKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!
So has anyone else heard about the faculty strikes in Pennsylvania? Faculty at 14 universities owned by the state of Pennsylvania when on strike, and what I did not know was that the athletic trainers also went on strike! I just read this and it baffled me. The schools are planning on using the graduate assistants that work at these schools who are certified as replacement ATs while the strike is going on. At least these schools have that! I don't think they ALL do, though. So what are the schools doing? They must be getting per diem ATs. But you know what? I think I'm happy that the ATs decided to join the strike. Underpaid and overworked? Yup. Usually. I don't know what the strike is actually about, but that would be my guess. If there is no replacement AT, do all sports have to cease? How does that work?
So I get the whole strike. I know why people do it. They feel like their institution is not treating them fairly. But now I think of our code of ethics. How can you strike when in the back of your mind there is an athlete that needs your help? It's just something I can't wrap my head around. Like I said, I know why they're doing it. And I agree with them and would probably join in. But I would also be sitting there thinking about all the athletes I have left behind to be dealt with by a replacement who knows nothing about them. Morally, I don't think I would be able to strike. But we definitely need to do something to make us as professionals treated fairly and be appreciated as a medical field.
Anyone else have an idea of what you would do or how you would handle a strike? I just don't know what I would do!
So I get the whole strike. I know why people do it. They feel like their institution is not treating them fairly. But now I think of our code of ethics. How can you strike when in the back of your mind there is an athlete that needs your help? It's just something I can't wrap my head around. Like I said, I know why they're doing it. And I agree with them and would probably join in. But I would also be sitting there thinking about all the athletes I have left behind to be dealt with by a replacement who knows nothing about them. Morally, I don't think I would be able to strike. But we definitely need to do something to make us as professionals treated fairly and be appreciated as a medical field.
Anyone else have an idea of what you would do or how you would handle a strike? I just don't know what I would do!
Saturday, October 22, 2016
NFL - Do they care?
**DISCLAIMER** This post is not in direct relation to athletic training, but it is a current topic and an interesting one to talk about.
So it has been brought to light the many NFL players that have participated in a domestic violence crime. Most recently, my NY Giants kicker, Josh Brown, has been brought to the spotlight with his ex-wife stating that he had been violent with her. It also happens that he had emails and journal entries admitting the events that took place. At first, I was in disbelief. Someone that I really enjoyed watching play, someone whom I always picked up in fantasy football... How could this be true? Then you have to think about what's being done about it. Right now, the NFL is investigating the issue. But think about years past... Ray Rice, Brandon Marshall, Santonio Holmes, Dez Bryant, among others, have all been arrested for domestic violence and all but one (Rice) are still playing in the NFL.
In 2015, Brown was arrested for domestic violence and was suspended for one game. The NFL blamed his wife for not cooperating and them not being able to figure out what happened. Same thing happened with Rice. The NFL blamed the victim. Even with Brown's admission of guilt, the Giants re-signed him, seemingly OK that Brown was abusing his wife. The NFL decided to reopen the case since it had gone a bit more public than they had foreseen. The NFL has revamped their domestic violence policy, though. A six game suspension without pay for a first time offender and someone who abuses a pregnant woman... Wow. That'll show them, right?
So is the NFL turning a blind eye to domestic violence? Being a female in sports, I know what it is like to have these male athletes become violent. Not necessarily towards me, but I have seen it. It happens. There are times where the players are stressed and do not know how to handle it well and they become violent. Maybe some people are just violent by nature. It DOES happen. The NFL cannot just sweep it under the rug and say that it is the accusers fault. I cannot believe that these domestic violence cases are not being investigated further. The NFL just doesn't seem to want to deal with it, so the player gets a slap on the wrist, a "don't do it again", and off you go. Being a woman, it is disgraceful to see this happen. How can the NFL, a nationally know organization, who is supposed to produce role models for young kids and entertainment for the rest of us... How do they sit back and watch this happen and not do anything about it? I just don't quite understand their logic. Why do the women get blamed and the offenders keep living their lives? Something needs to be done.
So it has been brought to light the many NFL players that have participated in a domestic violence crime. Most recently, my NY Giants kicker, Josh Brown, has been brought to the spotlight with his ex-wife stating that he had been violent with her. It also happens that he had emails and journal entries admitting the events that took place. At first, I was in disbelief. Someone that I really enjoyed watching play, someone whom I always picked up in fantasy football... How could this be true? Then you have to think about what's being done about it. Right now, the NFL is investigating the issue. But think about years past... Ray Rice, Brandon Marshall, Santonio Holmes, Dez Bryant, among others, have all been arrested for domestic violence and all but one (Rice) are still playing in the NFL.
In 2015, Brown was arrested for domestic violence and was suspended for one game. The NFL blamed his wife for not cooperating and them not being able to figure out what happened. Same thing happened with Rice. The NFL blamed the victim. Even with Brown's admission of guilt, the Giants re-signed him, seemingly OK that Brown was abusing his wife. The NFL decided to reopen the case since it had gone a bit more public than they had foreseen. The NFL has revamped their domestic violence policy, though. A six game suspension without pay for a first time offender and someone who abuses a pregnant woman... Wow. That'll show them, right?
So is the NFL turning a blind eye to domestic violence? Being a female in sports, I know what it is like to have these male athletes become violent. Not necessarily towards me, but I have seen it. It happens. There are times where the players are stressed and do not know how to handle it well and they become violent. Maybe some people are just violent by nature. It DOES happen. The NFL cannot just sweep it under the rug and say that it is the accusers fault. I cannot believe that these domestic violence cases are not being investigated further. The NFL just doesn't seem to want to deal with it, so the player gets a slap on the wrist, a "don't do it again", and off you go. Being a woman, it is disgraceful to see this happen. How can the NFL, a nationally know organization, who is supposed to produce role models for young kids and entertainment for the rest of us... How do they sit back and watch this happen and not do anything about it? I just don't quite understand their logic. Why do the women get blamed and the offenders keep living their lives? Something needs to be done.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Athletic Trainers - We Save Lives
On April 27th, Leigh Otis and Amanda Jennings found themselves doing something they never thought they would have to do. However, their extensive training helped them flawlessly perform a life saving procedure. Connor Moss was participating in a weight lifting session when he collapsed because his heart stopped. Otis started CPR while Jennings grabbed the AED. They saved Moss's life, and the city has dubbed them as heroes. They don't feel like heroes, though - they were just doing their jobs.
On November 19, 2014, Max Rucker was at football practice and collapsed. Athletic trainer Keith Shireman ran from the athletic training room to the football field to find Rucker unconscious with no pulse. He immediately started CPR. Four cycles later, EMS arrived and took over. Rucker was diagnosed with a heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, that required surgery. The initial CPR saved his life. He had a defibrillator put in and was told he couldn't play any more contact sports. His reaction? "That's ok. Now I want to be an athletic trainer."
In October 2015, Piper Thompson ran to action. Football player Josh Boatright collapsed on the field. His heart was racing and wouldn't slow. He had stated previously that he was getting heart palpitations during activity, and then later at rest. Thompson suggested that he go to a cardiologist and have his heart checked, which was a great move because Boatright was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The football player could have died without Thompson being right there watching, and he now respects what she does more for her life-saving actions.
These are just a few life saving actions of athletic trainers that I have read about. I think that's how it is with athletic trainers. None of us are in it for the glory or the awards or the recognition. We chose this career because we love doing what we're doing. I also believe that life saving actions don't necessarily mean we have to do CPR and grab the AED. I think there are more life saving actions that we do. Let's say a lacrosse player breaks his leg in a game. The athletic trainer is there first to assess the injury and give comfort to the player. The lacrosse player is transported to the hospital and has surgery and/or is casted. But what the athletic trainer did and said from injury to surgery is key. We are here to make sure the athlete feels safe and believes that he/she will be ok. As athletic trainers, we take the broken leg athlete and we hold their hand until the ambulance arrives. We tell them that we will take care of them when they get out of the cast. We tell them that we will be there for rehab ever day until they are better. I know that being there for other injuries is just as live saving as a CPR instance. I know that when a player tears their ACL, they feel like their life is over because their season is over. But we can educate them, rehab them, and get them back on the field. This is why I love this profession so much. We save lives every day, no matter how big or small the injury is. And we don't look for a reward. It is rewarding enough to see the athlete back out on the field.
http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/life-saving-heroes-honored-in-layton
http://www.wfsb.com/story/27520760/high-school-athletic-trainer-saves-football-players-life
http://kdvr.com/2015/10/05/legend-h-s-football-player-says-his-schools-athletic-trainer-saved-his-life/
On November 19, 2014, Max Rucker was at football practice and collapsed. Athletic trainer Keith Shireman ran from the athletic training room to the football field to find Rucker unconscious with no pulse. He immediately started CPR. Four cycles later, EMS arrived and took over. Rucker was diagnosed with a heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, that required surgery. The initial CPR saved his life. He had a defibrillator put in and was told he couldn't play any more contact sports. His reaction? "That's ok. Now I want to be an athletic trainer."
In October 2015, Piper Thompson ran to action. Football player Josh Boatright collapsed on the field. His heart was racing and wouldn't slow. He had stated previously that he was getting heart palpitations during activity, and then later at rest. Thompson suggested that he go to a cardiologist and have his heart checked, which was a great move because Boatright was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The football player could have died without Thompson being right there watching, and he now respects what she does more for her life-saving actions.
These are just a few life saving actions of athletic trainers that I have read about. I think that's how it is with athletic trainers. None of us are in it for the glory or the awards or the recognition. We chose this career because we love doing what we're doing. I also believe that life saving actions don't necessarily mean we have to do CPR and grab the AED. I think there are more life saving actions that we do. Let's say a lacrosse player breaks his leg in a game. The athletic trainer is there first to assess the injury and give comfort to the player. The lacrosse player is transported to the hospital and has surgery and/or is casted. But what the athletic trainer did and said from injury to surgery is key. We are here to make sure the athlete feels safe and believes that he/she will be ok. As athletic trainers, we take the broken leg athlete and we hold their hand until the ambulance arrives. We tell them that we will take care of them when they get out of the cast. We tell them that we will be there for rehab ever day until they are better. I know that being there for other injuries is just as live saving as a CPR instance. I know that when a player tears their ACL, they feel like their life is over because their season is over. But we can educate them, rehab them, and get them back on the field. This is why I love this profession so much. We save lives every day, no matter how big or small the injury is. And we don't look for a reward. It is rewarding enough to see the athlete back out on the field.
http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/life-saving-heroes-honored-in-layton
http://www.wfsb.com/story/27520760/high-school-athletic-trainer-saves-football-players-life
http://kdvr.com/2015/10/05/legend-h-s-football-player-says-his-schools-athletic-trainer-saved-his-life/
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Transistioning into New Roles
Wow. It's been a while since I've been able to post! I have been dealing with end of the season goodbyes with the Blue Crabs and moving on to bigger and better things. I am now the head athletic trainer for Bowie State University and I have been excited and nervous and anxious about the whole process. I think I have transitioned nicely, but I have only been at Bowie for 3 days (today will be 4) now, so I don't know if that transition is actually as smooth as planned. We'll see I guess!!
Anyways... Today I want to talk to you all about that transition. I have had to do multiple transitions during my career as an athletic trainer. The first one was from Student to Professional. Talk about a scary move! You no longer have a hand to hold, you have to do everything on your own. Maybe if you went from student to assistant it's a bit different. You still have someone there to bounce ideas off of and a second pair of eyes. But maybe not. Maybe the head isn't there all the time... I digress... I had to transition from student to professional at a high school with no one else there. It was a scary situation! I remember my first major incident. Football player got his finger stuck in a helmet at practice and was screaming that his finger was ripped off. All I was hoping to do was not freak out when I saw an acute amputation of a finger. Guess what? He didn't lose his finger, he was fine. But in that instance, I wanted someone there with me in case I was doing something wrong. I needed reassurance. But did I? No... I knew what I was doing! The next major injury came at a football game. Tib-fib fracture. Happened right in front of me. Heard the crack and everything. Told someone else to call 9-11. I was lucky enough to have a team doc on the sideline with me that reduced the fracture, and an EMT from the chain gang helped him put the splint on that I gave my doc. I had nothing to do, and to be honest, for a second I was relieved. But then I realized, this is my first tib-fib and I didn't get to be a part of it at all! I was so upset! Everyone else had it covered and all I did was hold the kids hand. Not that that isn't a huge part of the whole thing, the comfort of having someone there for you, but I still wanted to DO something. That's when I knew all my schooling had paid off. I was ready to be part of the action!
My next transition was from high school to professional sports. Wow... What a jump! I think I was more nervous for that transition than for the first one. I knew professional baseball was going to be more demanding than high school. The pressure to have an athlete immediately back on the field is super stressful. There isn't pressure like that in high school. You can say "You're injured, you're not playing" and athletes aren't happy and coaches aren't happy, but it's accepted. If someone gets injured in professional sports, it's "I need so and so by tomorrow at 4 pm, make it happen" and that's that. You need to be able to make a 4 week injury take a week or less to heal. You are not a miracle worker, but it is expected of you to exhaust all possible options. When I had a guy out with a concussion, I remembered my standard protocol. Out until symptoms are cleared up. Once cleared of symptoms for 24 hours, start 5 day return to play protocol. If symptoms come back, start over. That's not how it was with my stint as the athletic trainer for the Blue Crabs. Someone gets a concussion, they start return to play almost immediately. The player I just referred to went to the doctor that day. By the time he went to the doc, he was symptom free. Was cleared to start the RTP the next day. WHAT?! That's nothing I've ever heard of! He went through the protocol with flying colors. The only bad part about concussion in the League that I was in, no Impact testing or other cognitive testing. So I did not have a baseline. But still.... that's an example of an injury that should have taken longer that didn't. Also, you are more than just an athletic trainer in all situations, but this was very apparent here. I dealt with hotel set ups and making sure everyone was where they needed to be at the correct time. Doctor's appointments, physicals, bus schedule, meal money, worker's comp... I dealt with it all. Season 1 was definitely a learning season. Season 2, I had it down. But how different the experience was to go from high school to pros than from out of school to high school.
Now I come to my third transition... Professional to College. You would think that it would be easier because professional sports... Need I say more? However, I am now the head athletic trainer. I have never had someone under me until now. Having someone there and being their boss is kind of intimidating. Am I making the correct decision? Will I be a good role model? Am I someone to look up to? These are all questions I am asking myself every day. Besides that, college athletes are way different than high school or professional. Their attitudes about injuries are different. In high school it's more of "Oh I'm hurt because I don't want to practice", in professional it's "I'm injured but I need to play in 3 hours, figure it out", but in college its a good mix of both. Not that they want to get out of practice or they're rushing too fast to get in, but they understand they are injured and want to do everything they can to get better. You have some of the extremists to either side, but most of them UNDERSTAND. I'm not really used to that. High school they didn't care if they played or not, professionals wanted you to work miracles on broken bones... College athletes? They're a rare breed. And I'm enjoying what I'm seeing. I think that this is going to be a great transition, but I'm still nervous. What if they don't like the way I do things? What if I don't know something and my assistant judges that and thinks they should have hired someone else? I don't know...
It's tough to transition into something new. But you have to know that each transition is going to make you a better person. They wouldn't have hired you if they didn't think you had what it takes.
Anyone have any fun/scary/inspiring transition stories for us to learn from?
Anyways... Today I want to talk to you all about that transition. I have had to do multiple transitions during my career as an athletic trainer. The first one was from Student to Professional. Talk about a scary move! You no longer have a hand to hold, you have to do everything on your own. Maybe if you went from student to assistant it's a bit different. You still have someone there to bounce ideas off of and a second pair of eyes. But maybe not. Maybe the head isn't there all the time... I digress... I had to transition from student to professional at a high school with no one else there. It was a scary situation! I remember my first major incident. Football player got his finger stuck in a helmet at practice and was screaming that his finger was ripped off. All I was hoping to do was not freak out when I saw an acute amputation of a finger. Guess what? He didn't lose his finger, he was fine. But in that instance, I wanted someone there with me in case I was doing something wrong. I needed reassurance. But did I? No... I knew what I was doing! The next major injury came at a football game. Tib-fib fracture. Happened right in front of me. Heard the crack and everything. Told someone else to call 9-11. I was lucky enough to have a team doc on the sideline with me that reduced the fracture, and an EMT from the chain gang helped him put the splint on that I gave my doc. I had nothing to do, and to be honest, for a second I was relieved. But then I realized, this is my first tib-fib and I didn't get to be a part of it at all! I was so upset! Everyone else had it covered and all I did was hold the kids hand. Not that that isn't a huge part of the whole thing, the comfort of having someone there for you, but I still wanted to DO something. That's when I knew all my schooling had paid off. I was ready to be part of the action!
My next transition was from high school to professional sports. Wow... What a jump! I think I was more nervous for that transition than for the first one. I knew professional baseball was going to be more demanding than high school. The pressure to have an athlete immediately back on the field is super stressful. There isn't pressure like that in high school. You can say "You're injured, you're not playing" and athletes aren't happy and coaches aren't happy, but it's accepted. If someone gets injured in professional sports, it's "I need so and so by tomorrow at 4 pm, make it happen" and that's that. You need to be able to make a 4 week injury take a week or less to heal. You are not a miracle worker, but it is expected of you to exhaust all possible options. When I had a guy out with a concussion, I remembered my standard protocol. Out until symptoms are cleared up. Once cleared of symptoms for 24 hours, start 5 day return to play protocol. If symptoms come back, start over. That's not how it was with my stint as the athletic trainer for the Blue Crabs. Someone gets a concussion, they start return to play almost immediately. The player I just referred to went to the doctor that day. By the time he went to the doc, he was symptom free. Was cleared to start the RTP the next day. WHAT?! That's nothing I've ever heard of! He went through the protocol with flying colors. The only bad part about concussion in the League that I was in, no Impact testing or other cognitive testing. So I did not have a baseline. But still.... that's an example of an injury that should have taken longer that didn't. Also, you are more than just an athletic trainer in all situations, but this was very apparent here. I dealt with hotel set ups and making sure everyone was where they needed to be at the correct time. Doctor's appointments, physicals, bus schedule, meal money, worker's comp... I dealt with it all. Season 1 was definitely a learning season. Season 2, I had it down. But how different the experience was to go from high school to pros than from out of school to high school.
Now I come to my third transition... Professional to College. You would think that it would be easier because professional sports... Need I say more? However, I am now the head athletic trainer. I have never had someone under me until now. Having someone there and being their boss is kind of intimidating. Am I making the correct decision? Will I be a good role model? Am I someone to look up to? These are all questions I am asking myself every day. Besides that, college athletes are way different than high school or professional. Their attitudes about injuries are different. In high school it's more of "Oh I'm hurt because I don't want to practice", in professional it's "I'm injured but I need to play in 3 hours, figure it out", but in college its a good mix of both. Not that they want to get out of practice or they're rushing too fast to get in, but they understand they are injured and want to do everything they can to get better. You have some of the extremists to either side, but most of them UNDERSTAND. I'm not really used to that. High school they didn't care if they played or not, professionals wanted you to work miracles on broken bones... College athletes? They're a rare breed. And I'm enjoying what I'm seeing. I think that this is going to be a great transition, but I'm still nervous. What if they don't like the way I do things? What if I don't know something and my assistant judges that and thinks they should have hired someone else? I don't know...
It's tough to transition into something new. But you have to know that each transition is going to make you a better person. They wouldn't have hired you if they didn't think you had what it takes.
Anyone have any fun/scary/inspiring transition stories for us to learn from?
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Happy Football Season!!
Football season is upon us and I could not be happier! Football is my favorite season out of the year. The games, the atmosphere, the excitement. It's just the best season! However, with football comes injuries. And I definitely don't want to hammer home concussions any more, but it's unfortunately something that everyone has to deal with.
I am going to share a story with you that I heard when I was in grad school doing a clinical rotation at a high school. It goes like this: Years ago, there was a football player. He was the stud of the team. I believe he was the quarterback. One game during his senior year, he got sacked. He popped right back up, argued with the ref about a bad call, and then dropped to the ground in a Grand Mal seizure. He was air lifted to the hospital where he had emergency brain surgery. Subdural and subarachnoid bleed. He should have died. Luckily, his athletic trainer knew how to handle the situation. It helped she was a paramedic as well. She immediately radioed for the helicopter and stabilized the athlete as best she could. He was diagnosed with those bleeds due to Second Impact Syndrome. Apparently, he had gotten hit in the head in a practice or game (I can't remember which) and never told anyone that he was feeling bad after the initial hit. Denied any symptoms and there were no signs showing a head injury. Well, the fast action of his AT saved his life. If she wasn't there, he would have died.
The moral of this story is that we need to be more aware of kids trying to stay in the game after a head injury. I am not saying that this AT had any knowledge of the first hit. She didn't. I'm saying when we have control.... It makes me cringe watching some hits in college football, where an athlete is unconscious on the field, and then goes back into the game. How is this teaching our youth that head injuries are serious? I can't fathom that any of the players I have seen "knocked out" (i.e. the Michigan player last year) being OK to return to play after such an injury. If a player is unconscious on the field, he/she needs to exit the game and not return until further evaluation and rest.
Am I the only one that feels this way?
I am going to share a story with you that I heard when I was in grad school doing a clinical rotation at a high school. It goes like this: Years ago, there was a football player. He was the stud of the team. I believe he was the quarterback. One game during his senior year, he got sacked. He popped right back up, argued with the ref about a bad call, and then dropped to the ground in a Grand Mal seizure. He was air lifted to the hospital where he had emergency brain surgery. Subdural and subarachnoid bleed. He should have died. Luckily, his athletic trainer knew how to handle the situation. It helped she was a paramedic as well. She immediately radioed for the helicopter and stabilized the athlete as best she could. He was diagnosed with those bleeds due to Second Impact Syndrome. Apparently, he had gotten hit in the head in a practice or game (I can't remember which) and never told anyone that he was feeling bad after the initial hit. Denied any symptoms and there were no signs showing a head injury. Well, the fast action of his AT saved his life. If she wasn't there, he would have died.
The moral of this story is that we need to be more aware of kids trying to stay in the game after a head injury. I am not saying that this AT had any knowledge of the first hit. She didn't. I'm saying when we have control.... It makes me cringe watching some hits in college football, where an athlete is unconscious on the field, and then goes back into the game. How is this teaching our youth that head injuries are serious? I can't fathom that any of the players I have seen "knocked out" (i.e. the Michigan player last year) being OK to return to play after such an injury. If a player is unconscious on the field, he/she needs to exit the game and not return until further evaluation and rest.
Am I the only one that feels this way?
Saturday, August 27, 2016
What Would You Do?
So there's a story that's been brought up a lot today. It's the one about the fight and the lightning. For those of you who have not heard this story, here is a quick recap.
Westlake High School and Langston-Hughes High School were playing each other in a football game. There was a fight that broke out in the stands and apparently gun shots were heard. As the fight was progressing, there was lightening that also caused a delayed game. The game never got back underway, and at 11:30 pm was suspended. They do not know if they will finish the game at a later date.
Now... There has been a picture circling around the internet of the teams laying on their stomachs as they heard the gun shots. There is no media talk about the gun shots or what happened. Can you imagine being the athletic trainer at that school dealing with all those things going on?
Of course you are working on keeping everyone safe, but when is it unsafe for you as the AT to try to keep everyone else safe? Instinct tells us as ATs to try to protect every athlete and every bystander. But gun shots? Is there a protocol out there for someone with a gun? I know that at my current employer, we had an active shooter "training". The local police came in at told us everything to do if there was an active shooter. One of the things to do is if you see an injured person laying on the ground, only help them if you know that you are safe to do so. But as an AT, I would want to help. Can we as athletic trainers turn off the switch to help people so we can save ourselves? I know that would be a hard thing for me to do.
To finish out what the active shooter training was... Run, Hide, Fight. That's what we were told to do in that order. You run from the scene if you have a clear path, and that is when you are supposed to just leave the injured if you do not know where the shooter is. If you don't have a clear path, you hide. Find somewhere they cannot get into. Somewhere you can barricade yourself in. Put everything you can against the door. Do anything to hide from this person. And if neither of those are options for you, you fight. And you fight hard.
As an AT, I was sitting in this training thinking how hard it would be to leave the injured, and how hard it would be to just run from the whole situation. Our profession, we run toward chaos and injury, not away from it. I guess you'll never know what you would do until you are in that situation.
For all the people at that game the other night - staff, students, and spectators - I hope everyone is doing well and there was no serious injuries that came out of that horrible night.
What do you think you would do in this situation?
Westlake High School and Langston-Hughes High School were playing each other in a football game. There was a fight that broke out in the stands and apparently gun shots were heard. As the fight was progressing, there was lightening that also caused a delayed game. The game never got back underway, and at 11:30 pm was suspended. They do not know if they will finish the game at a later date.
Now... There has been a picture circling around the internet of the teams laying on their stomachs as they heard the gun shots. There is no media talk about the gun shots or what happened. Can you imagine being the athletic trainer at that school dealing with all those things going on?
Of course you are working on keeping everyone safe, but when is it unsafe for you as the AT to try to keep everyone else safe? Instinct tells us as ATs to try to protect every athlete and every bystander. But gun shots? Is there a protocol out there for someone with a gun? I know that at my current employer, we had an active shooter "training". The local police came in at told us everything to do if there was an active shooter. One of the things to do is if you see an injured person laying on the ground, only help them if you know that you are safe to do so. But as an AT, I would want to help. Can we as athletic trainers turn off the switch to help people so we can save ourselves? I know that would be a hard thing for me to do.
To finish out what the active shooter training was... Run, Hide, Fight. That's what we were told to do in that order. You run from the scene if you have a clear path, and that is when you are supposed to just leave the injured if you do not know where the shooter is. If you don't have a clear path, you hide. Find somewhere they cannot get into. Somewhere you can barricade yourself in. Put everything you can against the door. Do anything to hide from this person. And if neither of those are options for you, you fight. And you fight hard.
As an AT, I was sitting in this training thinking how hard it would be to leave the injured, and how hard it would be to just run from the whole situation. Our profession, we run toward chaos and injury, not away from it. I guess you'll never know what you would do until you are in that situation.
For all the people at that game the other night - staff, students, and spectators - I hope everyone is doing well and there was no serious injuries that came out of that horrible night.
What do you think you would do in this situation?
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Females in Football
As football season nears, it's nice to think about the female ATs in football! Over the off-season, there have been a lot of articles come out about female ATs being hired as full time or intern staff in the NFL. It's amazing, and Tiffany Morton is nothing short of that. The Kansas City Chiefs hired Morton as their first ever female AT. She started her schooling at Auburn University where she dreamed of going to medical school. She struggled through chemistry and lost her drive to pursue that. (Weird... Sound almost exactly like what I did! Anyone else in the same boat here?) After struggling, she took a personality test to see which direction she should go in. The test pointed her to athletic training. She found her passion in the profession and grabbed an internship with the Chiefs. Rick Burkholder himself sought out Morton after a conference she attended where she asked him the right questions and she made herself stand out. Jeremy Maclin, the Chiefs stand-out wide receiver, was wondering when Rick Burkholder was going to hire her full time. Morton is now one of 5 female ATs in the NFL and Maclin has dubbed Morton his go-to AT. The players respect her and were ecstatic that she was hired full time. She blew the competition away in her interview. She carried herself well and they liked that. Burkholder was aware and looking for a certain dynamic when he hired Morton, a dynamic that involved a female in the ATR. She is treated as an athletic trainer, respected and held accountable. Morton is focused on being a good role model for all females in the profession. And I think she's doing a splendid job.
It's great to read stories like this. I have been in this profession for 4 years now and have tried to accomplish my dream of being a female AT in the NFL. It's hard when you aren't picked for an internship. You sit back and watch everyone else get the summer or seasonal internships and you don't get the chance to show them what you have. You get down on yourself... But then you hear stories like this that pick you up. Females are starting to get the jobs in the NFL. The teams see the value of a good athletic trainer, whether it's a male or female. The players don't treat females any differently. We are athletic trainers. We are professionals. We don't need to be treated differently. We need to show that we are just as good at the job, if not better, than our male counterparts. And Morton and the rest of the females in the NFL and other professional sports are doing just that. There are more females in the profession now, which mean opportunities are opening up.
Has anyone had an internship or worked for the NFL and want to share your story? Let me know... I would love to know how you got into the NFL, as it is still my dream job!
http://www.chiefs.com/news/article-2/Rick-Burkholder-Hoping-Tiffany-Morton-is-Start-of-New-NFL-Trend/5dc75bfe-fc3e-4bed-8a05-045024c2ee80
It's great to read stories like this. I have been in this profession for 4 years now and have tried to accomplish my dream of being a female AT in the NFL. It's hard when you aren't picked for an internship. You sit back and watch everyone else get the summer or seasonal internships and you don't get the chance to show them what you have. You get down on yourself... But then you hear stories like this that pick you up. Females are starting to get the jobs in the NFL. The teams see the value of a good athletic trainer, whether it's a male or female. The players don't treat females any differently. We are athletic trainers. We are professionals. We don't need to be treated differently. We need to show that we are just as good at the job, if not better, than our male counterparts. And Morton and the rest of the females in the NFL and other professional sports are doing just that. There are more females in the profession now, which mean opportunities are opening up.
Has anyone had an internship or worked for the NFL and want to share your story? Let me know... I would love to know how you got into the NFL, as it is still my dream job!
http://www.chiefs.com/news/article-2/Rick-Burkholder-Hoping-Tiffany-Morton-is-Start-of-New-NFL-Trend/5dc75bfe-fc3e-4bed-8a05-045024c2ee80
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Sports and Drug Use
So let's start with the big question... Does being in sports lead to drug use? Well... The answer seems clear. All you hear about this days is what major leaguer is taking steroids and what NFL-er is addicted to heroin. It's a no brainer. Yes, sports and drug use go hand in hand.
But do they?
I have now worked almost 2 seasons with a professional baseball team. I spend just about every waking moment with these 30 guys. I know how they act, I know what foods they eat, I know when they're having a bad day or a good one. In the 2 seasons I have been with this team, I can honestly say I know of not one player who uses and abuses drugs. Now... That's not to say I don't know about it. However, I truly believe that if they were using steroids or addicted to anything, I would know about it. They know where they are at in their career. There is a risk if you take unapproved drugs. You don't get picked up, you don't get to go back to the show.
Then, if there isn't all this drug use going on, why are there so many stories on it? Well... I believe that it's because these people that don't pass their drug tests are supposed to be roll models for kids. Take Michael Phelps... He is probably one of the most famous cases out there. He got caught using marijuana and the nation seemed to crumble. There were a lot of how could yous and why would you think this is oks. He is an icon, especially to young athletes. He is the most decorated Oltmpian of all time, and in one bad decision lost the respect of millions. (For the record, I have always loved Phelps and he did make a public apology, went to rehab, and is not clean.)
So is that where drug use comes from? Young athletes see their favorite athlete on the news for taking steroids, doing heroin, etc, and they just follow in their footsteps?
After reading the article below, I'm not so sure. A study done at the University of Michigan shows that 21% of male athletes and 14% of female athletes will be injured in sports in any given year. Athletes who are injured often receive stronger medications than their non-athlete counterpart. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey believes that the high dosage drugs are necessary to treat these young athletes. He believes this is the reason for the increased drug use in sports. These kids are given these opioids and other high dosage pain medications and they become dependent on it. When that drug stops working, they could seek out other forms to help. However, another study came out saying that this is the complete opposite and that participating in sports will likely cut the risk of drug use.
Reading that injuries lead to drug use is quite interesting. My opinion on the whole thing is that you need to have the right personality and will power to not abuse drugs in sports. I think that the reason behind drug use is a personal one. If A-Rod wasn't a big deal in the MLB, I think he still would have taken performance enhancing drugs for another reason. Why did A-Rod take performance enhancing drugs and Darryl Strawberry used cocaine but Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan didn't?
What do you think? Why does drug abuse exist in sports?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook/2016/08/03/what-is-the-risk-of-youth-sports-injuries-leading-to-opioid-heroin-abuse/#64553b279215
Friday, July 22, 2016
Highlighting - Sonoma Stompers
So, as you all know, I am an advocate for women athletic trainers, especially ones who want to be a dominate force in a male dominate area of the profession. Well, today I'm here to not talk about athletic trainers, but women athletes that have taken over. There have been 2 females that were signed by the Sonoma Stompers, a professional BASEBALL team in the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball. These two women will be side by side with the men of this baseball team. Kelsie Whitmore and Stacy Piagno, both pitchers and the former an outfield, latter infield, were in the starting lineup on July 1. The STARTING LINEUP! How crazy is that?! They will remain on the team indefinitely. The GM states that this is NOT a one day event. They will not be starting every day, they will have to earn their spots. However, they will be playing. And they will be playing key roles at that. The two will also be playing on Team USA in this fall's Women's Baseball World Cup held in Korea. Whitmore, a recent high school grad, will be attending college at Cal State Fullerton. Piagno graduated from U of Tampa and no-hit Puerto Rico in the 2015 Pan Am games.
Fun fact about the Stompers... They also have the record for oldest pitcher to win a game with Bill Lee who was 67 at the time of his win!
They have also had the first openly gay professional baseball player.
The article that I read about the Stompers has the GM speaking wonderous things about females in the sport. He wants to see it more. He loves that he can say there are two females on his team. It's truly a step in the right direction.
Now, we have leaps and bounds before we see women playing in the MLB, but how awesome is this? Female athletes, female athletic trainers... It's all starting to unfold the way we would all like it to. An even playing field if you will. I can't wait to read more stories like this one!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/06/30/in-historic-move-two-female-players-signed-by-minor-league-baseball-team/
Fun fact about the Stompers... They also have the record for oldest pitcher to win a game with Bill Lee who was 67 at the time of his win!
They have also had the first openly gay professional baseball player.
The article that I read about the Stompers has the GM speaking wonderous things about females in the sport. He wants to see it more. He loves that he can say there are two females on his team. It's truly a step in the right direction.
Now, we have leaps and bounds before we see women playing in the MLB, but how awesome is this? Female athletes, female athletic trainers... It's all starting to unfold the way we would all like it to. An even playing field if you will. I can't wait to read more stories like this one!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/06/30/in-historic-move-two-female-players-signed-by-minor-league-baseball-team/
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Perceptions - Could they be wrong?
I don't have too much to write about today, but I just came across this video and I had to let you all know about it. It is absolutely amazing, and exactly the kind of thing I started this blog for. There was a classroom full of inquisitive kids that were asked to draw people with different jobs. I didn't realize what had happened when they were drawing until the end, but it was a great point. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but check out the video. It makes me have way more confidence that women can and will rise up and break barriers. Seriously... check out the video. Let me know your thoughts. Did you see it coming in the end?
P.s. thank you for everyone's support. You are all amazing.
https://www.facebook.com/Upworthy/videos/1309607832413405/
P.s. thank you for everyone's support. You are all amazing.
https://www.facebook.com/Upworthy/videos/1309607832413405/
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Highlighting: Washington Redskins
Recently, the Washington Redskins hired a new athletic training intern, Abigail Solis. She is the first female hired by the Washington Redskins. Solis attends George Mason University, and is a noticeable difference on the field. She knew she stuck out the first few days. Just like my baseball players, she states that the Washington Redskins are a very respectful bunch. She chose her internship with the Redskins based on the fact that she wanted that professional experience. She loves how, at this level, the athletes take care of themselves and their bodies, while high schoolers most of the time do not care. There is respect coming from both ends, which is how it always will be.
Another highlight with the Redskins is that they also hired a new director of sports medicine. Her name is Robin West. West is currently the lead team physician for the Washington Nationals and the medical director for Inova Sports Medicine. She has been the team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon. West is the first female lead chief physician in the NFL! The Redskins president seems to have great confidence that West was the best choice for the job, and I don't see why he would be wrong!
What an amazing development for the Washington Redskins. Reading about the addition of two females to their medical staff made me so happy. Being a female in this industry is already difficult, and to make it in professional sports is even harder. But these two females have broken that barrier and have been the first females in the Redskins history. I have always been an advocate for females in this profession and I will continue to be. This news is just proof that we are making it easier for women to be in the male dominated areas of this profession. I can't wait to see what the future holds!!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2016/06/16/redskins-break-ground-with-female-trainer-and-lead-doctor/
If you have any topics or stories that you would like to hear about, let me know! I am open to suggestions!!!
Another highlight with the Redskins is that they also hired a new director of sports medicine. Her name is Robin West. West is currently the lead team physician for the Washington Nationals and the medical director for Inova Sports Medicine. She has been the team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon. West is the first female lead chief physician in the NFL! The Redskins president seems to have great confidence that West was the best choice for the job, and I don't see why he would be wrong!
What an amazing development for the Washington Redskins. Reading about the addition of two females to their medical staff made me so happy. Being a female in this industry is already difficult, and to make it in professional sports is even harder. But these two females have broken that barrier and have been the first females in the Redskins history. I have always been an advocate for females in this profession and I will continue to be. This news is just proof that we are making it easier for women to be in the male dominated areas of this profession. I can't wait to see what the future holds!!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2016/06/16/redskins-break-ground-with-female-trainer-and-lead-doctor/
If you have any topics or stories that you would like to hear about, let me know! I am open to suggestions!!!
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Being Hurt vs Being Injured
So this post comes at a time where I'm dealing with this exact issue right now. There is a constant debate between athletic trainers and athletes about injuries and whether or not it is something that needs attention. I believe there is a HUGE difference between being hurt and being injured. And injury is something you cannot play through. It has a definitive diagnosis and causes too much pain and discomfort to do any activities. Being hurt, on the other hand, I believe is something that your body is going through, but you can play through it - like sore muscles or maybe some kind of "tweak". There could be a definitive diagnosis or not. But if you can play through it, you will be ok. As found in the article posted below, being hurt means having a sense of pain, mentally or physically, and being injured is to cause or do harm, like a sprain, strain, etc. Perception of pain has a lot to do with the difference as well. How well a person handles pain might determine if they are hurt or injured. Athletes will play through some kind of physical pain, dubbing them "hurt". There is not stuctrual damage or long term effects of playing hurt. An injured athlete, on the other hand, will have long term effects or damage if they continue to play.
So now that we know the difference, how to we deal with athletes that are constantly saying they're injured but are just hurt, and vice versa? I have constantly had athletes come to me complaining of every little thing that hurt, telling me they cannot play, and yet can workout at the gym and do other activities. And on the other hand, I have had athletes that could barely walk because of how much pain they're in and how unstable a joint it, yet they are trying to tape up and get out on the field. Let's start with the latter, because I think those are easier cases. If an athlete is trying to play while being injured, telling them the long term effects of what can happen when they are playing injured will be enough for them to take a look at what they're doing. Let's say a football player has a sprained MCL, grade 1, not torn, but definitely lax. You can warn them that if they do not take the proper time to heal, that ligament could tear because of the compromised state it is in and they will be out for a longer period of time. I think athletes do not want to hear they would have to be out longer, so it convinces them to rest up and heal. Convincing an injured athlete, who wants to play, to STOP playing because it will make things worse is an easier task than talking to hurt athletes that don't want to play and convincing them they are ok. The talk is much different. It's hard to tell these athletes to "suck it up", but you kind of have to. For example... a baseball player gets hit by a pitch, gets a bruise, and decides he can't play and takes himself out of the game. How do you talk to that athlete? I have found it difficult. The athlete doesn't want to play, and has now given himself an excuse not to. We as athletic trainers need to figure out how to tell this athlete he is ok and can in fact play in the game. Especially when they are doing other activities that lead you to believe they're not in as much pain as they are letting on. Situations like these are testy and you need to know how to approach it. Maybe you have to get them a doctor's appointment to show them they're ok. Maybe you have to explain that they can play through certain things and to come back if it doesn't go away in a week. I have yet to find a good way to approach this situation. It's a tough one.
Have you had to deal with either of these kinds of athletes? How do you handle situations? Leave some comments below!
http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-injured-and-hurt/
https://dagunshow.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/sports-distinction-between-playing-hurt-injured/
So now that we know the difference, how to we deal with athletes that are constantly saying they're injured but are just hurt, and vice versa? I have constantly had athletes come to me complaining of every little thing that hurt, telling me they cannot play, and yet can workout at the gym and do other activities. And on the other hand, I have had athletes that could barely walk because of how much pain they're in and how unstable a joint it, yet they are trying to tape up and get out on the field. Let's start with the latter, because I think those are easier cases. If an athlete is trying to play while being injured, telling them the long term effects of what can happen when they are playing injured will be enough for them to take a look at what they're doing. Let's say a football player has a sprained MCL, grade 1, not torn, but definitely lax. You can warn them that if they do not take the proper time to heal, that ligament could tear because of the compromised state it is in and they will be out for a longer period of time. I think athletes do not want to hear they would have to be out longer, so it convinces them to rest up and heal. Convincing an injured athlete, who wants to play, to STOP playing because it will make things worse is an easier task than talking to hurt athletes that don't want to play and convincing them they are ok. The talk is much different. It's hard to tell these athletes to "suck it up", but you kind of have to. For example... a baseball player gets hit by a pitch, gets a bruise, and decides he can't play and takes himself out of the game. How do you talk to that athlete? I have found it difficult. The athlete doesn't want to play, and has now given himself an excuse not to. We as athletic trainers need to figure out how to tell this athlete he is ok and can in fact play in the game. Especially when they are doing other activities that lead you to believe they're not in as much pain as they are letting on. Situations like these are testy and you need to know how to approach it. Maybe you have to get them a doctor's appointment to show them they're ok. Maybe you have to explain that they can play through certain things and to come back if it doesn't go away in a week. I have yet to find a good way to approach this situation. It's a tough one.
Have you had to deal with either of these kinds of athletes? How do you handle situations? Leave some comments below!
http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-injured-and-hurt/
https://dagunshow.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/sports-distinction-between-playing-hurt-injured/
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Jennie Finch - Breaking the Barriers
On May 29, 2016, history was made. Jennie Finch, women's college World Series and Olympic Gold medal winner, was the first ever female to manage a professional baseball team. And I got to see history be made. She was a guest manager for the Bridgeport Bluefish, an independent ball club in the Atlantic League, and they happened to be playing the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (the team I work for) that day. Even though she was only a guest, and she only coached third base for 2 innings, seeing her in that role was inspiring. Now... I can't pretend that I knew who she was before this. I had to do my research. However, finding out who she was and then realizing how much of a big deal this was going to be was kind of neat. Jennine Finch, for those of you who don't know, is the face of softball. She was a stud in college and played on two Olympic teams, winning gold and silver respectively. Finch has set several records throughout her career, including consecutive games, 100+ career victories, strikeout leader, innings pitched leader, and tied for no-hitters. She retired in June 2010, but has been in the community doing things like this manager position since then.
The game was a close one on the 29th... The Bluefish had an early start, scoring a run in the 4th. After 2 innings though, Finch did not come out to coach 3rd base anymore. She kept herself in the dugout to manage from there. The Blue Crabs scored one in the 5th, making it a 1-1 game until the 6th inning. The bottom of the 6th, the Bluefish scored 2, and there the score remained. Jennie Finch beat my Blue Crabs 3-1 in her first managerial win. The below article says that SHE was the winning manager, but I beg to differ. Yes, she got up and coached 3rd base for 2 innings and then sat in the dugout like a normal manager would do. But the calls that the article says she made are wrong. She didn't make any calls. She didn't give signs. And she shouldn't have. If the game got into a situation where there HAD to be a sign put on or a pitcher HAD to come out of the game, what was she going to do? I'm sure if she practiced her signs, she could give them. But she didn't. She wouldn't know who the next pitcher to put in should be. I commend her for the guest manager position that she had and I am so happy that a female made that step. But I don't like how this article makes is sound like she did everything. I'm not trying to put her down... That's not what this is. Because she is breaking barriers for females. She's an amazing role model. I just wish they got the story right. She helped. She sat there and talked with the Bluefish manager and probably learned a lot about what it is to be a professional baseball manager. The second article posted is short and sweet and describes exactly what she did.
Other than my opinion of how the article was written, I think Jennie did a great job and is a very inspiring woman. She deserved the win, she earned it fair and square with the help of the Bluefish manager. Take a look below at the articles. Let me know what you think of Jennie Finch!
http://espn.go.com/espnw/culture/the-buzz/article/15809795/guest-manager-jennie-finch-leads-bridgeport-bluefish-win
http://sportzedge.com/2016/05/29/jennie-finch-makes-baseball-history-manages-the-bridgeport-bluefish/
The game was a close one on the 29th... The Bluefish had an early start, scoring a run in the 4th. After 2 innings though, Finch did not come out to coach 3rd base anymore. She kept herself in the dugout to manage from there. The Blue Crabs scored one in the 5th, making it a 1-1 game until the 6th inning. The bottom of the 6th, the Bluefish scored 2, and there the score remained. Jennie Finch beat my Blue Crabs 3-1 in her first managerial win. The below article says that SHE was the winning manager, but I beg to differ. Yes, she got up and coached 3rd base for 2 innings and then sat in the dugout like a normal manager would do. But the calls that the article says she made are wrong. She didn't make any calls. She didn't give signs. And she shouldn't have. If the game got into a situation where there HAD to be a sign put on or a pitcher HAD to come out of the game, what was she going to do? I'm sure if she practiced her signs, she could give them. But she didn't. She wouldn't know who the next pitcher to put in should be. I commend her for the guest manager position that she had and I am so happy that a female made that step. But I don't like how this article makes is sound like she did everything. I'm not trying to put her down... That's not what this is. Because she is breaking barriers for females. She's an amazing role model. I just wish they got the story right. She helped. She sat there and talked with the Bluefish manager and probably learned a lot about what it is to be a professional baseball manager. The second article posted is short and sweet and describes exactly what she did.
Other than my opinion of how the article was written, I think Jennie did a great job and is a very inspiring woman. She deserved the win, she earned it fair and square with the help of the Bluefish manager. Take a look below at the articles. Let me know what you think of Jennie Finch!
http://espn.go.com/espnw/culture/the-buzz/article/15809795/guest-manager-jennie-finch-leads-bridgeport-bluefish-win
http://sportzedge.com/2016/05/29/jennie-finch-makes-baseball-history-manages-the-bridgeport-bluefish/
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Concussion - The Movie
Yup. I have been one of the few athletic trainers that have not seen "Concussion" yet. Until Sunday, when our field manager RedBox-ed the movie for the road trip home. And now I'm going to bring up this crazy debate again. Feel free to let me know how you feel about this topic.
In the movie, Will Smith does a pretty amazing job portraying Dr. Bennett Omalu. Of course he did... He's Will Smith. He could be cast as a paper bag and do a fantastic job. I digress... The whole movie was well cast, well directed, and seemed to follow the events very well. I was actually really upset at first that I was going to have to watch the movie, but when one of my players asked me "where are we?" and I answered "they just published the journal article", I knew I was sucked in. The movie was amazing. It really was. I learned a lot about the whole case, and it really opened my eyes about how all of it went down. I mean, the NFL really DID want to cover up the issue on concussions. They KNEW how terrible it was getting and they still didn't do anything about it.
Now, when movie was being advertised, I did my share of research. I researched who died from cerebral traumatic encephelopathy (CTE) and how they declined. I read about the NFL and what they did to cover it up. All of the articles online say that it wasn't really a cover up and they really didn't know how bad it was. But the movie shows otherwise. I read about Mike Webster and Terry Long and the others. There is just so much information out there about what happened now that the movie is out. But why does it still make me wonder about how this movie portrayed the medical staff? I know that Dr. Maroon was actually not a villain, though he was portrayed as such in the movie. He did not resist Dr. Omalu. In fact, he brought it to the attention of the NFL when he understood what was going on. They portray athletic trainers, or "trainers" in the movie, as people that "just tape knees". It's kind of an embarrassment to the profession, especially now that it's on this huge stage. I know that the use of athletic trainers in this movie is very minimal, and we are not the people that they are focusing on. But that one little line bugged me and every other athletic trainer that has seen it. The movie shows that Dr. Omalu wants to fold the NFL - get rid of it completely. This is not actually something that he wanted to happen. He wanted the players to have the knowledge of what could happen to them. The director says that it is an "artistic representation" of what happened and that's why some things are not true to the reality of what happened. Really? So you're going to make things up to get a reaction from audiences? That's what makes me mad about this movie.
If I wasn't a healthcare professional, I probably would have enjoyed the movie, flaws and all.
Read the article below about Mike Webster. It's a good one. Interesting to learn about his life.
Comment below if you have anything else to add to this topic!!
http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/mike-webster-brain-injury/
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Specializing in One Sport - Bad or Good?
We have all heard the old saying - kids should not specialize in one sport when they are young. Even in high school they should be multi-sport athletes. I understand the logic behind this. It's because the constant repetitive motions of one sport does not harbor on the body well. The body, when young, needs to change what it does periodically. When I was in grade school, I played soccer, basketball, I did cheerleading, and I danced. That stopped when I got to high school though. I specialized in volleyball. I played volleyball just about all year round for 4 years. It was the only sport I really LOVED to do. Volleyball is a fall sport. So if I were to have picked a winter sport, I would have had to pick swimming, indoor track, or basketball. Well, I'm TERRIBLE at basketball, I wasn't interested in swimming, and track? Forget it. In the spring, I had the choice of lacrosse, outdoor track, or softball. Well, being the tom-boy I am, I didn't want to play lacrosse if I couldn't hit anyone, I was ever more terrible at softball, and track? Still forget it. I danced all year long too, had multiple dance classes in school and at a studio. Should I have tried at least one more sport, if not 2? Probably. But I didn't think it would be an issue. And after 4 years of year-round volleyball, I still don't. I might be the only AT in the world that thinks playing one sport in high school is ok, but I truly believe that. When the child is younger than high school age, yes, absolutely, expose them to all the sports. But I feel like high school, the kid should not feel like they need to do more than one sport. Especially if there's nothing else that interests them.
All that being said, I came across an article saying that it's bad if kids aren't multi-sport athletes. David Bell, assistant professor at UW, and his colleagues did a research study about specializing in a sport more than 8 months out of the year. They found that athletes are more likely to experience knee and hip overuse injuries. Also, playing for multiple teams in the same sport is a no-no. School size seems to have a lot to do with it. Smaller schools, about 600 students, tend to have more multi-sport athletes, whereas larger schools, over 2000 students, tend to have specialized athletes. The results are just from that area, and Bell does not want to make the assumption for all schools nationwide. But it looks like that will be the trend.
"For now, the key takeaway from the UW research is that training and competing in the same sport for more than eight months of the year — to the exclusion of other sports — is not healthy for young athletes and could lead to long-term-injuries."
Let me know what you think!!
Read the article below!!
http://isthmus.com/news/news/specialization-in-one-sport-can-be-bad-for-kids/
All that being said, I came across an article saying that it's bad if kids aren't multi-sport athletes. David Bell, assistant professor at UW, and his colleagues did a research study about specializing in a sport more than 8 months out of the year. They found that athletes are more likely to experience knee and hip overuse injuries. Also, playing for multiple teams in the same sport is a no-no. School size seems to have a lot to do with it. Smaller schools, about 600 students, tend to have more multi-sport athletes, whereas larger schools, over 2000 students, tend to have specialized athletes. The results are just from that area, and Bell does not want to make the assumption for all schools nationwide. But it looks like that will be the trend.
"For now, the key takeaway from the UW research is that training and competing in the same sport for more than eight months of the year — to the exclusion of other sports — is not healthy for young athletes and could lead to long-term-injuries."
Let me know what you think!!
Read the article below!!
http://isthmus.com/news/news/specialization-in-one-sport-can-be-bad-for-kids/
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Remembering the Boston Marathon
Hey guys! Hope you are all doing well. I have been SLAMMED with baseball stuff!! Our opening day was this past Thursday, and it's been a whirlwind of craziness here in Southern Maryland! Anyways...
The Boston Marathon happened not too long ago; April 18, 2016 to be exact. The anniversary of the tragic bombing was just before that, on April 15th (2013). I have always wondered what it was like for the medical staff that day. I know there are pictures, and I know you can just imagine the horror of what was happening... But how did the medical staff react to everything happening? I know that it's one of those events that you don't know how you'll act or react until it happens to you. But I know that these medical professionals were there for anyone that needed help. Would you be able to do the same? I think I could.
The medical tent was only set up for running related injuries. They were not prepared for what happened that day. Not with supplies, at least. Most of the people volunteering their time were medical professionals that do not deal with trauma. Thankfully, athletic trainers do see traumatic events and are trained in that area. The medical staff kept calm and did their jobs. Fortunately, the lead medical staff was trained in disaster management, and there were nearly 800 medical staff spread out along the course that day.
Lauren Plourde, that athletic trainer at Marshfield High School, has been volunteering at the Boston Marathon since 2012. She has seen hot temperatures, cold temperatures, runners dropping from various reasons, spectator injuries... You name it! She was taking her NATA exam the year of the bombings, but she says the next year was very memorable because of how many runners came back and were not scared away. She was one of the lucky ones to be in a safe place that tragic day.
Other athletic trainers weren't so lucky. They were there on that day, and they remember everything. Ray Castle, athletic training director at the Louisiana State University, heard the noise and ran towards the chaos. As did many of the other medical professionals there. Castle and 65 other athletic trainers were in the medical tent that day, all of whom are first responders by profession, but none of which were ever a part of something so traumatic. They all stayed calm and did what they are trained to do - take care of, help, mobilize, and transfer the injured individuals. The first bomb went off, and Jack Foley, athletic trainer for Lehigh University, sprung into action. After the last seriously injured person was transported, he looked at his watch and it was 3:04 pm... Only 15 minutes after the bomb went off. Things operated that smoothly. Though, Castle says that there was nothing that could have been done to prepare him for what he witnessed.
The Boston Marathon happened not too long ago; April 18, 2016 to be exact. The anniversary of the tragic bombing was just before that, on April 15th (2013). I have always wondered what it was like for the medical staff that day. I know there are pictures, and I know you can just imagine the horror of what was happening... But how did the medical staff react to everything happening? I know that it's one of those events that you don't know how you'll act or react until it happens to you. But I know that these medical professionals were there for anyone that needed help. Would you be able to do the same? I think I could.
The medical tent was only set up for running related injuries. They were not prepared for what happened that day. Not with supplies, at least. Most of the people volunteering their time were medical professionals that do not deal with trauma. Thankfully, athletic trainers do see traumatic events and are trained in that area. The medical staff kept calm and did their jobs. Fortunately, the lead medical staff was trained in disaster management, and there were nearly 800 medical staff spread out along the course that day.
Lauren Plourde, that athletic trainer at Marshfield High School, has been volunteering at the Boston Marathon since 2012. She has seen hot temperatures, cold temperatures, runners dropping from various reasons, spectator injuries... You name it! She was taking her NATA exam the year of the bombings, but she says the next year was very memorable because of how many runners came back and were not scared away. She was one of the lucky ones to be in a safe place that tragic day.
Other athletic trainers weren't so lucky. They were there on that day, and they remember everything. Ray Castle, athletic training director at the Louisiana State University, heard the noise and ran towards the chaos. As did many of the other medical professionals there. Castle and 65 other athletic trainers were in the medical tent that day, all of whom are first responders by profession, but none of which were ever a part of something so traumatic. They all stayed calm and did what they are trained to do - take care of, help, mobilize, and transfer the injured individuals. The first bomb went off, and Jack Foley, athletic trainer for Lehigh University, sprung into action. After the last seriously injured person was transported, he looked at his watch and it was 3:04 pm... Only 15 minutes after the bomb went off. Things operated that smoothly. Though, Castle says that there was nothing that could have been done to prepare him for what he witnessed.
One take away message from all of this is summed up by Foley very nicely. He says: "People have said to me, 'I bet you wish you hadn't been there,''' Foley said. "But I'm glad I was there, I'm glad I engaged and I'm glad I did the right thing. I'm proud to be an athletic trainer.''
The three articles I read about the athletic trainers and medical staff are worth a read. I can't believe it's already been 3 years since that awful day, but if there were athletic trainers and other medical staff there, it would have been a lot worse. I hope one day I can volunteer at such an extraordinary event.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/medical-tent-tauma-center-boston-bombings/story?id=18971988
http://marshfield.wickedlocal.com/article/20160406/SPORTS/160407584
http://espn.go.com/sports/endurance/story/_/id/9210964/athletic-trainers-played-key-role-boston-marathon-medical-response
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
It's Baseball Season!
Sorry this one is a little late guys...
Baseball season is officially upon us, and I couldn't be happier. Although the league I work for doesn't open until April 21st, the players are starting to filter in and I couldn't be more excited. Baseball season really was a lot of fun last year. Did I work 90 hour weeks at times? Yes. Did I take a lot of shit because I was the only female in the clubhouse? Absolutely. Did I have no social life? You betcha. But was it the best summer of my life? You have no idea. In the wake of MLB opening day, I figured I would gear this post towards baseball and how us females are making their stride, yet again, in the baseball world. The Arizona Diamondbacks organization has hired their first female head athletic trainer, Kelly Boyce. She is with their Rookie team affiliate. The Diamondbacks have never had a female on their medical staff in the 18 years they have been an organization. She started there as an intern, and when a job opened up, she jumped at the chance to apply. It made sense to bring her on board.
I love seeing women in the profession breaking that ceiling. It's the most wonderful thing to experience. The profession is definitely shifting, and it's amazing. Baseball seems to have embraced female medical staff more than any other sport, which is making me lean toward climbing the ladder in this sport than in any other. I think the other sports need to follow in their footsteps. We have the same education. We are capable of all the same things. It really is just a matter of these sports accepting females working with their male athletes. I have been in the clubhouse long enough to know that these guys really don't want to walk around with no clothes on in front of a girl. They are waaaaaaay more respectful than that. I don't see why it is such a big deal. Are we saying baseball players have more respect for women? I don't know... All I know is that I have been treated with the utmost respect from these players and I have been honored to work with this team. They are outstanding guys.
Boyce, Falsone (even though she is no longer with the Dodgers), myself, and all of the other females in this sport, great job. We are breaking that barrier. I can't wait for us to show the world what we can do.
Let's go Crabs!
http://www.cbs5az.com/story/31594127/d-backs-hire-their-first-female-athletic-trainer
Baseball season is officially upon us, and I couldn't be happier. Although the league I work for doesn't open until April 21st, the players are starting to filter in and I couldn't be more excited. Baseball season really was a lot of fun last year. Did I work 90 hour weeks at times? Yes. Did I take a lot of shit because I was the only female in the clubhouse? Absolutely. Did I have no social life? You betcha. But was it the best summer of my life? You have no idea. In the wake of MLB opening day, I figured I would gear this post towards baseball and how us females are making their stride, yet again, in the baseball world. The Arizona Diamondbacks organization has hired their first female head athletic trainer, Kelly Boyce. She is with their Rookie team affiliate. The Diamondbacks have never had a female on their medical staff in the 18 years they have been an organization. She started there as an intern, and when a job opened up, she jumped at the chance to apply. It made sense to bring her on board.
I love seeing women in the profession breaking that ceiling. It's the most wonderful thing to experience. The profession is definitely shifting, and it's amazing. Baseball seems to have embraced female medical staff more than any other sport, which is making me lean toward climbing the ladder in this sport than in any other. I think the other sports need to follow in their footsteps. We have the same education. We are capable of all the same things. It really is just a matter of these sports accepting females working with their male athletes. I have been in the clubhouse long enough to know that these guys really don't want to walk around with no clothes on in front of a girl. They are waaaaaaay more respectful than that. I don't see why it is such a big deal. Are we saying baseball players have more respect for women? I don't know... All I know is that I have been treated with the utmost respect from these players and I have been honored to work with this team. They are outstanding guys.
Boyce, Falsone (even though she is no longer with the Dodgers), myself, and all of the other females in this sport, great job. We are breaking that barrier. I can't wait for us to show the world what we can do.
Let's go Crabs!
http://www.cbs5az.com/story/31594127/d-backs-hire-their-first-female-athletic-trainer
Monday, March 28, 2016
Going Out of Your Comfort Zone
How many of you have gone out of your comfort zone when it comes to this profession? I know I definitely have. When I started working on my own, I had never driven a gator or golf cart before, I knew nothing about field hockey, and I hated baseball. However, my first job was at a high school. Therefore, I was working all the sports and had to learn how to drive our very old golf cart. I learned that the golf cart was touchy, and that it didn't start driving right away. You had to press the gas a few times for it to actually start moving. I learned that field hockey has a lot of ridiculous rules, there's a lot of stop in play, there's only one side of the stick you can use, and even though they wear masks, there can be concussions and broken noses (because the "masks" only protected the eyes). Baseball was a hard sport to enjoy. Most of my adult life I couldn't care less about the sport. When I was younger, I was actually a huge Yankees fan. But since I have grown up, I have hated baseball. It's boring, it's long, and there's way too many games. I worked my first high school baseball game when I first started as an AT at the high school I got my first job at. It was grueling. My student-athletes didn't want me around because I complained about it so much. I didn't know the rules, I didn't care. I was out of my comfort zone here because I just didn't have any interest. (Not that field hockey or girl's lacrosse was that much more exciting, but I could bare it a little more...) The players finally realized that they needed to make it more exciting for me, so any time something happened that I didn't know what was going on, they would teach me. Of course I knew what a home run was and what a ball and strike were. But when it came to if it was an error or a hit, I had no clue. They taught me more and more and I learned a lot more. I still thought the sport was boring, but at least I knew what was going on more than just the score.
When I got my current job with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, I felt as though my baseball players at the high school kind of prepared me for this. I still couldn't stand the sport, and now working with professional athletes was out of my comfort zone, but at least I could hold my own talking about the game. However, in the beginning of my time with the team, my comfort zone was challenged. I was the only female in the clubhouse. I got a lot of crap from the boys in the beginning of the season. I was very timid and didn't know how I should take their jokes. I understood that most of them never had a female in the clubhouse, and I don't think their jokes were intentionally hurtful or rude. However, I did feel uncomfortable at first because of it. Other things that were out of my comfort zone was dealing with professional players rather than high schoolers. I realized that they had to be treated a lot differently. I obviously didn't have to call their parents every time they got hurt. I had to deal with workers comp which I had never had to deal with before. All of it was so nerve wracking in the beginning. But then you find your groove.... I figured out that even though these were professional baseball players, they still acted like high school boys sometimes, so I could still be stern with them when needed and they understood I meant business. Even though I was the only female, they got used to me, and I got used to being around them. The whole process of us getting used to each other took maybe about a week. But that was the longest week of my life. About mid season is when I could honestly say I was comfortable in my current position.
The below article is about another female in professional baseball. Her name is Tara O'Haire and she's from Ireland. She has been with the Oakland A's for an internship this year. She has never seen baseball in her life. Talk about being out of her comfort zone! It's a pretty cool story, so take a look! Also, have any of you been out of your comfort zone? Let's talk about it! I think we could learn a lot about ourselves by sharing stories like this.
http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/Irish-athletic-trainer-makes-most-of-A-s-7210035.php
When I got my current job with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, I felt as though my baseball players at the high school kind of prepared me for this. I still couldn't stand the sport, and now working with professional athletes was out of my comfort zone, but at least I could hold my own talking about the game. However, in the beginning of my time with the team, my comfort zone was challenged. I was the only female in the clubhouse. I got a lot of crap from the boys in the beginning of the season. I was very timid and didn't know how I should take their jokes. I understood that most of them never had a female in the clubhouse, and I don't think their jokes were intentionally hurtful or rude. However, I did feel uncomfortable at first because of it. Other things that were out of my comfort zone was dealing with professional players rather than high schoolers. I realized that they had to be treated a lot differently. I obviously didn't have to call their parents every time they got hurt. I had to deal with workers comp which I had never had to deal with before. All of it was so nerve wracking in the beginning. But then you find your groove.... I figured out that even though these were professional baseball players, they still acted like high school boys sometimes, so I could still be stern with them when needed and they understood I meant business. Even though I was the only female, they got used to me, and I got used to being around them. The whole process of us getting used to each other took maybe about a week. But that was the longest week of my life. About mid season is when I could honestly say I was comfortable in my current position.
The below article is about another female in professional baseball. Her name is Tara O'Haire and she's from Ireland. She has been with the Oakland A's for an internship this year. She has never seen baseball in her life. Talk about being out of her comfort zone! It's a pretty cool story, so take a look! Also, have any of you been out of your comfort zone? Let's talk about it! I think we could learn a lot about ourselves by sharing stories like this.
http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/Irish-athletic-trainer-makes-most-of-A-s-7210035.php
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Post-Vacation Post - Let's Talk About the Heart
Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while. I was on vacation in Charleston, SC with one of my best friends and I did not get to post last week! We had a blast, if you were interested. Charleston is definitely somewhere you should visit if you have the time!
So I have been reading multiple articles about the use of AEDs lately. A little over a month ago, a volleyball player collapsed on the court during a game and an AED was used. Friday, a track athlete collapsed on the track and an AED was used. Both suffered from cardiac arrest. A 2001 study in the Journal of Athletic Training states that cardiac arrest in athletics is rare and most athletes do not have symptoms before it happens. It is usually non-traumatic and non-violent and causes death within one hour of the attack. The National Federation of High School Associations estimated (2001 and before) about 10-25 cases of sudden cardiac death per year in people under 30. From 1985-1995, the mean age of youth that had died from sudden cardiac arrest was 17; 90% of the total number of athletes were male, 44% of them black, and basketball and football athletes accounted for 68% of the total number. Hypotrophic cardiomyopathy had been the case in 24% of those deaths and 18% accounted for coronary artery abnormalities.
In a more recent study, done in 2013, there are an average incidence of 3.6 deaths per 100,000 each year. Males still dominate the athletes who suffer from this - five times higher than females. Cardiomyopathy has been the main cause of sudden cardiac death in youth athletes in recent years, and there is a high incidence in black athletes than in white athletes. Basketball and football are still the sports that have the highest incidence, as they were in the past. However, we now know more about the heart and the other reasons sudden cardiac death happens in youth. Some of these factors are arrythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, and congential long QT syndromes, among many others that are discussed in the study.
The many different congenital abnormalities and syndromes are exactly why a preparticipation screen is necessary in youth athletes. More physicans dealing with youth athletes need to incorporate an EKG in this screen to rule out harmful heart conditions that are more common now than ever. However, the American Heart Association does not support routine use of the EKG because of controversy regarding false positive tests. And this is where the use of AEDs come in. They are established in a Emergency Protocol because there is a lack of EKG screenings and having an AED on hand is helpful for those instances that an athlete does go into arrest and we did not know they had a heart condition.
Do you think we need more EKG screens? Or is the ability to save a life with an AED enough? In my opinion, I think the AHA needs to get off their butts and allow the athletes to be screened. If we can know what heart conditions these athletes may have, we can be more aware of what they can and can't do in sports and how we can help improve their heart health.
Read the journal articles below. Tell me what you think!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155532/
http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1659758
So I have been reading multiple articles about the use of AEDs lately. A little over a month ago, a volleyball player collapsed on the court during a game and an AED was used. Friday, a track athlete collapsed on the track and an AED was used. Both suffered from cardiac arrest. A 2001 study in the Journal of Athletic Training states that cardiac arrest in athletics is rare and most athletes do not have symptoms before it happens. It is usually non-traumatic and non-violent and causes death within one hour of the attack. The National Federation of High School Associations estimated (2001 and before) about 10-25 cases of sudden cardiac death per year in people under 30. From 1985-1995, the mean age of youth that had died from sudden cardiac arrest was 17; 90% of the total number of athletes were male, 44% of them black, and basketball and football athletes accounted for 68% of the total number. Hypotrophic cardiomyopathy had been the case in 24% of those deaths and 18% accounted for coronary artery abnormalities.
In a more recent study, done in 2013, there are an average incidence of 3.6 deaths per 100,000 each year. Males still dominate the athletes who suffer from this - five times higher than females. Cardiomyopathy has been the main cause of sudden cardiac death in youth athletes in recent years, and there is a high incidence in black athletes than in white athletes. Basketball and football are still the sports that have the highest incidence, as they were in the past. However, we now know more about the heart and the other reasons sudden cardiac death happens in youth. Some of these factors are arrythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, and congential long QT syndromes, among many others that are discussed in the study.
The many different congenital abnormalities and syndromes are exactly why a preparticipation screen is necessary in youth athletes. More physicans dealing with youth athletes need to incorporate an EKG in this screen to rule out harmful heart conditions that are more common now than ever. However, the American Heart Association does not support routine use of the EKG because of controversy regarding false positive tests. And this is where the use of AEDs come in. They are established in a Emergency Protocol because there is a lack of EKG screenings and having an AED on hand is helpful for those instances that an athlete does go into arrest and we did not know they had a heart condition.
Do you think we need more EKG screens? Or is the ability to save a life with an AED enough? In my opinion, I think the AHA needs to get off their butts and allow the athletes to be screened. If we can know what heart conditions these athletes may have, we can be more aware of what they can and can't do in sports and how we can help improve their heart health.
Read the journal articles below. Tell me what you think!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155532/
http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1659758
Monday, March 7, 2016
Asking "Why" and Getting "How"
Athletic trainers have to ask the hard questions like "what is this injury?" and "how did it happen?" But have you ever thought to ask "WHY did this happen?" Well, the St. Louis Cardinals started doing just that. Left hander Tim Cooney experienced an interesting and worrisome feeling in his arm earlier this spring. Not only did staff ask WHAT was wrong, but WHY? They now feel like finding out the "why" will lead to the "how" to avoid and prevent injuries. This spring, the Performance Department was established by the Cardinals, and it consists of Dr. Robert Butler and head athletic trainer Adam Olsen. This new department seems to give the team a competitive edge, focusing on PREhab vs REhab. Teams have started to look into data about how to treat, prevent, and avoid injury. Other teams, including the Washington Nationals, have revamped their medical staff. The Cardinals felt as though the medical world and the performance world were clashing on their team. So they brought in medical professionals with a performance background to bridge the gap. Everyone seems to be on the same page when it comes to injuries. The mission of this new Performance Department is to optimize organizational readiness. This means that the department does everything in their power to get every single player ready to play at their highest level during any game. The programs for each player are individualized with minimal program deviation throughout the club, Dominican League to MLB. An area of concern: fatigue. They want to understand WHY fatigue happens and how to prevent it. There has been research and evidence based data to provide tools for players to stay healthy. The body needs to work as a unit to be healthy which needs to be seen in treatment.
How do you feel about this "new " approach that the Cardinals are embracing? I feel like this is not necessarily new as it is just underutilized. I believe as an athletic trainer, you should be doing this. However, I don't know if we are all asking "why?" I think it is an overlooked question and definitely something we should be making a note of. I think that this article is a great read and makes you think. It's definitely something that we should all be incorporating into our practice. Thoughts?
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-see-performance-department-as-next-evolution-in-player-health/article_1c39f91f-ce31-516d-ba75-03f1eb043cd4.html
How do you feel about this "new " approach that the Cardinals are embracing? I feel like this is not necessarily new as it is just underutilized. I believe as an athletic trainer, you should be doing this. However, I don't know if we are all asking "why?" I think it is an overlooked question and definitely something we should be making a note of. I think that this article is a great read and makes you think. It's definitely something that we should all be incorporating into our practice. Thoughts?
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-see-performance-department-as-next-evolution-in-player-health/article_1c39f91f-ce31-516d-ba75-03f1eb043cd4.html
Monday, February 29, 2016
March is NATM! - A Safer Approach to Work, Life, and Sport
Hey guys! I don't know what I'm more excited about in the coming month. My roommate's birthday is tomorrow, my birthday is on the 12th, vacation in South Carolina starts the 14th, Easter is at the end of the month... Oh... and it's NATIONAL ATHLETIC TRAINING MONTH!!! I think March is the best month ever! So as a profession, our goal during NATM is to educate everyone about what our profession is and what we do. It's quite amazing how much people still don't know about us. I challange all of you to educate one person a day about what we do. It can be friends, relatives, or even a random stranger. The best thing you can do it educate the public properly about what this profession is. Make sure you use the term "athletic trainer" instead of just "trainer". Make sure they know we are health care professionals with a degree in a medical field. Use examples of what we are capable of doing. Tell people about the variety of settings that we can work in.
So for all of you non-ATs out there... Here's a little bit about what we do:
Athletic trainers are healthcare providers that work in conjunction with physicians and specialize in recognizing, treating, and preventing injuries. We have at least a bachelor's degree in athletic training, with a lot more professionals with their master's and some doctorate's. We work in all types of settings between high schools, colleges, and professional sports to performing arts, military, and corporate settings. It's amazing what athletic trainers are capable of doing. If you would like to learn more, then please ask someone in the profession! If you are an AT, please tell people about what we do!
And just for a little fun...
You Know You're an Athletic Trainer When....
1. You forget what "real clothes" look like because your wardrobe consists of only khakis and polos.
2. When you DO where "real clothes" everyone thinks you're dressed up and tell you how nice you look.
3. Everyone comes to you when they hurt themselves because they don't want to go to a doctor.
4. You need to figure out a way to get caffiene in IV form.
5. You get angry as sportscasters when they use the wrong words about an injury, like "I think he sprained his quad." It's strained you idiot...
6. You enjoy watching people walk just to analyze their gait.
7. You have perfected the most amazing sleeping position on a bus.
8. You empty your pockets and every day you find gauze and gloves.
9. You know athletes by injury, not by name.
and finally... 10. You want to punch the next person who uses the word "trainer" instead of "athletic trainer"!
Hope you all can spread the word starting tomorrow!
Let me know what you all do to celebrate NATM. It would be interesting to see what everyone does!
So for all of you non-ATs out there... Here's a little bit about what we do:
Athletic trainers are healthcare providers that work in conjunction with physicians and specialize in recognizing, treating, and preventing injuries. We have at least a bachelor's degree in athletic training, with a lot more professionals with their master's and some doctorate's. We work in all types of settings between high schools, colleges, and professional sports to performing arts, military, and corporate settings. It's amazing what athletic trainers are capable of doing. If you would like to learn more, then please ask someone in the profession! If you are an AT, please tell people about what we do!
And just for a little fun...
You Know You're an Athletic Trainer When....
1. You forget what "real clothes" look like because your wardrobe consists of only khakis and polos.
2. When you DO where "real clothes" everyone thinks you're dressed up and tell you how nice you look.
3. Everyone comes to you when they hurt themselves because they don't want to go to a doctor.
4. You need to figure out a way to get caffiene in IV form.
5. You get angry as sportscasters when they use the wrong words about an injury, like "I think he sprained his quad." It's strained you idiot...
6. You enjoy watching people walk just to analyze their gait.
7. You have perfected the most amazing sleeping position on a bus.
8. You empty your pockets and every day you find gauze and gloves.
9. You know athletes by injury, not by name.
and finally... 10. You want to punch the next person who uses the word "trainer" instead of "athletic trainer"!
Hope you all can spread the word starting tomorrow!
Let me know what you all do to celebrate NATM. It would be interesting to see what everyone does!
Monday, February 22, 2016
Iowa - Are you serious?
Iowa is trying to pass a bill that will require athletic trainers at all varsity sporting events. If that doesn't already make you irritated, it gets better. ATs will be there to identify concussions. That's it. That's all they talk about the ATs being there for. Oh... It still gets better. Salary for these athletic trainers is between $2400 and $3900 a year. A YEAR. Think about it. Iowa thinks that only those 4 sports encounter concussions. And they believe that an athletic trainer only needs to be there for games. AND they are providing a very insulting salary of $2400 a year. Who else is offended by this? I sure am! I get it. They are trying to take the coach out of the decision making process, and since Iowa doesn't have ATs in every school, this bill makes sense. However, what happens when a JV football player goes down with an ACL injury during practice? Where's the athletic trainer then? Or what happens when a baseball player is up at bat and gets drilled in the head with a 80 mph pitch and gets a concussion? Where's the athletic trainer then? There are no reasons for ATs to not be in a high school for all practices and games. The funding should be put in place. But that's the only thing that school officials care about. The funding. The AD at Van Meter High School is particularly annoyed about it. He says, "It's costing us between $5000-$7000 to have these people in place.There are going to be districts that struggle with this bill." THESE PEOPLE?! These "people" are medically licensed professionals that can evaluate, rehabilitate, and prevent injuries among other things. Oh... and they can also SAVE LIVES. But I guess the school board doesn't care about all of that because these people are going to cut into a school's budget. It's sad that administration can't understand the importance of an athletic trainer and what they actually do and provide for the school. This whole bill is insulting, discouraging, and frankly a joke.
A message to the state of Iowa: Pay for an athletic trainer. "These people" are capable of a lot more than just identifying concussions. I understand this is a big thing with this movie that came out recently, but it's not all we are capable of doing. Athletic trainers are medically licensed to keep your student-athletes on the field. Your perception of us is skewed. Look into the profession. Realize that this bill is insulting to the profession. You're going to be better off hiring a full time AT. Think about it.
http://whotv.com/2016/02/11/anti-concussion-bill-worries-some-district-athletic-directors/
http://www.athleticbusiness.com/high-school/iowa-bill-would-require-trainers-at-athletic-events.html
A message to the state of Iowa: Pay for an athletic trainer. "These people" are capable of a lot more than just identifying concussions. I understand this is a big thing with this movie that came out recently, but it's not all we are capable of doing. Athletic trainers are medically licensed to keep your student-athletes on the field. Your perception of us is skewed. Look into the profession. Realize that this bill is insulting to the profession. You're going to be better off hiring a full time AT. Think about it.
http://whotv.com/2016/02/11/anti-concussion-bill-worries-some-district-athletic-directors/
http://www.athleticbusiness.com/high-school/iowa-bill-would-require-trainers-at-athletic-events.html
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Peyton Manning - Truths and Lies
There have been a ton of articles out now about the "Peyton Manning Scandal Cover Up" in light of the Denver Broncos Super Bowl win. No one seems to know that Manning was part of a sexual harassment scandal at the University of Tennessee, and now we know why. It apparently was a cover up. I'm talking about this because the victim was Dr. Jamie Naughright, the then associate AT for the football program at UT (among other esteemed positions).
Dr Jamie Naughright was a well liked, respectable, FEMALE athletic trainer at UT. She started as a student AT for the women's programs and was soon transferred to the men's programs. After undergrad, she became the graduate assistant AT for the men's programs. Upon graduation, she was hired as the assistant AT for the entire men's athletic program. After 2 years, she was hired as the Director of Health and Wellness for the Men's Athletic Program and was the head AT for the university's track and field program. During this time, she was also an associate AT for the football program.
During the time she was transferred to the men's program while in undergrad, her boss, associate AT Mike Rollo said that she was transferred because he thought she was a lesbian. She wasn't, but so what if she was? She was a woman, and after reading the article I will post at the end, it seemed as though he and the other males that she worked with on a daily basis were scared that a female was making rank at UT. Rollo and other male athletes, including Manning, called her some very vulgar names. She did what she had to do to stop the abuse and reported it. Reporting it seemed to make things worse. Later on in her career, Peyton Manning, a freshman on the football team, apparently did something that has never been talked about, and never will be. That incident was redacted from the record. Later on that year, Manning was being checked for a stress fracture in his foor by Naughright. Allegedly, he pulled his pants down and put his genitals on Naughright's head. She filed for sexual assault, Manning denied it had happened, and a cover up from Mike Rollo was in the works. Rollo said that Manning was "mooning" another student-athlete and Naughright happened to get in the way. Really? She just happened to get her head right in the way? The story continues with court testimony from student-athletes, staff memebers, and collegues that show that Naughright would never lie about an incident like this, that she is in good character, and that the cover up story was a fake. You can read the details in the article posted below. It's frankly a sick, twisted story that I have no clue how it got swept under the rug in the first place.
Now, I am a huge Peyton Manning fan along with the rest of them, but hearing this story is so disturbing. I'm upset that this football hero has done something like this, but I'm more upset that he won't own up to it. Or is he not owning up to it because he didn't do it? This story really is a "he said, she said" story because there were no witnesses. The only "witness" was the athlete who Rollo was saying Manning was mooning, but he wasn't actually there. However, there were witnesses to the vulgar language that was used against her. There were witnesses to the destruction of this woman's job, career, reputation, and life.
Being a female AT in a male sport is difficult. From experience, I have been the butt of a lot of jokes. I wouldn't go so far as them being sexual harassment, but there are times where I know I can't take stuff personally. However, the men I work with have been nothing but respectful when I am around. I have to be in the locker room with these guys. They know to be decent when I'm walking through. They understand my "pants policy" in the ATR. (If you're just getting out of the shower and only have a towel on, you are not allowed in the training room. They must have pants on.) I understand now times are a little different than the early 90's, so I guess the disrespect for females in a male sport was going to be higher back then. I could never think about the men I work with to ever do or say anything like that to me. I have had a few of them say to me "Teresa, I've never had a female trainer, so I hope I don't offend you with my comments." They know better. So I don't know why Peyton Manning, Mike Rollo, and the others did not have the same respect I get. And for both Peyton and Archie Manning to sit here and try to cover it up? It blows my mind! Especially when they came out with a book on how terrible of a person Naughright is. I just don't understand what they had against this woman. Like I said, I want to be on Naughright's side, and I am.... I just don't know how I feel about this whole situation. She got a $300K settlement from the school. She also lost her career, her reputation, and her life. Why is this all of a sudden coming out 20 years later? Is it because she was a woman in a male sport? Is it because there were instances she was this person they said she was (I'm just questioning, I don't actually believe that)? Is it because Peyton Manning has another Super Bowl ring and she wants to take him down like he took her down? I really don't know. But I know this is such a hot topic, females in male sports. This is why I started this blog in the first place. To highlight the good and the bad about being a woman in this profession. Read the article... Tell me what you think. I would love to hear your opinion.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-peyton-manning-squeaky-clean-image-built-lies-article-1.2530395
Dr Jamie Naughright was a well liked, respectable, FEMALE athletic trainer at UT. She started as a student AT for the women's programs and was soon transferred to the men's programs. After undergrad, she became the graduate assistant AT for the men's programs. Upon graduation, she was hired as the assistant AT for the entire men's athletic program. After 2 years, she was hired as the Director of Health and Wellness for the Men's Athletic Program and was the head AT for the university's track and field program. During this time, she was also an associate AT for the football program.
During the time she was transferred to the men's program while in undergrad, her boss, associate AT Mike Rollo said that she was transferred because he thought she was a lesbian. She wasn't, but so what if she was? She was a woman, and after reading the article I will post at the end, it seemed as though he and the other males that she worked with on a daily basis were scared that a female was making rank at UT. Rollo and other male athletes, including Manning, called her some very vulgar names. She did what she had to do to stop the abuse and reported it. Reporting it seemed to make things worse. Later on in her career, Peyton Manning, a freshman on the football team, apparently did something that has never been talked about, and never will be. That incident was redacted from the record. Later on that year, Manning was being checked for a stress fracture in his foor by Naughright. Allegedly, he pulled his pants down and put his genitals on Naughright's head. She filed for sexual assault, Manning denied it had happened, and a cover up from Mike Rollo was in the works. Rollo said that Manning was "mooning" another student-athlete and Naughright happened to get in the way. Really? She just happened to get her head right in the way? The story continues with court testimony from student-athletes, staff memebers, and collegues that show that Naughright would never lie about an incident like this, that she is in good character, and that the cover up story was a fake. You can read the details in the article posted below. It's frankly a sick, twisted story that I have no clue how it got swept under the rug in the first place.
Now, I am a huge Peyton Manning fan along with the rest of them, but hearing this story is so disturbing. I'm upset that this football hero has done something like this, but I'm more upset that he won't own up to it. Or is he not owning up to it because he didn't do it? This story really is a "he said, she said" story because there were no witnesses. The only "witness" was the athlete who Rollo was saying Manning was mooning, but he wasn't actually there. However, there were witnesses to the vulgar language that was used against her. There were witnesses to the destruction of this woman's job, career, reputation, and life.
Being a female AT in a male sport is difficult. From experience, I have been the butt of a lot of jokes. I wouldn't go so far as them being sexual harassment, but there are times where I know I can't take stuff personally. However, the men I work with have been nothing but respectful when I am around. I have to be in the locker room with these guys. They know to be decent when I'm walking through. They understand my "pants policy" in the ATR. (If you're just getting out of the shower and only have a towel on, you are not allowed in the training room. They must have pants on.) I understand now times are a little different than the early 90's, so I guess the disrespect for females in a male sport was going to be higher back then. I could never think about the men I work with to ever do or say anything like that to me. I have had a few of them say to me "Teresa, I've never had a female trainer, so I hope I don't offend you with my comments." They know better. So I don't know why Peyton Manning, Mike Rollo, and the others did not have the same respect I get. And for both Peyton and Archie Manning to sit here and try to cover it up? It blows my mind! Especially when they came out with a book on how terrible of a person Naughright is. I just don't understand what they had against this woman. Like I said, I want to be on Naughright's side, and I am.... I just don't know how I feel about this whole situation. She got a $300K settlement from the school. She also lost her career, her reputation, and her life. Why is this all of a sudden coming out 20 years later? Is it because she was a woman in a male sport? Is it because there were instances she was this person they said she was (I'm just questioning, I don't actually believe that)? Is it because Peyton Manning has another Super Bowl ring and she wants to take him down like he took her down? I really don't know. But I know this is such a hot topic, females in male sports. This is why I started this blog in the first place. To highlight the good and the bad about being a woman in this profession. Read the article... Tell me what you think. I would love to hear your opinion.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-peyton-manning-squeaky-clean-image-built-lies-article-1.2530395
Monday, February 8, 2016
What do Athletic Trainers have to do for the Super Bowl?
In light of Super Bowl 50 last night (way to go Broncos!!), I have decided to write about the athletic trainers in Super Bowls. Particularly what they have to endure leading up to the Big Game and during it. I found an article from Super Bowl XLVI that outlined what the New York Giants athletic trainers did to prepare for the game. That Super Bowl was on February 5, 2012. But the athletic trainers started preparing on January 30, 2012, the day they flew to Indianapolis where the game was being held. The athletic trainers reported for early morning treatments before they flew out that day. They had meetings and then a bus ride to the airport. When they arrived at the hotel, some athletic trainers went to the practice facility to set up the athletic training room there, others stayed at the hotel and set up their room as an athletic training room. They brought 9 trunks with various supplies. They even brought 100 cases of athletic tape for the trip! Once set up, they had evening treatments. The next day, Jan. 31, 2012, there was no practice due to media day, but there were still morning and evening treatments. They had to go to the field for Media Day and team photos between those treatments. Feb. 1, 2012 there were morning treatments then they had down time before practice, so they got a lot of administrative work done. Before they left for the field, they had a quick treatment session. They left for practice in the afternoon, and upon arrival had to hurry into the ATR for light treatments and taping. They had only a half hour to tape and treat before practice. Can you imagine?! A half hour for who knows how many guys come in to be treated and taped! That's just crazy! They returned to the hotel after practice and did treatments until about 7pm. The next day, Feb. 2, they have morning treatments again and then have some meetings. There was practice in the afternoon and then families flew in. Night time treatments were not skipped with the arrival of families. On Feb. 3, the ATCs reported and found out that 10 people on the family plane had gotten sick, so they would need to be taken care of. Appointments with the physician liasion were made. Morning treatments were done, meetings were attended, and an overveiw of head and neck injury protocol was done. Another treatment session was held before going to practice. Practice was held and treatments were given after. Saturday, Feb. 4, the day before the Super Bowl... The ATCs reported an hour and a half earlier for morning treatments and then they had team walkthrough. They were done around 1 pm and reported to dinner at 6 and meetings after. Then it was bedtime! It's the night before the Super Bowl! How exciting!! Feb 5, 2012, Super Bowl XLVI... What a big deal!!! The athletic trainers had treatments in the morning, then they had to break down the training room that they had set up in the hotel. They boarded the bus at 2 pm and were police escorted to the stadium. Pre-game taping and treatment rituals were done when the players arrived, including a TON of manual therapy. After warm ups, they returned to the locker room for more taping and went over injury protocols. The game started, they had a few injuries to take care of, and then the game ended... The Giants were Super Bowl Champs again!! They celebrated and went back to the locker room. They had to take care of the injuries and then break down the training room again. They returned to the hotel and had an after party. The day after the Super Bowl, Feb 6, they were scheduled to leave early for the airport. Injuries were checked on, breakfast was eaten, and the bus was boarded. They flew home to New York... The game and the craziness was over. Feb 7, 2012, the NY Giants had the Super Bowl Parade down the Canyon of Heroes in NYC. But before the parade, the ATCs had to report for post season physicals. The parade started at 9am followed by a party in MetLife Stadium. The 2011 season had finally come to a close. The NY Giants were Super Bowl Champions, and the athletic training staff could finally get a day off.
Looking at the schedule of an ATC in the Super Bowl is just mind-blowing. They work around the clock! This was just 4 years ago, and I am assuming the Broncos and Panthers ATCs were the same this year. It is facinating the jobs that these people do day in and day out. The full article is posted below. When reading it, you really get a sense of what they go through. Check it out! Tell me what you think! Would you ever want to be an ATC working in the NFL? Would you want to endure all of the hours it takes to make it through the Super Bowl? I definitely would love this experience!!
http://www.atsnj.org/article/not-only-do-athletic-trainers-save-lives-they-also-help-win-super-bowls
Looking at the schedule of an ATC in the Super Bowl is just mind-blowing. They work around the clock! This was just 4 years ago, and I am assuming the Broncos and Panthers ATCs were the same this year. It is facinating the jobs that these people do day in and day out. The full article is posted below. When reading it, you really get a sense of what they go through. Check it out! Tell me what you think! Would you ever want to be an ATC working in the NFL? Would you want to endure all of the hours it takes to make it through the Super Bowl? I definitely would love this experience!!
http://www.atsnj.org/article/not-only-do-athletic-trainers-save-lives-they-also-help-win-super-bowls
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
The Evolution of Athletic Training
Hey everyone! I know I haven't posted in a while... Personal stuff. I don't want to bore you with those details! But I'm back. And today's topic is all about how athletic training has changed from the past to now and how it will continue to change. I think this is a great topic to talk about, especially from a female standpoint. Now we all know that females are underrepresented in certain aspects of athletic training, but let's see what has led us to this point now, not only with females, but in the profession itself.
Did you know there were athletic trainers in the 1800's?! Me neither! They were present for the safety and health of athletes, but did not have any more responsibility than that. They were true "water boys" as well, there to hydrate the athletes. Right after WWI, athletic trainers were formally known in the college setting. They formed the NATA in the 1930's, but by the 1940's, the NATA was no longer an organization. The organization was reestablished in the 1950's In 1970, the frist national exam took place, and by 1989 the BOC was created. There used to be 2 routes to become an athletic trainer - you could intern, or you could take a certified cirruculum through the NATA. Don't know about the internship route? Well.. You had to have 1500+ hours of clinical experience, had prerequiste courses, and had to pass the BOC. The internship route ended in 2003, and you can now only become an athletic trainer through a CAATE accredited program and pass the BOC. In 2003 and beyond, an athletic trainer has to be competent in 5 domains and 8 content areas of athletic training to be able to be properly educated and to pass the BOC to become part of the profession and we have to complete 50 CEUs every 2 years. The NATA is now comprised of over 35,000 members! This is the evolution of the education and practice of athletic trainers since they first came about. Now let's look how the profession has changed.
In 1869, Rutgers and Princeton introduced the sport of football. In 1905, there were 18 deaths and 159 serious injuries. The original reason athletic trainers became so popular was because it was realized that football needed responders on the field in case of injury. As said in the previous paragraph, the athletic trainers were there to provide water and be the team manager. Samuel E. Bilik was the man that created athletic training as more than just a "hydration specialist". He graduated from the University of Illinois and then went to med school. The University then hired him as a part time ATC where he changed the face of athletic training. During WWII, athletic trainers went from preparing athletes to preparing service men. As the war continued, the profession struggled. They needed to establish a national organization for the profession to succeed. As stated before, that's when the NATA was finally established and grew. When athletic training first started, athletic trainers were mainly found in colleges and high schools. It quickly evolved to include athletic trainers in professional sports. Now athletic trainers can be found in many different non-traditional settings like hospitals, corporations, performing arts, NASCAR, and the military, to name a few. Athletic trainers have also been known to work as physician extenders.
Females in the profession have evolved as well. Before Title IX was passed, there were no female athletic trainers. In 1972, the first female sat for the BOC exam. Her name was Sherry Bagagian. Shortly after, Gail Weldon sat for the exam. Weldon was the first female athletic trainer hired by the US Olympic Committee, and in 1980 became the first female cheif ATC for the US Olympic Team. She became the director of athletic training and physical therapy in the 1984 Olympic Games. Weldon was the first female inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1995. There is now an award named after her called the Gail Weldon Award of Excellence. It is given to one person every year that displays a "commitment to mentoring, professional development and life balancing for women athletic trainers or significant contributions to improve the health care of females provided by ATs". Another influential woman in atheltic training is Majorie J. Albohm, who was elected as the NATA president in 2007. She was only the second female to be president. In recent years, as I have spoken about before, we had Sue Falsone, the first female head athletic trainer for a Major League Baseball team. In 2005, 47.6% of the NATA members were females, and in 2011 the number grew to 50.9%.
Below are the articles where I got my information. Learning about how athletic trainers have evolved to where we are now is so interesting. If this profession can evolve from what it was to what it is, just think about how much more it will continue to evolve and grow. It might take a while, but it will definitely be different 20 years from now!
http://samples.jbpub.com/9780763735203/35205_CH15_FINAL.pdf
http://www.kcumb.edu/uploadedfiles/content/academics/_assets/cme_presentations/bertoncino_athletic_6_14.pdf
http://www.bocatc.org/blog/uncategorized/history-of-women-in-athletic-training/
Did you know there were athletic trainers in the 1800's?! Me neither! They were present for the safety and health of athletes, but did not have any more responsibility than that. They were true "water boys" as well, there to hydrate the athletes. Right after WWI, athletic trainers were formally known in the college setting. They formed the NATA in the 1930's, but by the 1940's, the NATA was no longer an organization. The organization was reestablished in the 1950's In 1970, the frist national exam took place, and by 1989 the BOC was created. There used to be 2 routes to become an athletic trainer - you could intern, or you could take a certified cirruculum through the NATA. Don't know about the internship route? Well.. You had to have 1500+ hours of clinical experience, had prerequiste courses, and had to pass the BOC. The internship route ended in 2003, and you can now only become an athletic trainer through a CAATE accredited program and pass the BOC. In 2003 and beyond, an athletic trainer has to be competent in 5 domains and 8 content areas of athletic training to be able to be properly educated and to pass the BOC to become part of the profession and we have to complete 50 CEUs every 2 years. The NATA is now comprised of over 35,000 members! This is the evolution of the education and practice of athletic trainers since they first came about. Now let's look how the profession has changed.
In 1869, Rutgers and Princeton introduced the sport of football. In 1905, there were 18 deaths and 159 serious injuries. The original reason athletic trainers became so popular was because it was realized that football needed responders on the field in case of injury. As said in the previous paragraph, the athletic trainers were there to provide water and be the team manager. Samuel E. Bilik was the man that created athletic training as more than just a "hydration specialist". He graduated from the University of Illinois and then went to med school. The University then hired him as a part time ATC where he changed the face of athletic training. During WWII, athletic trainers went from preparing athletes to preparing service men. As the war continued, the profession struggled. They needed to establish a national organization for the profession to succeed. As stated before, that's when the NATA was finally established and grew. When athletic training first started, athletic trainers were mainly found in colleges and high schools. It quickly evolved to include athletic trainers in professional sports. Now athletic trainers can be found in many different non-traditional settings like hospitals, corporations, performing arts, NASCAR, and the military, to name a few. Athletic trainers have also been known to work as physician extenders.
Females in the profession have evolved as well. Before Title IX was passed, there were no female athletic trainers. In 1972, the first female sat for the BOC exam. Her name was Sherry Bagagian. Shortly after, Gail Weldon sat for the exam. Weldon was the first female athletic trainer hired by the US Olympic Committee, and in 1980 became the first female cheif ATC for the US Olympic Team. She became the director of athletic training and physical therapy in the 1984 Olympic Games. Weldon was the first female inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1995. There is now an award named after her called the Gail Weldon Award of Excellence. It is given to one person every year that displays a "commitment to mentoring, professional development and life balancing for women athletic trainers or significant contributions to improve the health care of females provided by ATs". Another influential woman in atheltic training is Majorie J. Albohm, who was elected as the NATA president in 2007. She was only the second female to be president. In recent years, as I have spoken about before, we had Sue Falsone, the first female head athletic trainer for a Major League Baseball team. In 2005, 47.6% of the NATA members were females, and in 2011 the number grew to 50.9%.
Below are the articles where I got my information. Learning about how athletic trainers have evolved to where we are now is so interesting. If this profession can evolve from what it was to what it is, just think about how much more it will continue to evolve and grow. It might take a while, but it will definitely be different 20 years from now!
http://samples.jbpub.com/9780763735203/35205_CH15_FINAL.pdf
http://www.kcumb.edu/uploadedfiles/content/academics/_assets/cme_presentations/bertoncino_athletic_6_14.pdf
http://www.bocatc.org/blog/uncategorized/history-of-women-in-athletic-training/
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Misconceptions of Our Profession: Part 3 - Wellness/Performace Coach
As we all know very well is that athletic trainers and personal trainers get mixed up all the time. No... Mixed up aren't the right words for this. Many people believe that athletic trainers and personal trainers are the SAME. Anyone that is reading this knows we are not! Personal trainers do not need a college degree. They don't even need to be certified. Someone can walk into a gym, tell them they are a personal trainer, and BAM! They're a personal trainer. Most personal trainers do not know simple anatomy. Most of what they know is how to work out, and many times it's improper. Athletic trainers, on the other hand, have to graduate from a CAATE accredited university, become certified be the Board of Certification (BOC), and have to become lisenced in most states. We know how the body works and what motions each muscle does and why they're important. Can we "work people out"? You're damn right we can. And we know WHY each exercise is important for each muscle or muscle group. But we also do more than that. We know how to prevent, diagnose (yes, we can make a clinical diagnosis), treat, and rehab all injuries.
Now what does all this have to do with the topic today? Today, I'm going to talk about athletic trainers as wellness or performance coaches. As I have explained in previous posts, I work as a wellness coach currently. It's an amazing profession because people come to you because they KNOW you're better than a personal trainer. They KNOW that you will be able to give them advice and exercises based on your MEDICAL opinion. Yup... That's right. Wellness/performance coaches are just like personal trainers, but with a medical background and an understanding of how the body works. Say somoene comes in and are 9 months post ACL, they do not have any more visits left on insurance for PT, and they still feel as though they need to get more sessions in. Well... Wellness coaches can take that client, understand that they don't necessarily need clamshells or straight leg raises or Russian stim anymore, and create a program that's more effective to what they want to get back to... All with the knowledge of WHY we're doing the program we're doing.
Wellness coaches work with people to change their lifestyle as well. They can be utilized in weight loss, work hardening, and just general health. Athletic trainers are perfect for this because we already know how to coach people through an exercise program, we know why each exercise is being done, we can explain to the client why this program will be best for them... Best of all, athletic trainers know how to be sympathetic. If someone takes a journey of lifestyle change, the process is a tough one, and athletic trainers know how to be sympathetic and empathetic towards the clients. It's in the nature of being an ATC. We are naturally caring to athletes when they go through a season ending injury, so it's not hard to transition over that emotion when a weight loss client comes in and is upset because they gained weight during your program instead of losing it. However, as opposed to a personal trainer, we can empathize AND tell them why they gained weight.
Performance coaches can work with athletes that want to increase performance during their sports. For example, an 8th grader who really wants to play basketball in high school but just isn't fast enough can come into your center and you can put together a program to make him or her faster, stronger, and more powerful. And, again, the difference between personal trainers and athletic trainers in this aspect is WHY you put the program together! Personal trainers tend to think "Oh you want to jump higher? So let's jump" or "oh you want to be faster? Well let's run" and it really isn't that simple. Now, I'm not saying this about ALL personal trainers... But like I said, they don't even need an anatomy class to become a personal trainer, so there are plenty personal trainers in the world that really don't know why exercises are performed.
Athletic trainers can be utilized in many different ways, as we can see here. I think this profession will grow once it is realized that athletic trainers can do many more things than "tape ankles" and "hand out water". This profession is still relatively new. If you do something that is not the normal "ATC" job, let me know. I would love to hear about it!
Now what does all this have to do with the topic today? Today, I'm going to talk about athletic trainers as wellness or performance coaches. As I have explained in previous posts, I work as a wellness coach currently. It's an amazing profession because people come to you because they KNOW you're better than a personal trainer. They KNOW that you will be able to give them advice and exercises based on your MEDICAL opinion. Yup... That's right. Wellness/performance coaches are just like personal trainers, but with a medical background and an understanding of how the body works. Say somoene comes in and are 9 months post ACL, they do not have any more visits left on insurance for PT, and they still feel as though they need to get more sessions in. Well... Wellness coaches can take that client, understand that they don't necessarily need clamshells or straight leg raises or Russian stim anymore, and create a program that's more effective to what they want to get back to... All with the knowledge of WHY we're doing the program we're doing.
Wellness coaches work with people to change their lifestyle as well. They can be utilized in weight loss, work hardening, and just general health. Athletic trainers are perfect for this because we already know how to coach people through an exercise program, we know why each exercise is being done, we can explain to the client why this program will be best for them... Best of all, athletic trainers know how to be sympathetic. If someone takes a journey of lifestyle change, the process is a tough one, and athletic trainers know how to be sympathetic and empathetic towards the clients. It's in the nature of being an ATC. We are naturally caring to athletes when they go through a season ending injury, so it's not hard to transition over that emotion when a weight loss client comes in and is upset because they gained weight during your program instead of losing it. However, as opposed to a personal trainer, we can empathize AND tell them why they gained weight.
Performance coaches can work with athletes that want to increase performance during their sports. For example, an 8th grader who really wants to play basketball in high school but just isn't fast enough can come into your center and you can put together a program to make him or her faster, stronger, and more powerful. And, again, the difference between personal trainers and athletic trainers in this aspect is WHY you put the program together! Personal trainers tend to think "Oh you want to jump higher? So let's jump" or "oh you want to be faster? Well let's run" and it really isn't that simple. Now, I'm not saying this about ALL personal trainers... But like I said, they don't even need an anatomy class to become a personal trainer, so there are plenty personal trainers in the world that really don't know why exercises are performed.
Athletic trainers can be utilized in many different ways, as we can see here. I think this profession will grow once it is realized that athletic trainers can do many more things than "tape ankles" and "hand out water". This profession is still relatively new. If you do something that is not the normal "ATC" job, let me know. I would love to hear about it!
Monday, January 11, 2016
Misconceptions of Our Profession: Part 2 - Military
So as I spoke about in my last post, Athletic Trainers do more than just tape ankles and get water. Today, I'm going to talk about one of those ways athletic trainers are more than the stereotype. Did you know that athletic trainers can work as a civilian in the military? No? Well now you do! Athletic trainers have been hired by many Armed Forces in the last several years to ensure the health and saftey of our men in uniform. They can be hired as independent contractors or as Civil Service. The Marine Corps Community Services Semper Fit program has athletic trainers. The Semper Fit program deals with sports, recreation, and safety, among other things, in the Marine Corps. The need for health care professionals in the Marines is high since one of the credentials for mission readiness is musculoskeletal injuries. There are also numerous jobs for an atheltic trainer in the Navy. They can work in the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation system as a Fitness Coordinator or as a Training Specialist to ensure safe and effective physical programs. The SEALs are also using ATCs to work directly with the teams. Along with the Marine Corps and the Navy, the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Service Academies hire ATCs. There's even an Armed Forces Atheltic Training Society. Athletic Trainers in the military emerged in 2001 when the idea came about at Ft. Sam Houston about having medical coverage. In 2013, the Marine Corps added 18 ATCs to infantry battalions and in Quantico, the Sports Medicine and Injury Prevention program has been a big success to get trainees back to training when they have been injured. The athletic trainers in the Marine Corps assist in developing the Physical Training programs. They are there to improve resiliency. They are there for preventing injuries and making the Marines less injury prone after an injury. They are also there for head injuy management and will develop as they get to know the emerging profession.
Military men and women might not be considered athletes, but a high level of athleticism is needed to perform all of the tasks of a serviceman. This being said, all military men and women need to stay fit and healthy. Athletic trainers work as coaches to improve lifestyle of each personnel and to decrease risk of injury. They are recently important in the military setting and will continue to be an asset to our service men and women in years to come.
http://www.afats.org/
http://www.nata.org/sites/default/files/Status-of-ATCs-in-the-Military.pdf
http://www.nata.org/sites/default/files/MCTimesSitrep.pdf%5B1%5D.pdf
Military men and women might not be considered athletes, but a high level of athleticism is needed to perform all of the tasks of a serviceman. This being said, all military men and women need to stay fit and healthy. Athletic trainers work as coaches to improve lifestyle of each personnel and to decrease risk of injury. They are recently important in the military setting and will continue to be an asset to our service men and women in years to come.
http://www.afats.org/
http://www.nata.org/sites/default/files/Status-of-ATCs-in-the-Military.pdf
http://www.nata.org/sites/default/files/MCTimesSitrep.pdf%5B1%5D.pdf
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