CHICAGO, March 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- March is National Athletic Training Month (NATM), and Athletico Physical Therapy is using the observance as an opportunity to educate parents and youth athletes on the role athletic trainers play in effectively evaluating sports injuries to determine where to go and who to call for the best course of treatment. As accredited and certified professionals with a presence at youth to professional sports, Athletic Trainers (AT) can help make sure youth athletes get the appropriate treatment they need quickly.

With 90 percent of student athletes reporting some kind of sports-related injury in their athletic career¹, it is vital parents understand the correct protocol for when injuries occur. Often parents' first instinct is to run to the emergency room where they wait hours to be seen and leave with an avoidable expensive bill. In fact, 71 percent of all emergency room visits are unnecessary.² Athletic Trainers, whether onsite or clinically, can help determine which injuries can be treated by an athletic trainer, which require a sports medicine physician or which require a trip to an urgent care facility and even a trip to an emergency room.

"Athletic Trainers play an important role in keeping people safe and healthy on the athletic field and often act as first responders to effectively determine the seriousness of a sports injury and direct patients to appropriate medical treatment," said Mark Kaufman, president and founder of Athletico Physical Therapy. "These individuals work tirelessly to educate the public on injury prevention and get athletes back on their feet when they suffer from injuries."

While those suffering from a serious injury should visit an emergency room as soon as possible, Athletico Athletic Trainers help parents and athletes understand the nuances between treatment options when dealing with less severe sports-related injuries:

• Emergency Room: Major trauma or accident, trouble breathing, broken bone, loss of movement and/or severe pain, loss of consciousness
• Urgent Care: Possible broken bones, minor injuries (sprains, cuts, burns), moderate pain that has not improved in 24 hours
• Sports Medicine Physician: Moderate to severe muscle pain, moderate ligament sprains, or concussions
• Athletic Trainer: Minor muscle strains or ligament sprains, muscle and bone contusions, general soreness

In honor of this year's NATM theme, Compassionate Care for All, Athletico's ATs created detailed information to help parents decide the best course of treatment, as well as information on an AT's role in treatment and prevention.

At Athletico, more than 375 athletic trainers work alongside physical therapists to help provide a comprehensive sports medicine support for patients on and off-the-field. Off-the-field patients can address any concerns with a complimentary screening that includes a detailed subjective report of all musculoskeletal complaints and assess movement and strength impairments.

NATM is coordinated in conjunction with the National Athletico Training Association. Athletico has been an active supporter of the National Athletic Training Association since 1991.

About Athletico Physical Therapy

Athletico Physical Therapy provides the highest quality orthopedic rehabilitation services to communities, employers and athletes in over 400 locations throughout eleven states with more than 4500 employees. Athletico is committed to our patients and referring physicians through our patient-centric focus, positive work environment, attention to quality and high standard of care. Athletico measures patient outcomes and satisfaction and is dedicated to continuous improvement. Athletico was named #1 Workplace in Chicago, "Best Physical Therapy Practice in the Nation" by ADVANCE magazine, Top Workplace in the Nation and has been recognized as a leader in employee volunteering and charitable giving.  Our services include physical and occupational/hand therapy, workers' compensation, women's health therapy, concussion management and athletic training. For more information, or to schedule a free injury screening, please visit www.athletico.com and follow us on Twitter at @athletico.

 

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SOURCE Athletico Physical Therapy

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