Prisma Health recognizes March as National Athletic Training Month

Athletic trainers play important role in health care community

March is National Athletic Training Month, and Prisma Health encourages community members to learn the importance of athletic trainers for a safer approach to work, life and sport. Athletic trainers work in high school and collegiate athletics, the military, industrial settings, physical therapy clinics and with performing arts. Prisma Health employs athletic trainers across its health care system.

We also recognize that not all athletes wear jerseys. Our athletic trainers are not only placed in the secondary and collegiate setting, but can also be found working with tactical athletes and the performing arts. Athletic trainers play a vital role in getting those individuals back to the workforce and back onto the stage.

Treating injuries at school or at the workplace, rather than just sending the patient to the emergency department, saves money and time. It also can give the patient the ability to get back to their normal activity levels faster. The Prisma Health team wants all athletes to have the same access to athletics trainers, regardless of their level.

Here’s a few tips about athletic trainers that community members should be aware of:

• Athletic trainers are certified health care professionals who work with physicians to provide preventive services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions in the field of sports medicine.
• Athletic trainers are often on the scene during a sports game, and therefore the first to respond to an incident. The athletic trainer is responsible for providing first-aid care immediately.
• Athletic trainers know the athletes best. Athletic trainers can identify signs that an athlete has suffered an injury by an athlete’s unusual behavior. Since they often see athletes on a regular basis, the athletic trainer is the best position to perform daily follow-up examinations to determine if the athlete is symptom-free and ready to play.

For more information about our athletic training team at Palmetto Health-USC Orthopedic Center, visit PHUSCMG.org/AthleticTraining.