6 Ways Workplaces Benefit from an Onsite Industrial Athletic Trainer

You may not notice them during a game, but we’re all very accustomed to seeing athletic trainers in sports. They’re the first ones running out to an injured player on the field.

What many don’t know about athletic trainers is the meticulous preventative work they provide in every other phase of the athlete’s life. Athletic trainers work diligently to ensure a player is ready for the next practice and the next game. These principles can also be applied in the workplace via industrial athletic trainers, who are onsite to ensure every employee is physically able to have a productive, healthy and effective day at work – whether it’s at a job-site, on a production line, sitting at a desk or fighting crime.

In fact, the NATA Clinical/Industrial/Corporate Athletic Trainers’ Committee notes that there are many potential services an athletic trainer can provide in the occupational setting, including pre-work screenings and health promotion services where allowed as outlined by state regulations.

Discover six additional ways an industrial athletic trainer can benefit the workplace by checking out the list below:

Ergonomics

Athletic trainers work with health and safety teams to identify ergonomic hazards and risk factors. In addition, athletic trainers assist in recommending and implementing both engineering and administrative controls.

Work Readiness/Conditioning

Athletic trainers apply strength and conditioning methodologies to develop work-specific conditioning programs for an individual or an entire department.

Health & Wellness

Athletic trainers frequently manage fitness centers, physical activity, nutrition, smoking cessation, therapeutic exercise, stress management and other wellness programs in the workplace.

Education

Athletic trainers are great health education teachers. They draw upon vast educational and clinical experiences to educate labor forces about all things related to health, wellness and safe workplace habits.

On-Site Physical Rehabilitation

Working under the direction and sometimes prescription of a physician, athletic trainers are effective health care practitioners who may provide physical rehabilitation services on-site, at manufacturing, distribution and industrial locations. That said, it is important to check with state guidelines before implementing rehabilitation services and to see if ATCs can bill for services.

Return to Work

For an athletic trainer, there isn’t much difference between an occupational athlete and sports athlete. The skills athletic trainers use in caring for an injured athlete and their recovery to return to sport are the same skills used to return an employee to work after an injury. The medical knowledge and diverse skills of athletic trainers make them ideal health care providers to implement, manage and conduct return-to-work programs.

Athletico is a leader in the prevention and treatment of workplace musculoskeletal disorders and currently staffs many employers with industrial athletic trainers. These preventative-based, employee-centric health and wellness programs reduce the frequency/severity of injury and enhance the everyday productivity and morale of the workforce.

Interested in Athletico’s industrial athletic trainer services? Email Work4U@athletico.com for more information.