The Sports Medicine Team

1
Chapter 2

• The Sports Medicine Team

2
Sports Medicine

• Umbrella term-- Four major components
• medical supervision of athletes
• special (adapted) physical education
• therapeutic exercise
• exercise in prevention chronic/degenerative
  disease

3
Current Status of Services

• Different levels - Different services
• professional athletes -- wide variety of services
• interscholastic athletes -- fewer services --
  normally required to have a pre-season physical
  evaluation
• More schools now employ a NATABOC certified
  athletic trainer.

4
Current Status of Services (2)

• Current trends
• more primary care physicians
• Historically, most team physicians have been
  orthopedists.
• other professionals involved -- neurosurgeons,
  gynecologists, cardiologists, podiatrists,
  dermatologists, chiropractors, dentists, nurses,
  exercise physiologists, physical therapists,
  sports psychologists

5
Key Team Players

• Team physician -- medical doctor who agrees to
  provide medical coverage
• services include in-services training for
  coaches, assist in development of emergency plan,
  liaison with other local providers, event coverage

6
Key Team Players (2)

• NATABOC certified athletic trainer -- allied
  health care professional (baccalaureate or
  masters degree with extensive education in care
  prevention of sports injuries)
• Athletic trainers receive formal instruction in
  prevention of athletic injuries recognition,
  evaluation and immediate care rehabilitation and
  reconditioning health care administration
  professional development, and responsibility.

7
Key Team Players (3)

• NATABOC -- Certification is available as an
  examination 5 times/year.
• JRC-AT requires a minimum of 800 hours of
  clinical education along with an academic major
  in AT.

8
Key Team Players

• Formal instruction includes prevention of
  injuries/illness evaluation first aid
  modalities therapeutic exercise administration,
  and human anatomy.

9
Internship Route to Certification

• In addition to the clinical education, this route
  must also require seven specific classes,
  including Advanced Athletic Training.

• Requires 1500 hours of clinical education under
  the director supervision of an NATABOC certified
  athletic trainer

10
Internship Route to Certification

• The internship route to NATABO certification will
  officially cease to exist as of the year 2004, as
  per the recommendation of the NATA Education Task
  Force.

• After this date anyone seeking NATABOC
  certification must qualify by completing a
  curriculum program that is accredited by the
  JRC-AT.

11
Sports Medicine Delivery

• Recreational athletes have access to sports
  medicine clinics have experienced a 300
  increase since 1980.

• Differences in delivery
• Professional athletes typically have access to
  many services.

12
Sports Medicine Delivery

• Interscholastic athletes have limited services --
  10 of the schools have a NATABOC certified
  athletic trainer.

13
Sports Medicine Delivery

• Public school options
• teacher/athletic trainer
• full-time athletic trainer
• part-time athletic trainer
• graduate student AT
• contracting from a local sports medicine clinic
  or hospital