Intro to Sports Med

Injury/Illness Prevention and Wellness Protection

Educating participants and managing risk for safe performance and function.

Example of Injury/Illness Prevention

Pre-participation exams

Clinical Evaluation and Diagnosis

Implementing standard evaluation techniques and formulating a clinical impression for the determination of a course of action.

Example of Clinical Evaluation and Diagnosis

History

Immediate and Emergency care

Employing standard care procedures and communicating outcomes for efficient and appropriate care of the injured.

Example of Immediate and Emergency care

apply appropriate care

Treatment and Rehabilitation

Reconditioning participants for optimal performance and function.

Example of Treatment and Rehabilitation

Apply braces, splints, and other assistive devices.

Organizational and Professional health and well-being

Understand and adhering to approved organizational practices to ensure well-being.

Example of Organizational and Professional Health and well-being

Maintain records and documentation.

Primary (Central) Sports Medicine Team

Consists of athlete, parents, coach, team physician, and athletic trainer.

Athlete

Responsible for communicating to the other members of the team, primarily the parents and athletic trainer, that there is a problem.

Parents

Must be involved in injury management and care, especially for school age children.

Coach

Responsible for teaching proper/safe training techniques and game techniques for the sport.

Team Physician

Oversees sports medicine team, examines athletes, orders diagnostic tests, and guides athletic training staff.

Athletic Trainer

First response to an injury, initial evaluation, treatment, rehabilitation, and return to play.

Secondary (Peripheral) Sports Medicine Team

Consists of specialists including podiatrist, allergist, urologist, gynecologist, cardiologist, primary care physician, pediatrician, dentist, physical therapist, neurologist, dietitian, school nurse, strength coach, chiropractor, and sports psychologist.

Negligence

A legal wrong characterized by the failure to act as a reasonably prudent person would act in a similar situation.

Gross negligence

A legal concept which means serious carelessness.

Assumption of Risk

The doctrine that by participating in a sport, one understands that there is a possibility of injury.

Permission to treat

A person must give permission before they receive any type of medical treatment, test or examination.

Proximate cause

Described as a close connection between the way an ATC acted and the resulting injury to an athlete.

Podiatrist

oot specialist

Allergist

Allergy specialist

Urologist

Kidneys and Urinary tract specialist

Gynecologist

Womens reproductive system care specialist

Cardiologist

Heart specialist

Primary Care Physician –

general medical physician seen for non-sport related injuries or illnesses

Pediatrician

Children’s medicine specialist

Dentist –

– care of the mouth/teeth and may provide help fitting special mouth guards.

Physical Therapist –

rehabilitation specialist that helps return athletes to daily functional activities

Neurologist

– Nervous system specialist (brain and spinal cord)

Dietitian

– Specializes in developing a healthy diet for the athlete

School Nurse

– may help care for secondary school aged athletes during the school day.

Strength Coach

– helps to develop strength training programs for athletes to make athletes stronger and hopefully less likely to be injured.

Chiropractor –

Specialist who deals with issues of the spine

Sports Psychologist –

assists with concussion care, dealing with severe injuries, or may assist with improving mental focus through special training and strategies.