What IS an Athletic Trainer?

These are the questions I get asked regularly:

What exactly do you do?
Can you help me lose weight?
Can you make me faster?
Can you help me lift more weight?

Can you help me with my pain?

Are you a PT?


And the answer to them is yes, (except the last one) but it is not what Certified Athletic Trainers focus on. Let me explain.

Certified Athletic Trainers (ATC) are health care practitioners who are trained in a variety of modalities from taping, soft tissue, and manual therapies to recondition, strengthening, and correct exercises.
We are also well versed in physical exams and movement screens. We have developed a keen eye to  movement patterns and how efficient the body moves, and how to address imbalances and inefficiencies.
In our most typical settings, professional, college and high school sports we work with a sports medicine team to help provide the best care possible. In most cases we are the only person who was present when an injury occurred and is with the athlete through the whole process of returning them to the field. An example of this is an athlete with a severe ankle sprain. The ATC helps remove the athlete from the field and begins acute care treatments. timesMany times the athlete would see an orthopedic doctor and get an x-ray many times with the ATC at that visit, so an exact plan of care can be developed for the athlete. From there the ATC rehabilitates the athlete with numerous modalities, and gets them in condition to return to play.
All professional sports in the US utilize ATCs, from football (a team of them) to tennis to beach volleyball, ATCs are an important part to the sports team.

So what is the difference between a sprained ankle on the football field and one that occurred when you stepped in a hole while on your daily jog in the park? Or how is your back pain that started while you were gardening different from that of a weightlifter? Actually nothing. How your body reacts to a stress or injury is the same as elite athletes. So treating you is very similar as well!

Oddly enough, the number one goal of an ATC is prevention of injury. Using movement screens to assess movement patterns and then addressing those patterns that need help before injury occurs is one of our top skills. We use a variety of methods to help the patient break bad movement patterns. And coaching them back to proper movements

In my current setting, private sector, I have focused on the getting YOU back from injury/pain. I have spent many years in the traditional setting honing my skills and have found my sweet spot. Finding the root cause of your pain, addressing it and getting you out of pain. It is extremely fulfilling for me to be able to help someone who has been suffering with pain for months or years, back to doing activities they love!

I have developed a very thorough Movement Assessment that allows me to determine where you are in strength and mobility. I also Assess the state of your Nervous System. From there am able to determine where and how to start YOU and YOUR BODY back to moving better and feeling better.