Athletico Health Resources

It has been estimated that more than 50 percent of high school students participate in a sport.¹ This does not include younger children who may have previously participated in athletics.

With these considerations, many parents may find themselves worrying about their athlete, asking questions like: Are their aches and pains just muscle soreness or a more serious injury? Do I take my child to the doctor? Do they need x-rays? Should they use ice or heat for their pain?

(more…)

One of Athletico’s core values is continuous improvement, which is something that is important to me as an athletic trainer who is always trying to improve upon my skillset and profession.

Recently I attended a workshop on the topic “assisting individuals in crisis” in South Carolina put on by ATs Care. If you have not heard about ATs Care, it is a peer-to-peer support system comprised of athletic trainers to help assist other athletic trainers who have experienced a critical incident. It is a committee that is sponsored by the National Athletic Training Association (NATA). There are peer-support/CISM (critical incident stress management) teams at the district and/or state levels. To be clear, crisis intervention is NOT psychotherapy. Critical incident stress management is a comprehensive, phase sensitive and multi-component approach to crisis/disaster intervention.

(more…)

Every March Athletico celebrates National Athletic Training Month to recognize the important work of athletic trainers throughout our communities. This year’s national theme was ATs Are Health Care.

(more…)

As we celebrate the athletic training profession, National Athletic Training Month is a good time to reflect on the impact athletic trainers have on the communities where they live and work.

At Athletico, we support the National Athletic Trainer Association’s (NATA) “Own Your Impact” campaign, which encourages athletic trainers to share their stories of how they have impacted the profession. Read below for a few stories from some of our Athletico athletic trainers:

(more…)

I had the opportunity to attend the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers’ Association (GLATA) 51st Annual Meeting and Symposium, which is my region’s athletic training meeting that is hosted every year during National Athletic Training Month (NATM). Despite being removed from the regional atmosphere for some time, I had an invigorating experience at the event.

(more…)

It’s no secret that sporting equipment can bring a rancid smell home. There are many excuses as to why people don’t wash their equipment: they forget it in the locker room, they are too tired, or they just have better things to do. Yes, there are more thrilling activities, but cleaning your gear can prevent bacteria, yeast, viruses, fungus and mold from growing. Tip: Smell your gear. If it smells foul, it’s probably time to clean it.

(more…)

Sports provide an amazing opportunity for kids of all ages to spend time with their friends, learn from people they look up to, and begin understanding teamwork and the qualities that come with being a team player – including sharing! Sharing is a phenomenal trait for people to possess, until it includes germs and sickness. As sports slowly come back into the picture amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to ensure that athletes are taking the proper precautions to stay safe and healthy to avoid contracting or spreading the virus. So, as parents (or individuals), how can we protect our kids or ourselves from getting sick or sharing illness with others? The biggest factor in prevention is personal hygiene and there are tons of ways to incorporate this into our daily lives. Below are a few of the most important, and easiest, ones to consider:

(more…)

By Josh Lawrence, MS, L/ATC and Jerod Torrey ATC, PES

It is five minutes past the last bell of the high school day. The athletic trainer is hustling around a packed athletic training room and athletes are rushing in to transition from school to practice, and then it happens; an athlete asks the athletic trainer the dreaded question:

“Do you know what this is?”

(more…)