BACKGROUND

INFORMATION
Over the years, athletic training has
evolved into a specialization within
sports medicine. Its major concern
is the health and safety of athletes.
In order to learn about the
prevention and care of injuries, we
first must learn the role of everyone
on the sports medicine team.
FIRST AID AND ATHLETIC
TRAINING
(PETH 326)
 Chapter 1
The Athletic Trainer and The Sports
Medicine Team
■ FIRST AID: Is the immediate care or
treatment that is given to an injured or ill
person before professional medical aid can
be obtained.
■ ATHELETIC TRAINING: An allied health
profession that is concerned with the health
and safety for athletes and the physically
active.
Who is Physically Active?

Athletes?
Blue Collar Workers?
Recreational Participants?
Mom’s?
Gas Station Attendants?
Insurance Sales Person?
ETC.
 ATHLETIC TRAINING
■ Athletic Trainer: a
specialist in athletic
training concerned
with the complete
health care of the
athlete.
 ATHLETIC TRAINING
■ The athletic trainer
provides a major link
between athletics and
the medical
community.
 ATHLETIC TRAINING
■ The athletic trainer is
responsible for injury
prevention, emergency
care, and rehabilitation
of sports related
injuries.
 History and Background of
Athletic Training
■ Prior to NATA in 1950
◆ Greek and Roman Period
◆ Intercollegiate Sports
◆ First NATA in 1938-44
◆ WWII
■ NATA formed in Kansas City
in 1950
■ Growth and Development Since
1950
 SPORTS MEDICINE
■ Definition: A generic term used to
describe a group of professions that
assist in the health and performance
of the athlete
■ Areas of Specialization in Sports
Medicine
✦ Medical disciplines
✦ Athletic training
✦ Physical therapy
✦ Exercise physiology
✦ Biomechanics
✦ etc.
Sports Medicine Organizations
■ American College of Sports Medicine
■ International Federation of Sports Med
■ American Orthopedic Society for S. M.
■ National Strength & Conditioning Assoc.
■ Sports Physical Therapy Section of APTA
■ NCAA Comm. On Competitive Safeguards and
Medical Aspects of Sports
■ NATA
 THE SPORTS MEDICINE TEAM
■ Athletic Trainer: most directly responsible
for all phases of health care in an athletic
environment.
■ Team Physician: directs the medical care of
the athlete and the care given by the athletic
trainer.
■ Orthopedic Physician: directs care of the
musculoskeletal injuries.
■ Other Physicians
THE SPORTS MEDICINE TEAM
■ Coaches
■ Biomechanists
■ Exercise Physiologists
■ Administrators
(Athletic Director)
■ EMT’s & Paramedics
■ School Nurse
■ Physical Therapist
 THE SPORTS MEDICINE TEAM
■ Nutritionist
■ Psychologist
■ Chiropractor
■ Others ……
■ All are responsible to work
together to provide proper
health care and a safe
environment for the athlete.
 Responsibilities of the Team
Physician
■ First, to serve as an advisor and director to
the athletic trainer or coach.
■ Physical exams and medical histories
■ Diagnosing injuries and determining the
health status of the athlete
■ Deciding on return to play
■ Attend practices and games
■ Committed to sports and the athlete
Responsibilities of the Coach
■ In the absence of an athletic trainer and team
physician, the coach must assume the direct
responsibility for the health of the athlete.
 Responsibilities of the Coach
■ “Coaches must demonstrate a high profile
for safety, and show that they really care”.
■ Respect the skills and insight of the athletic
trainer and physician, who must have the
last word concerning injuries.
■ Know legal responsibilities for injuries
Roles and Responsibilities of the
Athletic Trainer
■ Performance Domains
◆ Prevention of athletic injuries
◆ Evaluation and assessment of injuries
◆ Immediate care of injuries
◆ Treatment, rehabilitation and reconditioning of
injuries
◆ Health care administration
◆ Professional Development
 Roles and Responsibilities of the
Athletic Trainer
■ Education Council Competency Domains
◆ Acute care
◆ Assessment and evaluation
◆ General medical conditions & disabilities
◆ Health care administration
◆ Nutritional aspects of injury/illness
◆ Pathology of injury/illness
 Roles and Responsibilities of the
Athletic Trainer
■ Education Council Competency Domains
◆ Pharmacological aspects of injury/illness
◆ Professional development
◆ Psychological intervention and referral
◆ Risk management and injury prevention
◆ Therapeutic exercise
◆ Therapeutic modalities
 Athletic Trainer Roles and
Responsibilities of the
■ Injury Prevention and Risk
Management
◆ Ensuring appropriate training &
conditioning
◆ Monitoring environmental
conditions
◆ Managing protective equipment
◆ Counseling about proper nutrition
◆ Appropriate medication education
& use
 Athletic Trainer Roles and
Responsibilities of the
■ Recognition, Evaluation, and Assessment of
Athletic Injuries
◆ Conducting Physical Examinations
◆ Understanding the pathology of injury/illness
◆ Utilizing Evaluation Procedures
◆ Referring to medical specialists
 Athletic Trainer Roles and
Responsibilities of the
■ Immediate Care of Injury and
Illness
◆ Initial assessment
◆ Administering appropriate first
aid
◆ Providing emergency care
 Athletic Trainer Roles and
Responsibilities of the
■ Treatment, Rehabilitation &
Reconditioning
◆ Designing rehabilitation
programs
✦ Therapeutic exercise
✦ Rehabilitative equipment
✦ Manual therapy
◆ Supervising rehabilitation
programs
◆ Incorporating therapeutic
modalities
◆ Education and counseling of
injuries
 Athletic Trainer Roles and
Responsibilities of the
■ Organization and Administration
◆ Record keeping
◆ Ordering equipment and supplies
◆ Supervising personnel
◆ Establishing policies of operation
◆ Maintaining athlete data
◆ Organizing insurance issues
 Athletic Trainer Roles and
Responsibilities of the
■ Professional Development and
Responsibilities
◆ Being a lifelong learner of the
field
◆ Maintaining CEU’s for
certification
◆ Educate the public
◆ Involvement in professional
organizations
Employment Settings for the
Athletic Trainer
◆ Public and Private High
Schools
◆ Colleges and Universities
◆ Professional Teams
◆ Sports Medicine Clinics
◆ Industrial Settings
◆ Hospitals
◆ Health and Fitness Centers
◆ Other Future Directions???
 Chapter 2
Health Care Administration
 Establishing a System For Athletic
Training Health Care
■ Develop a plan
◆ A planning process with those involved
◆ A mission statement must be decided
■ Develop a policies and procedures manual
■ Design an athletic training facility
◆ Size
◆ Location
◆ Storage facilities
◆ offices
 Establishing a System For Athletic
Training Health Care
■ Design an athletic training room
◆ Special services section
✦ Treatment area
✦ Electrotherapy area

✦ Hydrotherapy area

✦ Rehabilitation area

✦ Taping area

✦ Examination area

✦ Records area
 Establishing a System For Athletic
Training Health Care
■ Other concerns (PP Manual)
◆ Who do you serve?
◆ Facility and personnel coverage?
◆ Insurance?
◆ Emergency telephone?
◆ Budgetary concerns?
◆ Security and safety issues?
◆ Emergency management?
◆ Access to other health care providers?
 Establishing a System For Athletic
Training Health Care
■ Other Concerns (PP Manual)
◆ Record keeping
✦ Medical records
✦ Injury reports

✦ Treatment logs

✦ Personal information

✦ Injury evaluation

✦ Etc.
 Establishing a System For Athletic
Training Health Care
■ Other Concerns (PP Manual)
◆ Preparticipation exams
✦ Physician exam
✦ Station exam

✦ Medical history

✦ Maturity assessment

✦ Orthopedic screening

◆ Medical records
 Pre-season Physical Exams
■ History ■ Urinalysis
■ Orthopedics ◆ Drug Testing?
■ Vital signs ■ Blood tests
■ Vision ■ Cardio-Respiratory
■ ENT ■ Neurological
■ Skin ■ Lymphatic / Abdomen
■ Cardiovascular and Reproductive
 Sport Disqualification
■ Certain injuries or conditions may warrant
concerns relative to continued participation.
However, the athletic trainer, coach, or
even the physician can only recommend.
The ADA of 1990 clearly states that the
individual athlete and/or parents is the only
person who can make the final decision.
 Collecting Injury Data
■ The Incidence of Injuries
◆ Accident: an unplanned event resulting in loss
of time, property damage, injury, disablement,
or even death.
◆ Injury: damage to the body that restricts activity
or causes disability.
✦ Risk of injury is determined by the type of sport
and the amount and level of participation.
✦ The type of injury can also be expected by the sport

and level of participation

 Collecting Injury Data
■ Incidence of Injuries
◆ Sports Classifications
✦ Collision
✦ Contact
✦ Non-contact
◆ Injury classifications
✦ Fatalities
✦ Catastrophic injuries
✦ Musculoskeletal injuries (contusions, strains, etc.)
✦ Acute vs Chronic
◆ Incidence: knee  ankle  upper extremity
 Collecting Injury Data
■ National Injury Data Collecting
Systems
✦ National Safety Council
✦ American Football Coaches Association
✦ NCAA Nat. Survey of Catastrophic Injury
✦ NATA
✦ Others
■ Using Injury Data
✦ Modify rules
✦ Education of risks
✦ Evaluate protective equipment
 Professional Preparation of the
Athletic Trainer
■ Professional Educational Programs
◆ Approved Curriculums: NATA/CAAHEP
◆ Internship programs (not after 2004)

■ Certification Req. NATABOC Exam

■ Continuing Education Requirements (CEU)
■ State Regulations (Licensure)
■ Future Directions for Athletic Training
Legal Concerns and Insurance
Issues
Chapter 3
 Legal Concerns
■ Liability: being legally responsible for the
harm one causes another person.
■ Negligence: the failure to use ordinary and
reasonable care.
■ Torts: are legal wrongs committed against
the person or property of another
◆ Omission
◆ Commission
 Legal Concerns
■ Statutes of Limitation: sets a specific length of
time that individuals may sue for damages from
negligence (1-3 years).
■ Assumption of Risk: assuming the risk of
participating in an activity while knowing the
dangers of the activity.
 Reducing the Risk of Litigation
■ Warn athletes of the potential dangers of the sport
■ Supervise regularly
■ Properly prepare and condition athletes
■ Properly instruct athletes in the skills of the sport
■ Use proper and safe equipment and facilities
■ Establish good personal relationships with the
athletes
■ Develop and follow an emergency plan
■ Be aware of the athletes health status and medical
history
 Reducing the Risk of Litigation
■ Keep good records of injuries and
rehabilitation
■ Document efforts to create a safe playing
environment
■ Obtain written consent to provide health
care
■ Maintain confidentiality of medical records
 Reducing the Risk of Litigation
■ Use only the therapeutic methods and
medicine that you are qualified to give.
■ Work cooperatively with the coach and
team physician when selecting equipment.
■ Do not permit injured players to participate
■ Purchase professional liability insurance
■ Use common sense when making decisions
 Insurance
■ Managed care
◆ Primary health insurance
✦ Standard policy
✦ PPO

✦ HMO

◆ Secondary health insurance

■ Accident insurance
■ Professional liability insurance
■ Catastrophic insurance
 Third-Party Reimbursement for
Athletic Trainers
■ This is a new development
■ It is very time consuming
■ The A.T.C. must file insurance claims
immediately and correctly
■ The A.T.C. must use Current Procedural
Terminology (CPT) codes published by the
AMA
■ Third-Party Reimbursement Research at
IWU