Where do Athletic Therapists Work?

In honor of National Athletic Training Month in the States this entry will be an overview of all the different areas that an Athletic Therapist works in.

Sport:
All the major professional sports in North America have associations for their Athletic Therapists/Trainers (ATs), the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and MLS all have highly qualified personal on their sidelines to ensure the safety of their athletes.  Many of the national sport programs in Canada and the United States carry ATs to help lead their medical teams.

It is not just mainstream sports that employ ATs.  There are ATs working with major dance and performing arts groups such as Cirque du Soleil, Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, Disneyland and Disney World.  Many ballet companies employ ATs to keep their dancers in top form through rehearsals and performances.  In both Canada and the US you will find ATs working and supporting pro rodeo athletes, working in the NLL, and the PGA.  You will find that ATs work with cheerleaders, gymnasts and figure skaters.  No sport is immune to us being there to help the athletes, coaches and parents be safe.

From secondary schools to major universities and colleges ATs are the driving force for player safety.  Many are required to teach classes or do research during the day and then start treating and preparing athletes for practices and games.  For those in secondary schools they are the sole person in charge of all their schools athletes which can range in the hundreds.  Those working at major post secondary institutions might be lucky enough to have a group of assistant therapists/trainers as well as a group of student trainers/therapists.  They become administrators and teachers on top of their normal AT tasks.

Occupational:
As discussed in our post So You Only Work with Athletes Right? ATs do not only work with athletes.  Though many work in a clinical setting where they help rehab athletes from injuries, they also will treat the general public.  ATs are employed in hospitals, as occupational health and safety experts and with the military.  Many private companies are using the skill sets of ATs to help reduce on the job injuries and improve the overall health of their employees.  One of the motos of the Canadian Athletic Therapist Association is Rapid Return to Work and Play.

General Public:
The skill sets of prevention and rehabilitative care are not only for those in the areas of sport and work settings.  Anybody who suffers from a musculoskeletal injury can benefit for seeing an AT.  If you have been in a motor vehicle accident, fell on the ice and broke your ankle, strained your back shoveling snow or hurt your shoulder doing yard work, ATs will get you back on track quickly and safely.

All Athletic Therapists/Trainers are trained in the areas of injury prevention, rehabilitation and emergency care.  We work with all levels of athletes, different types of occupations, and all ages of the general public.  Our goal no matter what our occupational setting is to help you get back to either work or play safely and quickly.  We truly are AT4All.

Please follow us on Twitter @EliteInjuryMgmt and check out or website at www.eliteinjury.com

So You Only Deal With Athletes, Right?

One of the many myths about Athletic Therapists is that we only deal with athletes and at that only those at the elite level.  Well yes the first word in our title is athletic but we are much broader than that.  As the Canadian Athletic Therapy Association states Athletic Therapy, is a rapid return to work and play.

As an Athletic Therapist I have worked with athletes as young a 8 to those who are still going past 40.  Clinically I have treated patients who have suffered injuries at work, from motor vehicle accidents to seniors looking to maintain their mobility.  No matter who the patient or athlete is they all receive that same care.  The goal for everyone is to get them back to sport or their normal life as soon as possible.

Athletic Therapists use an active model of care that includes contemporary rehab techniques, therapeutic modalities such as ultrasound, IFC, EMS, soft tissue mobilization, physical reconditioning and supportive taping.  We do everything to create an ideal environment for healing so that our patients and athletes can return to activity safely.

You will find Athletic Therapists working in a variety of areas including:

• Private sports medicine and therapy clinics
• Professional sports, such as the NHL, CFL, NBA, MLB
• Elite games, such as the Olympics, Pan Am, Canada Games
• Teaching or research at universities and colleges
• Minor, high school, amateur and varsity athletics
• Professional dance companies
• Sales and marketing for performance and rehabilitation brands
• Municipal government
• Industrial workplaces
• Insurance industry

So while many of us work with athletes on a daily basis in a field setting, we also deal with the weekend warrior, the new mom recovery from pregnancy, the airport rampee who got hurt at work and the senior recovering after a knee replacement.  No matter your level of activity, no matter your job, no matter your level of sport, Athletic Therapists are there to get you back in the game.