March is National Athletic Training Month, and at PT Solutions we recognize that athletic trainers are a crucial part of any sports team or individual’s athletic career. With this in mind, we’re proud to employ top-notch trainers who keep our athletes healthy and playing their best.
When it comes to athletic training, benefits can be seen in both athletic performance and in terms of overall athlete health and safety. More specifically, preventative athletic training programs allow the body to become more efficient biomechanically and reduce the risk of injury.
These preventative efforts strengthen areas in the body that could be weak or either under- or overused. For example, when the hips are strengthened, the knee is taken out of a valgus angle, thus reducing the forces and strain on the knee. With the lower extremity aligned properly, the hips can now move with biomechanical efficiency.
It has been clinically proven that preventive athletic training programs can lessen the occurrence of many common sports injuries like rotator cuff tears, low back strains, and lateral ankle sprains, as well as help identify athletes at high risk for many other injuries.
Ultimately, early recognition and treatment facilitated by an athletic trainer can not only improve long-term athletic health outcomes, but also prevent severe injuries resulting in lost games, seasons, or even careers – thereby improving performance.
Despite the great strides which have been made in preventative athletic training, injuries will always occur. When they do, the key to getting back in the game is taking the proper time needed to heal. If an athlete returns to the game too soon, they put themselves at a higher risk of re-injury or even of suffering a secondary injury.
Given the competitive nature of athletics in general – whether it’s an individual training for a recreational 5K, a high school student wanting to return to play basketball or a pro athlete trying to help their team win a championship game – athletes often do try to return from injuries too soon. This dynamic places even more importance on athletic training.
Being on the front line with the athletes and coaches, athletic trainers have the access to recognize issues right away and intervene with appropriate direction and advice.
In the end, athletic trainers provide invaluable services to athletes both as they work to prevent injuries, and as they work to come back from them.
