THOUGHTS FROM OUR TRAINER
Injury Procedures
All athletes injured during practices or at an event, where the certified athletic trainer (ATC) is on-campus, are to notify the coach and ATC as soon as possible for injury assessment, referral and/ or treatments.
If an athlete is injured during practice and the athletic trainer is not present (ie. ATC is at an away game or practice is offsite), please contact ATC as soon as possible. Parents will be contacted if the athlete is removed from practice due to an injury. The athlete is expected to check in on the next school day for assessment, referral and/ or treatment. If an athlete is injured during an event and the athletic trainer is not present, the athlete may be assessed by the host school ATC and is expected to check in with the LJA athletic trainer on the next school day for assessment, referral and/or treatment.
Please notify the athletic trainer with an update on the athlete's status if they are to miss school due to an injury.
Assessment
After the initial injury, an evaluation will be done to determine severity, and coaches will be informed if return to play is possible. Parents will be contacted if the athlete is unable to return to practice or event. An injury report will be made both in writing and in Magnus detailing findings, possible diagnoses, a plan of action and whether or not a referral is recommended.
Referral
If a referral is recommended, a medical referral form will be filled out by ATC and given to the athlete detailing a brief cause of injury. This form can be shown to the physician. In return, a signed physician's clearance note must be submitted to the ATC indicating a return to play/ clearance date, injury diagnosis, and any therapeutic recommendations. A clearance note must be received in order for the athletes to return to practice or games.
Emergency
Any athlete with an injury or illness that requires transport to or treatment in an emergency department must make follow up appointments with their family doctor or appropriate specialist, and be cleared, in writing, by that physician. Emergency Department discharge papers won't be accepted.
Return to Play
Before the athlete can return to play, they must demonstrate that they are capable of performing functional tests (ex: running, jumping, cutting, sport specific movements) without the presence of discomfort or limited range of motion. Depending on the recovery rate, an athlete may have restricted return to play.
If you have any questions regarding procedures or anything else, please don't hesitate to reach out and contact me or stop by the training room.