Sports Medicine Outreach

Our Athletic Trainers at St. Luke’s Health are healthcare professionals who collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and quality of life for both physically active and sedentary patients. As part of our effort to build healthier communities, our Athletic Trainers provide sports medicine outreach services to different schools, organizations, and athletic clubs and teams in our surrounding area.

These services include:

LAT Coverage

LAT coverage refers to having a licensed Athletic Trainer on site for specific events, competitions, or practice sessions. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis, and intervention of emergency, acute, and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations, and disabilities. Some areas of expertise of Athletic Trainers include:

• Applying protective or injury-preventive devices such as tape, bandages, and braces
• Recognizing and evaluating injuries
• Providing first aid or emergency care
• Planning and implementing comprehensive rehabilitation programs to prevent injury and illness among athletes
• Keeping records and writing reports on injuries and treatment programs             

Injury Clinics

Athletes can encounter minor injuries, bumps, and bruises throughout different training sessions and/or competition. St. Luke’s Health offers injury clinics to athletes who become injured in the game. In the injury clinic, Athletic Trainers will be on site or at a predetermined location to evaluate injuries and/or provide minor therapeutic intervention. Athletic Trainers in the injury clinics will assess injuries and offer referrals to the appropriate specialist when needed. Our Athletic Trainers are also available to schedule private injury rehab sessions, injury prevention training, and education on different subjects relating to sports medicine.

Emergency Plans, Protocols, and Education

In the case of a life-threatening medical emergency, the Emergency Action Plan (EAP) will be activated.

• The EAP is specific to each site and is created and practiced to ensure the quickest and most effective response to an emergency by all staff and personnel.
• The Athletic Trainer will work with each site and their staff to:
  • Create the EAP
  • Put in place specific protocols for dealing with different situations
  • Educate every staff member in what their roles/responsibilities are in the event of an emergency

Nutrition Counseling

Nutrition counseling for elite athletes involves body composition testing at our facility and one-on-one sessions with our nutrition coach. In these sessions the nutrition coach can help with:

• Dietary recommendations
• Education on what to eat and when to eat for best performance/recovery
• Provide guidance to fine tune any specific nutrition needs
• Help answer any concerns or questions

Team nutrition counseling and education before the start of training/competitive season can also provide athletes and parents with education regarding hydration, slow food vs. go good, and more.

Over the Phone Medical Triage

Athletic Trainers are available to provide over the phone medical triage to athletes. This service includes:

• Guidance to any athlete that may be in doubt if an injury requires immediate medical attention
• Information and resources for the athlete (or parent) to make that decision
• Patient navigation and assist the athlete (or parent) in ensuring their first visit is to the most appropriate provider

Concussion Management and Return to Play

Our team offers concussion management and return to play guidance for athletes. Through this, our Athletic Trainers will:

• Provide pre-season baseline concussion testing
• Refer to the appropriate physician for diagnosis and participation clearance in case of a concussion or suspected concussion
• Supervise the return to play protocol established by the treating physician