Note: The following sections are written from experiences and view points of the staff of this company. You may not find portions of the literature below in any textbooks or journals, however, the information is based on personal experiences. The injury assessment process is very important in athletics. Athletes will get injured and it is up to the athletic trainer, sports therapist, or physician to treat the injury. However, in order to treat an injury properly, the injury must be diagnosed correctly by the physician. In most athletic settings the athletic trainer will assess the injury as soon as it happens on the field. The athlete will be referred to a physician, and the physician will diagnosis the injury. Then the athlete will be referred to a surgeon, sports therapist, or athletic trainer for rehab. Athletic trainers will supervise athletes during games and practices.
They will An athletic trainer is certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), and must have a degree in sports medicine or athletic training. Athletic trainers have a strong background in anatomy physiology, exercise physiology, biomechanics, psychology, health and nutrition, emergency medicine, injury prevention, injury assessment, organization and administration, kinesiology, and several other areas. In order to keep this certification, the athletic trainer must attend seminars, complete research, and continue his/her education on a regular basis. Athletic trainers often work under the direct supervision of a physician. Because of their broad background, they often are the mediator and heart of the medical team. An athletic trainers primary responsibilities are to:
Athletic Trainers Role in the Injury Process If an athlete is injured, the athletic trainer will examine the athlete. Then if needed, a referral will be written to the appropriate doctor, usually a sports medicine doctor. Once the doctor has seen the athlete, if surgery is not needed, then the athlete will be referred back to the athletic trainer for rehab and conditioning. The athletic trainer should meet with the coaching staff and parents to tell them how long the athlete will be out of practice and competition, and also what the athletes rehab goals will be. Towards the end of the rehabilitation process, the athletic trainer will start integrating the athlete slowly back into the sport. A meeting will be held with the coaching staff, to let them know what the athlete can and cannot do. The athlete will be monitored, evaluated, and tested to determine when the athlete can return to play without restrictions. When an athlete goes to a doctor, that doctor has an enormous responsibility to correctly diagnose the athlete. An incorrect diagnosis could result in further harm to the athlete. Incorrect diagnosis’s happen all the time, therefore, having a good doctor is one of the keys to being a successful athlete. A good doctor will keep an athlete healthy and will help prevent injuries from reoccurring. If an athlete gets hurt, the doctor will be the one to head up the rehabilitation team that will get the athlete back on the field. The purpose of an athlete to visit a doctor is to get a physical or to get diagnosed with an injury or illness. It is critical that doctors diagnose the primary injury and any secondary injuries. Athletes often have multiple injuries that stem from one injury, although it will be diagnosed as one injury. For instance, an athlete may have an ankle sprain (torn ligaments). The ankle sprain is the primary injury. However, it is very difficult to sprain the ankle without straining (tearing) certain muscles and tendons of the lower leg (secondary injury). Therefore, doctors must do a thorough assessment to pin point the primary injury and secondary injury (secondary injury sometimes goes unnoticed). In contrast sometimes the primary injury goes unnoticed and the secondary injury gets diagnosed. Athletic injuries can get very complicated. If a doctor does a thorough exam he/she should be able to decipher between primary and secondary injuries and the doctor should not miss any other injuries. However, as complicated as athletic injuries can get, some athletic injuries can stump or slip by the best doctors. Sometimes the primary mechanism of injury can be missed and the athlete
will keep re-injuring themselves. The doctor may treat the injury
and not look for the mechanism that caused the injury. This is bad,
because the doctor needs to counsel the athlete on how to keep the
injury from reoccurring. For instance, athletes will complain of back
and knee pain. Often doctors will treat the symptoms with medication
and rehabilitation. Therefore, the symptoms subside. However, the
athlete returns back to the doctors office complaining of the same
symptoms as before (back and knee pain). The cycle will repeat itself
until a sports medicine professional can locate the mechanism of injury.
In this case the mechanism may be a leg length discrepancy. This can
be treated with special shoes or orthotics (shoe inserts). The downfall
is the athlete has endured months of pain and months of decreased
performance. This is not to mention, the long term damage he/she has
caused to the effected joints. Therefore, a doctor’s diagnosis
is critical to the rehab program and to make sure the injury does
not happen again.
The following is the scenario that should happen when you visit your doctor:
Questions You Should Ask Your Doctor
When a doctor tells you that he wants to do surgery, always get a second opinion. Surgery can be taking an enormous risk to an athlete’s career, if it is not done properly. It may be in your best interest to spend the extra money and have the surgery done by a specialist, especially if it will affect performance. If you can afford it and the athlete has to have surgery, check around town and find the best surgeon. If an athlete has a shot at the pros or college scholarship, you want the surgery done by the best possible surgeon. Freshman college and rookie professional athletes during preseason training are put under grueling stress. The athletes are usually out of shape and some may not even be acclimated to the region. These problems when combined with very rigorous training and environmental factors can apply great psychological stress to an athlete. The athlete under pressure from the coach, teammates, family, and commitment to the university may look for an alternative means to lessen the stress. The means usually sought out is to malinger. Taber's Medical Dictionary explains malingering as “to fake injury, to arouse sympathy, and to escape work.” A combination of the athlete missing their family, sleep deprivation, digestive problems/inadequate nutrition, and extreme heat, cold, or altitude adjustments can lead to malingering. The coach’s expectations may be very high and the athlete may not perform up to those expectations (if the athlete knows this), this will lead to psychological stress and possibly malingering. Other teammates may have to carry the freshman’s weight in practice, if the athlete is not up to par, which could be another reason to malinger. The athlete’s advantage to malinger is to escape from the stress. All the factors playing against the athlete can soon be alleviated by just faking an injury. This will earn the athlete sympathy from the athletic training staff, a cool or warm training room, and something to drink. Most importantly the negative coach and teammates, the heat/cold, and total exhaustion will stop. Coaches and trainers sometimes use six ways to deter this type of behavior, they are as follows:
When these factors are implemented, then the battle against malingering can be won, but it takes the combined effort of the various staffs, family members, and the individual. The end result should be a happy, healthy young athlete that will become successful in his/her sport, through the help of family and the university staff. Remember team means Together Everyone Achieves More, and together they will.
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