Sports Medicine Broadcast

Heather Heidel leads the Delaware Athletic Trainers' Association. She has spent half of her career serving on the state association in Delaware. What is your AT Story? When did you get introduced to Athletic Training? During my high school sports career, I was often injured, and the AT became a mentor to me. A surgery in my junior year led to my not playing basketball as a senior. Did an internship as a senior Where did you go to college? UD & Cal U of PA Where was your first job? Tidewater Physical Therapy in Milton, DE How long have you been practicing? 16 yrs When did you get involved with the Delaware Athletic Trainers Association? In my 7th year as a secretary for 4 years The past two years, the president-elect What is a unique aspect of Athletic Training in your state? I know almost all of the ATs in our state We are 1.5 hours from top to bottom What is a big challenge for Athletic Trainers in Delaware? Turnover rate Turnover rate Funding for positions The long-term hires are through the district rather than a clinical outreach. In 2024, you had the Block grant to fund ATs in every school.  Can you talk about that? 2 million dollars annually  It is divided among the public schools based on enrollment and is only allowed to be used for hiring an athletic trainer. We have used a lot of the AT Your Own Risk data to educate lawmakers. If you had to pick another state to live and work in which one would it be and why? Hawaii They mandate ATs, and I love the beach. You're recruiting ATs to work in Delaware…what is your sales pitch? We have a lot of young ATs and a lot of mentors.  We are small and tight-knit Contact Us:

Quick overview of Mind Mirror for those who missed the first podcast. Artificial intelligence is used to give a risk assessment of someone who potentially has a concussion. Correlation is one element used to determine if the patient has a concussion Coming straight in from bright light, which could restrict the pupils, but the correlation should be the same. Light intensity, fatigue, and cold can affect pupils. Taking Nyquil or something that makes you groggy or sluggish will negatively impact the test results. Hit the maximum restriction in one second or less; it should not be three or more seconds. The Athletic Trainer needs to know what is currently going on with the athlete.  Age can also have a very slow response, which is why the app looks at other factors. PLR - healthy score indicates a high probability that the athlete does not have a concussion. A score lower than .8 indicates a high probability that the athlete does have a concussion. Caffeine's effect? Caffeine can constrict the pupils; in Emma's case, her pupils were very constricted due to a possible combination of the caffeine and light restriction.  You can use a light meter to help tell if the pupils are restricted. Mind Mirror's Indoor versus Outdoor differential? Try to do it in a shaded area or inside, and try to do it in an area that does not affect pupils Does it matter if you do the baseline test or the after-incident test? Exact same test, just allows them to segment the data.  Will the administrator be able to see the results in the app? Yes When using the Mind Mirror app it asks test result is normal or not normal before we see the results. Should we be able to see that before? SOAP, what did you observe? Did you observe things in a normal or abnormal state? Are things normal? They will be removed in the next version. Clarify the colors a little more.  One of our results showed .09 and was orange. Color scheme: green, light orange, to red An extremely low score should have shown up in red Will look into why it did not come up as red, yellow ,or orange is trending toward higher risk How is the new prototype with more biomarkers coming along?  Starting development, exposing to customers, they do their observation and send notes back, send observations ,the advance score of the risk probability, the advanced model is now currently being combined into the app Does the environment of the test matter?  It seemed we got different results from indoors vs. outdoors in the shade.  Lighting does matter Is there any more research you would like to do in the future? What do you want to prove?  There are very few studies on female athletes and brain studies, not a lot of info, looking into studies on female rugby, looking at a lot of studies of different ages, not a lot of info on studies  How do you intend to begin selling the product when it is ready? Will it be a monthly service? A one-time fee? Discounts for bulk pricing(multiple accounts)?  A variety of pricing models, the goal is to get it into the hands of as many people as possible Youth leagues and high schools are a bulk price, $5.00 for 1 year or $2.50 for 3 years Could you ever see Mind Mirror being bought out and implemented in one of the other concussion testing systems? Have had conversations with Sway to provide them with an objective measurement.  Healthy Roster, incorporating MindMirror results into the system. The goal is to add sensors to help tell if protective gear should be added, and telehealth  The next model will have biomarkers for risk, age, and other health issues Contact: Mind Mirror - info@mindmirror.health Glenn Bowers - glennb@mindmirror.health Ben Stephenson - https://www.instagram.com/_benstephenson/ Emma Gunnin -  Jeremy - @SportsMedicineBroadcast on IG

Cognitive FX can help your long term concussion sufferers get back to normal daily function. Imagine 8 hours per day for 2 weeks focused on restoring your cognitive function. Explain what Cognitive FX is. Functional MRI FMRI - use the same scanner, the process is different, and the information is different Located in Utah Athletic trainers are integral and 1/15 of the treatment team, a large, multidisciplinary, interconnected team Intense approach to therapy, rather than 1 or 2 appointments, it is an 8-hour appointment for 2 weeks, patients come from all over the world  What role does the Athletic Trainer play in CognitiveFX?   At least 3 ATs on staff. Athletic Trainers have not been easy to find. We have gone to the NATA and other conferences. We need them. CognitiveFX will train the ATs to understand functional MRI and how the brain is connected to the body. Cranial nerves and integration. Use a lot of AT tools with the body mechanism  See patients between 18-40 and they do lots of sports, ex. Skiing, sports, slipping, and falling on ice. They do a lot of specialized training, which is connecting the brain to the body What are you looking for in an Athletic Trainer? Looking for someone that is willing to learn, some right out of school and some 20+ years, someone that is always curious and eager to learn, don't know everything about the brain, cognitive fx is an exciting science, booking for curious and trainable, not focused on experience. Every concussion is not the same What are the statute of limitations…can we “fix” a 4-year-old cognitive deficit from a sports concussion? every one knows 5 people that have had concussions and have lingering symptoms, they are not the same but they look normal so they get ignored, no statute of limitations, have pts from 3 months to 3 decades after injury and still see improvement, younger and closer the better, still have seen huge improvements even decades later I appreciate that the pricing is listed on the website. How often do insurances cover some of the treatments afterwards? Insurance reimbursement is different based on insurance companies, on average, 60-80% coverage depending on your insurance plan. The therphies are ones that people can get everywhere, so no problem with insurance. The scans are when insurance gets iffy, the companies don't understand why we need 4 scans:  2 Brain FMRI and 2 Neck FMRI  Typically, insurance companies don't cover all of the MRI exams, the therapies do get covered The costs are because so much attention is given to the patient for 8 hours a day. 24,700 price for two weeks 13,000 for one week Athletic Trainers stay a long time Insurance isn't timing the therapists, so they can do what they want at the clinic. They can alter plans without having to do insurance approval.  The first clinic was in paternship with Tom Brady and his best friend who is a Trainer, opened TB12 in Foxburrough., treat a lot of professional athletes, everyone gets concussions and they worked with the best of the best athletes, some people seem superhuman because they heal so differently, wants everyone to feel that their brain can change if given the special attention EPIC treatment: is it like a camp where patients stay overnight? Clinic is in utah, people from all over the world, 3 pts from netherlands, 2 from canada, rest from US all over, 2 from utah, 15 pts this week, they are there for 2 solid weeks back to back, this scan is different, using a regular MRI but lying down and doing neuro psy tasks, not looking at structures instead having them do tasks, FMRI picks up changing happening in the brain, that is when they see some parts of the brain are not working well and some are componstating for other parts Each scan looks different, looking at how the brain metabolizes oxygen, intense program built around the patient

Megan Smith joins Emma Gunnin and Kayla Razo to share some advice from a young professional woman in AT to upcoming professional women in Athletic Training. Megan Smith showed my family around the University of Delaware while we were on vacation. Megan, thanks for showing my family around the facilities of the University of Delaware.   It was an absolute pleasure getting to meet virtual friends in real life. What is new with Women in AT? Recent addition of new board members to create new opportunities for work and growing the board.  Rolling out mentorship for members. Wanting engagement and also to answer questions, looking for more opportunities. Possible meet up at NATA and a book club,  Created a book club during COVID to help engage, What Made Maddie Run was recommended to read. We are going to try to find something light for the close of the spring season. Emma is about to graduate and enter the workforce.  What do you wish you knew? Have conversations early about improvement. Ask them to regularly meet with you about how you can improve. Have a growth mindset. I wish I had someone who came to me offering to help and mentor me.  Don't be afraid to ask for help or admit you do not have the answer. Schedule regular meetings with your supervisor. Kayla is in her first year as an MAT student wanting to work in college athletics.  What should she know? Work with smaller groups Develop strong relationships Proactively communicate Take note of the communication style of your coaches to improve the process. How do I deal with an “old school” coach who does not trust a female? Try to have all of the answers ready.   Be open with communication. Make sure you document any sort of misunderstanding.  Think about the long-term goal. Communicate with your supervisor often so you are on the same team and they can help you work through the struggles. How do I transition into being a professional? That grind mentality doesn't go away…unless you are burnt out and looking to leave. Take care of yourself, fill your cup. I enjoy working out through CrossFit Monday-Friday I do a 5-minute journal daily. There is nothing wrong with the grind if it brings you joy and passion. One thing we do at the University of Delaware is a cross-coverage calendar so we can plan around life events.  Do you know what you, as your best self looks like?  Write it down so you know what “center” is for you. Contact: Megan - @MeganSmithATC Emma - @emma_addisong Kayla - @kayla.jean5 Jeremy - @SportsMedicineBroadcast

AT in Colorado is growing, and you can get a little bit of everything there. The Olympic Training Center brings in top-caliber athletes. Jeb Davis shares what he loves about Colorado What is your AT Story? Often-injured high school athlete and went to the physician's office for back pain where I worked one-on-one with an AT in a rehab setting Nancy Condit in Missoula, Montana. We had a GA show up to help with high school basketball, and I learned more about the traditional role of the AT. Went to New Mexico State University   Worked in outpatient clinics in the southwest Went to grad school at the University of Pennsylvania Worked with women's and men's basketball at the University of New Mexico I then became the clinical coordinator at Fort Lewis College, where I worked as the clinical coordinator and program director, as well as outreach for the secondary school. Durango is the best of both worlds: mountains and the desert Outdoor paradise. Jeb also worked as the Athletic Trainer for the Women's Roller Derby team. What is a unique aspect of Athletic Training in your state? Orthopedic Outreach and Residencies are shaping employment for Athletic Trainers in Colorado. What is a big challenge for Athletic Trainers in Colorado? CO is a great AT state A long history of AT and a little bit of everything Secondary University Professional sports Olympic Center We have a strong residency program I feel like our ratio of ATs in ortho clinics is greater than most states Colorado was only recently granted licensure for ATs Maintaining and protecting the licensure is a big part of how we spend our resources. If you had to pick another state to live and work in which one would it be and why? Go back to Big Sky country, where I am from. You're recruiting ATs to work in Colorado…what is your sales pitch? Colorado is a destination state.  Great for the AT that loves the outdoors.  We have a lot of opportunities to grow. Contact Us: Jeremy - SportsMedicineBroadcast.com Jeb Davis- coatapresident@gmail.com

What is your AT Story? Lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico and was a high school student and was seen by the head AT throughout high school George Westbrook became a mentor to me I became a biology premed student and then hit a dead end. Certified in 1980 Have had a great 45-year career Worked at D1, D2 and D3 levels Worked in high school and with the Dallas Cowboys One of the unique things about California is the diversity. So many different settings Started working in a faculty clinic at New Mexico State and finished at Cal State Fullerton 4500 AT in CA I only represent 3000 of those because they are the certified ones What is a unique aspect of Athletic Training in your state? We initiated our first licensure in 1986, but it got vetoed by the governor's office That has happened about 5 times since then. We have our first title protection regulation on the books right now. “You can not say you are an ATC without actually being one.” Our next step is to have all ATs registered and have licensure.   We currently have almost no enforcement other than working with the leadership and showing them the law.  But there is no penalty at this point. We field 4-5 “poser” emails per month to weed out the uncertified ATs in the secondary setting. At about 55% of ATs in secondary school. Diversity -  The state is huge Ureka at the tip of Cali vs the AT in LA are very different. We are committed to DEI efforts Public school and private school Some schools have 3-5 ATs on staff, but down the road the public school has 1 per campus. Many of our ATs work in industrial (Amazon…) and outreach to the high school. You're recruiting ATs to work in California…what is your sales pitch? There are a lot of opportunities.  The jobs being created are properly vetted and often include overtime.  The community of ATs here is amazing. The weather is second to none. Ky Kugler - California ATA - ca-at.org

Keith Shireman leads the Arkansas Athletic Trainers Association and is working on retention What is your AT Story? I learned about AT from a colleague and started noticing motocross needed help. Graduated in 1995 through the internship route I became friends with Lorner Strong and she mentored me through the process My work has all been in the secondary school setting except for the side hustle working with motocross 3rd year at Cabot I was at Bentonville High School for 15 years In Arkansas, your certification qualifies you for licensure.  There is a very small licensing fee. You need a physician statement signing off that you have a license. The AR practice act has not changed since its inception in 1995.  We have met resistance to change from other organizations on changing it. The PT board helped and mentored until ATs got their board established. This created a difficult situation with somewhat a conflict of interest where the PT board was preventing the AT board from advancing the practice of ATs. We had an officer pass away from heat exhaustion at the fire academy and they did not have anyone helping regulate their heat illness   Border states can be a bargaining chip for getting legislature passed. Last year we had 14 MAT students graduate and leave AR and one stay. The population of ATs - 300+ Lots of places to go hiking, mountains, trails outdoors, beautiful seasons, mountain bike trails. What is a big challenge for Athletic Trainers in Arkansas? Practice act is one. Teacher pay was changed to the learns act So everyone was put on the same pay scale. We are meeting with the AT students to encourage them to stay in Arkansas and what are their sticking points. You're recruiting ATs to work in your state…what is your sales pitch? Lots of places to go hiking, mountains, trails outdoors, beautiful seasons, and mountain bike trails. Contact Us: Keith Shireman Jeremy Jackson

Nobody wants to miss a concussion. Mind Mirror uses your cell phone to measure Pupillary Light Reaction or PLR. Glenn Bowers joins Ben Stephenson and Jeremy Jackson to discuss the new concussion tool. Artificial intelligence, mobile computing & pupillary light reflex (PLR) In 2022 Mind Mirror started because I was coaching my kids and missed a concussion with my own son. We saw an opportunity to take AI tech and pupillary light reflex to assess concussion risk within 30 seconds. Is Mindmirror used as an on-field assessment tool or a return-to-play tracking/monitoring system? Both, with the speed of the test and subjectivity taken out of the assessment, it can be a great tool for on-field assessments. It also provides an objective return-to-play measure providing clinicians with the ability to determine safe RTP without bias, subjectivity or dishonesty from patients. One study found that the PLR test isn't affected by exertion or emotions which can't be said about all of subjective tests commonly used for concussion testing.  Mind Mirror doesn't use baseline tests, so how are normative values collected? While baseline testing isn't required it is highly recommended.  Baseline testing for this model is extremely efficient, it only takes 7 seconds for each athlete to be tested and automatically stored in the system. Will be adding a roster system that can link the rosters with Healthy Roster, Rankone and other EMR software.  Could this help prevent lawsuits and protect athletic trainers when returning players with a possible brain injury? Is it lawfully sound? There is no single test to definitively determine if a brain injury has occured, we are more practically used as an objective test to determine if symptoms associated with a brain injury are present.  While most concussion testing is subjective we provide an objective measure.  What biomarkers are we testing? (like Sway tests balance, memory, and movement coordination) what makes the PLR test superior to these existing solutions?   Velocity of constriction Velocity of dilation The system calculates all 14 biomarkers and provides a probability score ranking them into 3 categories green, yellow, and red.  Green is less than 0.3 probability indicating the brain is likely healthy. Yellow is between 0.3 - 0.6 probability which is in the middle and requires further testing.   Red is above 0.6 and indicates there is a high chance that the patient has a concussion.  How was the AI software created? Iris, an old colleague from Italy had a cool idea and I knew that if we could figure out the technology this could be big.  We are already working with the U.S. military, collegiate, and high school settings. Contact Us: Mind Mirror - info@mindmirror.health Glenn Bowers - glennb@mindmirror.health Ben Stephenson - _benstephenson Jeremy - @SportsMedicineBroadcast on IG

What is your AT Story? When did you get introduced to Athletic Training? Where did you go to college? Where was your first job? How long have you been practicing? Typical high school athlete story” Kyle had an ankle injury that was pretty significant, but ended up just walking it off. He later sustained a concussion but kept playing because we didn't have the tools to identify a concussion back then. Kyle talked with a friend who was a football player and one of his friends was an AT student.  That sparked an interest and he began working with Chad Starkey in Ohio He went to WVU for a master's degree.  Part-time he worked with a D3 school and loved getting to work all of the sports. Kyle finally decided he needed to get out of the 3-hour radius he had always lived in. Alabama was the furthest job offer he received from home, so he took that one. What is a unique aspect of Athletic Training in your state? Everything is 3-5 hours away, mountains, beaches, big cities… Spiritually I am free to love others. The people are great. Nobody has a personal agenda, just people looking to do the work. I live by work-life integration so that everything benefits. What is a big challenge for Athletic Trainers in Alabama? Involvement.  They need people to get involved. Alabama had a council of 7 members when Kyle started and now has 17 and most of the positions are full. In 2020 we updated our state practice act and had to redo it in 2021 after COVID We created the advisory council which allows us to have 3 doctors and 3 ATs as the decision-makers. Retention is a big challenge. We have focused our effort on the rural incentive grant to help the 1-3A schools' Athletic Trainers to get up to $7500 working at those smaller schools Alabama is starting a loan reimbursement program for people graduating with an MAT degree who can get $7500 for 5 years. Contact Us Jeremy Jackson Dr. Kyle Southall

Arizona has spring training...if you love the MLB, you should consider working with Lindsey Loughran in Arizona. What is your AT Story? Lindsey Loughrin got injured in high school and had ACL surgery.  She got to meet the Physical Therapist and Athletic Trainer through the injury. Lindsey created a job shadowing program that became the current student athletic training aide program. She attended a small college in Missouri to double major in theater and AT. Lindsey Moved back to Chicago to study for the BOC.  then she got a lot of experience at Northwestern University in Chicago Blessed to receive a GA position at Northern Arizona University she moved down to Arizona She worked with a high school for 7-8 years in Illinois, but when job changes were occurring she looked to get back to Arizona. The incoming Arizona AT Association president was mentored by a NATA HOF member who told me to get involved. Linsey started with the Governmental Affairs Committee, then secretary and VP.  Now she is the incoming President What is a unique aspect of Athletic Training in your state? Working with native American or tribal populations. What is a big challenge for Athletic Trainers in Arizona? 2 years ago we opened our license and have included dry needling for certified people. The next challenge is preparing for new licensure   You're recruiting ATs to work in Arizona…what is your sales pitch? We have a lot of diversity and some great masters programs: secondary school clinical outreaches, university, industrial professional sports We are in a stage of growth Landscape Lots of diversity in environments We are a good bunch of ATs, we help each other grow and stay connected. Contact Us: Lindsey Jeremy

Being an AT in Alaska offers amazing opportunities and challenges, such as moose. Carolynn has served as an AT in Alaska for over twenty years and currently leads the Alaska AT Association. What is your AT Story? Carolyn grew up north of Anchorage and wanted to be an industrial arts teacher. While at the University of Idaho, she took a Care and Prevention of Injuries course. Barrie Steele Graduated through the internship route Carolyn came back for a year in Alaska since my mom was retiring and to figure out my next move. What is a unique aspect of Athletic Training in your state? I love the people, they are generous and super welcoming. Living in Sitka I feel like I live in an amazing bubble. What is a big challenge for Athletic Trainers in Alaska? Being involved is difficult Legislation is always a challenge If you had to pick another state to live and work in which one would it be and why? Probably somewhere like Arizona. You're recruiting ATs to work in Alaska…what is your sales pitch? Pay is competitive Anchorage is like most big cities You get to cover all sports It is a close-knit group of ATs Scenery is unmatched Contact us: Carolyn Black - alaskaata@gmail.comAlaska AT FB - https://www.facebook.com/AlaskaATAssociation Jeremy - @SportsMedicineBroadcast on IG

Student travel is amazing. I regularly talk with high-school-age students who have never left the Greater Houston Area Jeff Hopp has decided to give up his time off during the summer to take students on trips over the summer. How did you get started with student travel? I went on a few trips with my wife as a chaperone since she is a teacher. My role with EF Tours is to recruit kids and build excitement around the trip. We offer it to our students AT Aides, Health Science students IB program. The trips are educational but are mostly about opening people up to travel, culture, and people. Where were you this summer? Summer 24 - Ireland, England, and Paris Where else have you been? January 23 - Training Trip to Belize Summer 23 - Costa Rica Training trips allow you to learn how the trips work. They are fast-paced and go, go, go The tour directors pretty much run everything once it starts. Plane - England - bus - castle - hotel Wake up early and hit another landmark, a sheepdog demonstration, a bog farm… Typically from breakfast at 8 am to dinner you are up and going. Usually a different hotel each night. On our last day in Paris, I walked 12 miles. My training trip was in Belize for 5 days We went to Costa Rica with 25 students January 2023 - Belize (training trip) 2023 - Costa Rica 2024 - Ireland England 2025 - Italy Greece 2026 - Thailand Cambodia What company do you use? EF Tours 1 chaperone travels for free for every 6 kids that pay. With 30 people you get a private tour. Why do you spend your summers with students? These are typically students we would be around all year.  Our trips are not open campus-wide.  Students have become accustomed to the trips.  The kids come into the year looking forward to the opportunity. Pros and cons of student travel? We took phones away at dinner and then the kids opened up.  They got noisy at dinner because they were talking to each other, bonding, and creating memories. As an Athletic Trainer you might have summer duties, so traveling with students could eat into the few weeks you have at home. My wife was gone for 10 days and she got back at the same time I was leaving for my trip.  We missed half of the summer together. Get started on your student travels: https://forms.gle/TjWqkh923cumhYVL8

AI Motion Capture can be a game-changer for orthopedics. Dr. Adam Whitman of Medbridge discusses how we can benefit and what we have to be careful of when using AI Motion Capture. Everything has AI now, what does motion capture with AI mean? AI has been around since the internet started. As hardware improves so can the calculations the computers can do. Self-driving cars example - cows falling from abridge…what would you do vs what would a computer do? AI does really well in processing huge amounts of data rapidly and consistently. The physics problems in movement patterns allow for AI to be used for growth and improvement. The machine has to be fed. ROM is easy to capture and accurately measure. The computer is limited in cases like spinal movement. Theoretical AI Motion Capture concepts Look at the FMS - they are built to be read against functional norms.  It has been confirmed against many hundreds of thousands of instances. We are looking for the potential for injury. Think about scapular winging…it is like building a house on a concrete foundation vs building on a swamp…which one is built to last. Some algorithms are being fed based on info so they begin looking for biased outcomes. One AI model determining which patients should be prioritized from an insurance standpoint became racist because it was being fed biased information. The algorithmic process can remove the bias when it is fed comprehensive data. ChatGPT is now its own prompt engineer that allows you to ask average questions and get really good answers. I look forward to when we can feed the movement into the machine and let it run its analysis without our input. Think about re-captcha…computers are still bad at identifying objects in pictures.  Humans are still needed. Your movement analysis is your movement fingerprint. That can become a movement profile with each new recording. What does that look like for the Athletic Trainer? Emphasis on prevention of injury to the athlete as opposed to reaction-based interventions - reduce the likelihood of an ankle sprain or ACL tear by catching fault movement patterns before the injury occurs Contact Us: Dr. Adam Whitman - adam.whitman@medbridge.com Jeremy Jackson - @SportsMedicineBroadcast on IG

Digital Health is revolutionizing healthcare. Adam Whitman, now with Medbridge, was a practicing clinician for 12 years including running a concierge PT service for NFL athletes. Adapting to Emerging Tech (listen to my recent recording with Casey and Kim) I have my hands in most aspects of the company More recently I have been focused on improvement in remote care possibilities. Demand for healthcare is growing More and more providers are getting burned out and leaving the profession Are you trying to take my job? All of our movement assessment uses AI AI has greatly improved since the beginning of the internet…but it's still a tool for you to do your job. With billable hours telehealth was a real problem. What led to the burnout? Documentation Lack of income But it was honestly the patients People want the provider to fix them without their participation High school application of Digital Health Skills HEPs are the simplest way to meet them where they are…on their phones Digital video to demo the exercises. Coming soon is a digital self-motion analysis that helps you know when to correct the exercise The AI helps us understand the acceptable level of adaptation The digital tool also gives us the opportunity for outcome measure data collection  With some AI models, the exercises can automatically adjust to tailor to the needs of the patient based on the motion capture The Non-Clinical PT What do you bring to the table? Do you understand what it takes to build? Can you make an app invisible? You have to address the fundamental problem the person presented you with. It is a tool Break your habits Stop printing papers Digital prescriptions meet them where they are. Data is far greater than an individual can

Emerging Concussion tech can be big business. Casey and Kim join the podcast to discuss some of the new tools and trends for Sports Medicine professionals managing concussions. What has gone away? Clear edge test New Concussion Tech: What is new? EyeBox - you put your chin on a chin rest and then track the marker in the EyeBox Wavi - EEG Mind Mirror - uses a front-facing camera and focuses on pupilometry  Mouthguards -  What is new with SWAY? We stay up to date with the consensus statements.  We updated our documents from SCAT 5 to SCAT 6 Our tests mirror what is going on with the common research We listen to our customers and now have it in English, Spanish and French. We added the sleep survey PHQ9 EMR integrations are a big thing for us. Shortened the test if results were consistent Helmets detect concussions real-time:  What is your time-to-treatment? How long does it take from injury to the time the injury is being treated by a specialized professional? Contact Us: Kim Wyand - kim.wyand@Swaymedical.com Casey Paulk - casey.paulk@swaymedical.com Jeremy Jackson - Sports Medicine Broadcast on IG

Casey and Kim share Emerging Technology in Sports Medicine Emerging Tech in Sports Medicine Rehab Xothrm smart pad Blazepods  Firefly recovery Healthy roster, RankOne and EMRs GameReady BFR Owens/Delfi, SujiBFR Virtual Reality Sidelines Sway Medical App  Avive Perry weather Emerging tech for At Home Medbrige Evaluation InFlow Hydration monitor Spark Motion Dartfish Sway Medical App Force plates Mind Mirror Contact Us: Casey Paulk Kim Wyand Jeremy Jackson

Working definition: Athletic dry needling vs non-athletic dry needling. There is not a difference between the wording.  We aim to take and make dry needling practical and easy to use. We filmed professional-quality videos that are included in the course. What got you started in Dry Needling? I took 12 CEUs per year for 10 years What is your favorite application? The cervical seems to give the biggest outcomes I love when people are stumped or out of options and willing to try anything Weirdest needle Needling has a systemic effect Pelvic floor dry needling There are a lot of barriers to entry for the secondary school AT.   How do you walk through those? Get the waiver specific to dry needling. Use a lot less needles Include stim and needles to reduce the number of needles needed. Typically I use 16 -20 needles Young kids, I use less than 10. If someone is scared of needles, can they do this course? We get this often. I try to get them to try a few and see We have only had one person no-show on the next day due to the fear of needles When would you apply E-stim to needling? Allows you to dose needling - essentially make it more or less intense. Best used for pain mitigation If they are hesitant Find out their objections You can have anything in the world you want if you help enough people get what they want. - Zig Zigler Call to action: use SportsMedicineBroadcast.com/DryNeedling for your exclusive discount Contact Us Scott Dixon - AthleticDryNeedling@gmail.com Scott - 904-853-1921 Jeremy Jackson -

Mark, where are you from and how did you get into Athletic Training? A family friend owned the Milwaukee Bucks We used to landscape his yard. I was a sophomore or junior in high school and got connected with the Bucks AT. Went through the Internship route Worked Minor league baseball with the Brewers Started working with Bellin Health after my internship Passed on a low A ball job and stayed with Bellin Tell some of your family origin story…did you have kids, tried but couldn't, chose to not do natural childbirth… Been married since 2010 One month before our wedding my wife-to-be ran a marathon and collapsed most of the way through. 2 months into our marriage she did a tilt table test and learned she had low blood pressure. 2011 convention in New Orleans and she was still running She had a cardiac incident while in the pool…as in she actually died. She ended up needing an internal defibrillator. Talk about your adoption journey. We were trying to have kids, but the heart meds were possibly affecting her. We started using IVF and failed once, tried again and then my dad fell and broke his femur.  Then we learned that it failed again. It was heart breaking. Then my dad passed away the next week. Most of the football season was a blur due to all of the family trauma. My wife took the lead in looking into adoption. We did not know if we wanted local, foreign, foster care, straight adopt. We connected with adopt help out of California and a social work back here. Once people know, the stories started coming out of the woodworks.  Lots of people I knew were affected by adoption in one way or another. April 1st, 2014 we went live with our adoption.  Which was coincidentally our birth mom's birthday. What conversations have you had with other ATs about the choice to adopt? Our adoption is open. We get lots of friends asking us to speak to friends in family in similar situations. Our son knows he has a birth mother and a mom and dad here. Contact Mark: IG, Twitter Jeremy - SportsMedicineBroadcast on IG

Mitigating Secondary Loss is something that hits home for me. Bubba Wilson has taken his role with ATsCare to another level. We recap the summer and one of the best CEU talks I have ever heard. Where has AT taken you? JJ:  Thibodeaux, LA Dallas, Texas Arlington Fort Davis South Padre Lansing Michigan Hot Springs Las Vegas New Orleans San Antonio JJ Road trip 5 weeks One van 7 people Chad from Candid AT Michigan AT Society Meeting Meeting Cookie Tuesday in Detroit Megan Smith at the University of Delaware. Favorite tourist thing:  Niagara Falls Least favorite tourist thing Statue of Liberty Bubba All this travel means you need to have your stuff in order… I teach and followed the DaveRamsey plan to get out of debt, budget, and have my financial house in order Talk about secondary loss Nok box I Am Dead, Now What Bubba's Quick Start Guide Video from Trinity Sports Medicine Update Call to action: Contact: Bubba Wilson -@ATCLATBubba - on X Jeremy - @MrJeremyJackson on socials

LEADS Academy was created to build foundational leadership and empower the next generation of leaders in the Michigan Athletic Trainers Society. Jacob Ortega-Schultz and Courtney Lewis join me live at MATS 2024. LEADS Leadership Excellence and Development Series MATS Leadership

Brian Parker spoke for an hour at the Michigan Athletic Trainers Society annual meeting. Energy drinks, stimulants, drugs and the need to educate athletes. Taylor took anabolic steroids to get bigger faster stronger.  He quit cold turkey and that lead him to depression and he chose to take his life. Brian speaks at a lot of regional meetings and would love to come share Taylor story with your group. 3 questions to ask: 1. Contains banned substances? 2. Am I using it properly?  3. Is it necessary?  Just one energy drink can hurt your blood vessel function.  ALL ME podcast

Professional Boundaries ebook from Dr. Sadie Adado and the ATvantage. Dr. Adado, what are some professional boundaries you have put in place? Scheduling (personal and professional time blocks for zone of Genius) “Self-care” (exercise, meals, meditation, yoga, reading, walking, family/friends) Quality improvement project on how I spent my time. Why did these need to be established? As a young professional, I hadn't yet learned what I needed. It took a lot of self-awareness and reflection to understand my own needs so that I could practice putting boundaries in place.  Walk us through some of these Professional Boundaries conversations. Self-awareness is a journey. It doesn't end, it's continual and ever-changing.  Tuning into self in each moment will help to outline needs that can be met.  It is your ownership of that, responsibility that matters. Take action for yourself, no one else will.  What are some of the boundaries you see other Athletic Trainers needing help with? I hear ATs talk about being taken advantage of, lowest paid, constantly overworked, etc. The story feels redundant at this point. I wish more ATs felt empowered to change their own script. If you're burnt out, who has the power to change that? Stop pointing fingers at the system and start being an agent of change.  Establishing boundaries helps create life balance.  What does life balance look like for you currently? For me right now, I love my work but it's definitely not what I spend most of my time or energy on. Some might scoff at that, but truly it's been a process of shifting the scales so that I came first. My body, my mental health, my spirit, and then my family friends pets.. it took a lot of practice and still does (every day) of ensuring that my cup is full so I can give.  I love Financial Peace University and we are debt-free including the house.  How do you think finances play into life balance? I also love the messages about financial peace. Finances play a big role in this balance.  It can be tough… I was an AT with a Masters salaried working 60+ hrs a week and paid under $40k. I had 3 job offers in the same week and that was the highest… needless to say I lived paycheck to paycheck for a long time, feeling totally stuck. Eventually, I moved to working 5-6 jobs at any time to get “unstuck” but then found myself burnt out. I'm sure this story is familiar. I decided to put energy into one place. For me, that was starting my small business. This created freedom of my time which is actually the most valuable. Long story short, this journey brought me to where I am now. And I still have multiple sources of income but it's much more harmonious.  I think for ATs the balance of life and work does revolve a lot around money. I think we need to talk about it more often. We need to justify and prove our worth not just “say” it. Contact Us: Dr. Sadie Adado

IMG Academy offers opportunities for Athletic Trainers different from most secondary settings. Kaitlyn Deshaies and Jared White share what life is like at IMG. Kaitlyn, how did you get into Athletic Training, and what led you to IMG? I was an injured athlete in high school. I met an AT while traveling with the team and knew Athletic Training was what I was meant to do. Jared, How did you get into Athletic Training Planned to go to med school and do orthopedics because I loved being in and around sports. A random guy was sitting behind our bench with a little black bag and I started asking questions about him and what he did. I had zero previous experience with Athletic Trainers. Went to Anderson State University then transferred back to middle Tennessee State Worked with Vanderbilt GA at Auburn Season intern with the KC Chiefs Became the head AT for the KC Brigade Arena football Became head AT in Nashville at a D2 school for about 7 years. At the interview, I loved the IMG academy environment and leadership. The academy has a boarding school with the traditional student life. We do not have tryouts, but we have 12 support teams for the one baseball director. We also have campers throughout the year. Many pro teams use our campus as an off-season host site. We are a for-profit business. We have a very diverse population of TV Stars, a 10-year-old tennis player who is the son of an Abu Dhabi prince, professional athletes, and working-class athletes. Wayne said there are a lot of unique growth opportunities for an AT at IMG.  Can you explain? You may have a camper here for a week or a student with a torn ACL. Our ATs have a lot of physician interaction and see a lot of injuries. Both Kaitlyn and Jared have been forced to grow. As a for-profit business, we have to help the company make money. Personal and professional growth. We are focused on customer experience. Our staff has to understand the ins and outs of the business. We are housed in a building that houses strength coaches, nutritionists, mental health specialists, leadership and character development, and sports science and data analytics. We get to work with a lot of sponsors like Gatorade or Under Armor. IMG Academy's summer hires are looking for a staffer who can be part of our team in the future.   A good candidate needs to be a part of the team and do the same tasks as the full-time staff. You do need to be an LAT to work in Florida. We started the growth summit where we host an entire week of education for our AT staff. How to read imaging Dermatology issues Suji BFR will host a course Emergency Med situations CPR AED, Emergency transport ROM and measurement education Where have some of the ATs who left IMG gone to? Some have gone home and had a family, and some have springboarded into their dream jobs. We have alumni in almost all aspects of athletic training. Clinical, hospital, LPGA, NFL How does IMG Academy provide life balance? We have 23 athletic trainers now and hire 7 during the summer camp season. We do not have a “hard” PTO schedule.  If you can swap with someone to attend to a personal event then do it. We only have 9 sports and have multiple ATs working baseball but have 200 baseball players. Contact Us: Jeremy Jackson - THE SMB on IG Kaitlyn - Kaitlyn.deshaies@imgacademy.com Jared - Jared.White@imgacademy.com

Stephanie Greeson is going back to school after age 50 to earn her BOC. She has been an LAT since graduating college.

Wet Bulb Globe Temperature is the standard for protecting from heat illness which is 100% preventable in athletics. Tom Woods discusses where we are as a state in adopting it. What is the ATLAS ambassador? What changes would you make to protocols in Texas? WBGT takes in several more important factors than Heat Index Don't forget about band, dance, cheer in your WBGT needs What is the next major tech advancement you would like to see? Switching to WBGT and becoming a mandate rather than a recommendation. NFHS covers 48 states..but not TEXAS Will heat illness training become a required training?

Turf Toe is ever-changing. Dr. Paul Shupe and Joseph Eberhardt discuss some of the facts and history of turf toe at the Memorial Hermann sports medicine update. What can I do to benefit my athlete since turf is here to stay? Making sure the field is well maintained, and proper personal protective equipment is significantly important. A lot of football players like to wear narrow cleats which can contribute to lower extremity injuries based on the cleat pattern, length, and width of the shoe. The time of day we practice is important as well.  Is there any data or research done about laces and appropriately tying the shoe with appropriate arch support? Great question, I'd have to look into that. I'm sure there are studies - I didn't delve into that. These are very important questions, I think that core strengthening is a very pertinent point as well.  You spoke about an increase in PCL injuries. From my education, the mechanism of injury for PCL is that dashboard injury, coming from direct force on the anterior tibia. Is there any research, or from your background and knowledge, why is it that we're seeing more prominence from that mechanism on that turf? When it's not a dashboard injury, the common mechanism is that you onto your knee bent at 90 degrees, your toe has interacted and your cleat is stuck in the turf so it's not giving away. Your foot is in this dorsiflexed position and you land on that knee with all of the force going back through, as opposed to if the shoe gives out allowing you to land on less of a 90-degree angle.  Is there any correlation to gastrocnemius weakness regarding those Turf Toe injuries? I think that's a valid argument, I don't have enough science or background to say but I do think that would be an interesting thing to study.  We talked about the history of turf in your presentation, would you say we've moved in a safer direction? Are we moving to a safer surface? I think we are, I think we're moving to a safer surface for our lower-level athletes. I think our higher-level athletes have different muscle builds and different muscle types that may lead to some of those injury at a higher level. I do think the technology that's going into it is moving towards a safer playing surface, I don't think there's much we can do about the heat and some of the other things, and they are looking into that. I think we are moving there, the important thing here is that turf isn't going away, I don't think that we'll ever go back to grass. With technology moving forward, I do think it's becoming safer. I don't think it'll ever be 100% safe but with education, and proper maintenance, I think we can make it as safe as we can.  You mentioned the coconut or the cork, those things are natural materials that would rot, and putting turf in is a lengthy and expensive process. How does it make sense for a high school field to put something that might rot underneath there? So part of it is just the turnover of it, so it's got to be properly maintained. So when we use the proper equipment and the proper rakes just to shift it around that's a valid question, especially in a wet and humid environment like it is here. It's not being used a ton yet, and I think that's yet to come. We may determine years from now that it's a bad idea. Rice uses wood instead of rubber on their field, I found that interesting when we played there last year.  Did you notice any difference? Thinking back, I think your point about feet being sore on these fields; is a major problem. Your feet hurt at the end of the day on the rubber. There's less of that impact. We did have in our Rice game, but I don't think it makes a difference in injury, we had an ankle fracture that game, we had a significant hamstring rupture, and a couple of other things so I don't think it makes a difference as far as the interaction of the cleat but it may make it as far as the softness. 

EMRs are like most things, it is not one size fits all. When looking for a solution for records management Will Ryan wanted to share his search results with all ATs. Discussion topics:  Searching for EMR How to obtain EMR How to Familiarize yourself with EMR Communications with EMR Companies What has been your process for searching for an EMR? Identifying limiting factors like cost. Sportsware and AT Genius are cheaper options. Barriers to documentation - time, limited resources, uncertainty of what to document. NATA has created guidelines regarding methods of documentation. Consider the legal aspect of documentation. How do you approach your school about obtaining an EMR? Build value in the documentation. Explain how EMR protects patients, coaches, and healthcare providers; and keeps everything secure. Convenient place to store all UIL-required documentation. What is the best way to familiarize yourself with EMR's? CAATE standards have now included EMR's.  Pearland ISD uses Rank One - signs in upon entry and documents almost everything. We introduce our MAT program students to Rank One and have them document all patient interactions.  Did companies offer demos of their EMR systems during your search? Rank One, Healthy Roster, Healthy Monitoring, Sportsware, AT Genius. All provided demos, and were very open and helpful. The creator of AT Genius took the time to meet with me.  Collecting some data is better than none, do what you can.  Use documentation to show the dollar value of your care and how much money you save parents by providing care.  Christina Instagram: Cmfry16 Sydney Instagram: sydneyhayes95

Combat Sports Medicine seems like an extreme environment to practice Athletic Training. Dr. Ethan Kreiswirth created Blackbelt Sports Medicine to provide Athletic Trainer care for combat sports athletes. You are always posting gnarly pictures and videos on IG. What gives you pause or catches you off guard? As an Athletic Trainer, I started covering tournaments around 1997. Personal experience in the sport helps me understand the types of injuries that occur. Tournaments now are 40 mats over 6 days Dislocations, unconscious used to give me pause. Now it is just running a company. Or working youth tournaments, those are always difficult for me. Does Blackbelt Sports Medicine have tournaments across the United States? Yes, we work with the BJJ organizations to help provide medical care for combat sports. A new AT is going to work in combat sports medicine.  How do you prep them? Gloves, gauze, skin lube, and nose plugs. An Athletic Trainer working with Black Belt Sports Medicine could almost get away with just bringing their fanny pack, like the Nexus Deadbug There is almost no taping done, maybe some finger taping. You do a good bit of suturing…discuss that as an AT.  Many of these BJJ athletes are from out of state or another country. Suturing on the sidelines helps them out tremendously. I have done about 10 sutures so far. There is a lot of practice involved with the practice kits. Not being licensed gives me more freedom to practice the emerging skills. We take a table behind the scenes and do the standard prep work.  We also instruct them to follow up with their HCP. The larger tournaments have an overseeing physician onsite as well. Sign up for a tournament and see if Combat Sports Medicine is for you. Contact: Dr. Kreiswirth - https://www.facebook.com/Blackbeltsportsmedicine/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.kreiswirth/ Jeremy - https://www.instagram.com/sportsmedicinebroadcast/ Resources: Pub med research

Bubba Wilson discusses Crisis Behavior or Crisis Etiquette live from the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Update. He has been leading D6 in ATsCare since its inception and has learned a lot over the years. Discussion topics:  AT Cares Crisis Management CCISM Credential COVID Impact on AT Cares Program NATA Gather Program Mitigating Secondary Loss Did crisis management help you be prepared for being inducted into the SWATA Hall of Fame? AT Cares drove me there. CCISM credential: Certified Critical Incident Stress Management - Level 1 deals with individuals in crisis, the majority of AT Cares population. Level 2 deals with groups in crisis.  Began Crisis Management training in 2019.  AT's managing grief: Grief comes in at a later time, ATs have to finish the game/event after a critical injury/event. AT Cares reaches out once notified to ensure assistance is provided where needed NATA Gather Program Integration: Young professionals can use NATA's gather program to find mentors.  Crisis on campus - what is the best method to find that definite grief to counsel them? Don't counsel them. Listen. Refer out.  Soapbox Warning - What is step 1 in managing the secondary loss of loved ones? Have affairs in order. Have a will, have life insurance. Have your burial wishes written down. Have the conversation. Have a list of your account usernames and passwords. Know how many death certificates you may need. Legal Zoom is a good resource. Make sure you constantly update your affairs. The primary loss will be exacerbated if we don't handle our affairs.  Currently working on a presentation with AT Cares members regarding their experiences with loss and what they've learned along the way. Thanks, Sydney Hayes for creating the Crisis Behavior show notes

Practical Preceptor Tips from Christina Fry at Dawson High School in Pearland, Texas. They do an amazing job with the Sports Medicine staff, their student aides, and as preceptors for the University of Houston MAT program. Discussion topics:  Advancing students in the profession Preparing students  Outfitting students Providing learning opportunities  Scheduling What to avoid Practical Preceptor Tips How long have you been a preceptor? 7 years.  Can you share some of the things you have done to help master's students be involved and advance in the profession? We treat the masters' students as an extension of our staff, we want them to be respected in our ATR just like us. We have our high school students refer to them as Mr/Ms/Mrs. We interview them to make them feel that they are in a professional setting. My assistant, Thomas, likes to ask them “What did you learn today?”. We outfit them, invite them to our pregame meals, we make sure that they feel respected. We make sure that every day they learn something new. You interview them for the position, but they're already assigned there? Correct. We ask them to submit a resume, and for a lot of them this is their first job “interview” and ask them interview-like questions and ask them to submit a cover letter. We then give them critiques so they can start working and build that resume so that when they are done with their program they can apply and be successful for their interviews for their actual job.  Do you do that just once, or every week, every 3 weeks, etc? So our level 2's are with us all year long, we make sure we give them monthly updates. Our level 2 this past year wanted an update every day, every week, so we always were helping her and growing her, anytime there was a hiccup or something she was unsure of, we gave her that reassurance and feedback. For the level 1's, it takes a while to get into that comfort zone, but we always try to give them feedback when we notice something, good or bad.  You talked about outfitting them to make them feel welcome, do we give them the ones that say athletic trainer, or the ones that the students wear, do they keep them; what does that look like for you? So it varies, level 2 vs level 1. Level 2's we'll give them the game day polo for the year, and require them to look professional when they come into the ATR. Our students will wear Nike shorts and a T-shirt. We ask that our UH students either wear something UH to differentiate them or they wear a polo with either nicer shorts or nicer slacks, with their UH ID badge. And that way it identifies them as an adult and not a student. More Practical Preceptor Tips: Include them in almost everything! So for GHATS, we made a fun t-shirt for the t-shirt contest, and we had a team-building activity of tie-dying the shirts. We invited our UH students to join in since they went with us to GHATS, and they were allowed to wear that shirt as a fun GHATS representation. For our level 1's, if there's an event going on during the time that they are with us we'll give them one of the students' shirts, but for the most part, we'll give them our practice shirt for the year that they can wear to Saturday treatments, etc. One of the things I'm trying to still work out is scheduling, how do you balance that out and hold them accountable while keeping in mind that they're college students? You and I have the luxury of working in a high school setting, so we automatically have Sundays off, that is the one day a week they have off because they are required to have at least one day off within a 7-day span. So we keep that in mind. We use something called “Homebase” which is a scheduling app, where our students, ourselves, and our UH kids can submit their days off requests, so we honor that. We always remember that they are students first, so they can communicate with us if they have a big test coming ...

Neuro 20 looks like a wet suit with electrodes for E-Stim built in. That is partially true, the materials a spandex or Dri-fit type material, and Wayne and Michael share a lot more on the Sports Medicine Broadcast. Give me the big picture. Background and origin of the idea. -Founder DJ Schmitt was injured during service and wanted to find a way to get healthy without taking so much medication.  He used his electrical engineering degree to develop the first Neuro20 suit. The suit is made up of a compression material(spandex). Establish firing rates for healthy individuals and be able to choose for the AT/PT to know which one to use. Where does the name Neuro20 come from? 20 large electrodes placed strategically to engage the maximum amount of motor neurons. Who is using it right now in sports? NHL  Olympic Athletes  NFL D1 Athletes What are the most common applications of neuro20? Prehab Rehab Active recovery Motor education Accessibility for the Athletic Trainer? At the moment it is not accessible to the high school population because of privacy issues. College-level or professional level Can you set them up and “walk away?” Patients can be set up and allowed to complete a workout session on their own. One of our pro sports athletes uses it after games while on the plane for recovery. Can I use Neuro20 with my high school athletes? It is FDA-cleared for adult patients.  Some youth patients have used it with waivers and clearance from their doctors but that is not the target population. Contact Us: Wayne Smith - wsmith@neuro20.com

Sudden Cardiac arrest in sports with Travis Turner at the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Update. Randy and Sandy Harris from the ATCorner Podcast ask all the hard questions.

SUJI Blood Flow Restriction or BFR is changing the game with its AI-powered app. Dr. Michael MacPherson joins me and Lisette Guerrero to learn more about our new gear. What is your 10-second sales pitch for Suji BFR? A portable, affordable, and easy-to-use gold standard, AI-powered BFR technology The affordability of the device is one reason we chose to add Suji BFR.  Discuss current pricing. Suji has found the middle ground. We are data-driven for incredible accuracy at an affordable price, never before seen in the BFR space.  Let's get into the app, it is one of the big differences from the Delphi unit we have. Our AI-powered app automatically calculates LOP for the clinician and then saves that data to a patient/athlete profile, saving at least 3-5 minutes every BFR session. The AI-powered calibration process is also incredibly robust.  All patient/athlete data is stored in a HIPAA-compliant cloud that lives in your institution. A Suji institution is your team or clinic where all your Data lives. Only you have access to it as the administrator. With Suji, you only have to calibrate as often as you deem necessary.  Discuss the continuous monitoring vs the detachable hose. With Suji Pro and its real-time pressure adjustments, you won't need to attach the hose to adjust the pressure within the cuff. With Suji Pro, you'll be able to adjust the pressure on the pump in real time. Suji BFR Pro - what should we expect? Suji Pro is Lighter, Smaller, and Hoseless. Our users are passionate about our portability and our customizable in-app recovery sessions so we've made advancements in both areas. Our users also expressed the desire for real-time pressure control without attaching hoses and a pump, so you can expect greater control with Suji Pro without breaking the bank. Contact Us:

Backboarding the injured athlete is an ever-evolving skill. Dr. Matt Camarillo discusses it live at the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Update How common are spinal cord injuries? -9-10% of injuries are spinal. About 12,000 nationally. Looking at physicals I have a couple of athletes with previous spinal cord injuries. What are some of the things that I should be more aware of when taking care of these athletes?  -Usually due to trauma or born with cervical stenosis.  -Should have a spine surgeon associated with the athletic population We talk about spinal cord injuries, and the first thing we think about is football. We think that it is equipment-heavy and collision-based and talk about equipment removal for that. But what is the instance in other sports? -Happens in lacrosse, gymnastics, hockey, soccer, baseball, and basketball. -Helmet and shoulder pads keep them in alignment then leave it on.  -If only a helmet probably needs to come off.  These spinal cord injuries, I believe you mentioned there are about 12,000 injuries per year. Are these spinal injuries with awareness in education are we increasing these or decreasing these? -Since 1975 they have gone down.  -A lot of spinal injuries come from automobile accidents.  Is there a reason for that? -Awareness, and if it goes away the numbers will go up again.  Moving back into narrowing down into more of an athletic training setting when working with sport athletes for example what would be our initial assessment and what would be some red flags to actually move the person onto a spine board? -Big trauma like a head-on hit you want to be careful.  -Clinical judgment. -numbness bilaterally  The athlete just has a lot of pain.  -Trust your gut So once you decide to stabilize someone, I know you talked about two methods to stabilize, but what is your preferred method? -6 man lift -If you don't have enough hands, nobody will fault you for doing a log roll.  When is it appropriate to move the neck into neutral? -It is always ok as long as you do the head or trap squeeze. -You want to make sure you have access to the airway.  Can you talk a little bit about the difference between a head or trap squeeze? - head squeeze is more about putting you hands around the athletes head or helmet -trap squeeze where you are putting your thumbs and finger around someone's traps and gives you more stability because you also have to add in the fatigue factor.  -Trap squeeze is more stable Be aware that clothing could cause you to slip while holding a helmet. I think it comes down to practice and figuring out how everything works. Because once you get it down, then when all that emotion going, if you practice over and over again it just becomes a routine.  What are some tips you have for someone who is working with an equipment-intensive sport, like hockey, that they are not familiar with the equipment? -Practice -Use equipment managers to become familiar with equipment.  What does it look like once they are at the hospital? -equipment removal and go into a cervical collar.  -Then straight to a CT scan is #1.  -Transport to a level 1 hospital because you don't want to have to move to multiple locations.  Can you talk about differences between places that have stopped using spine boarding techniques like in motorcycle accidents? -Two different mechanisms and two different thoughts. -Make sure everyone is on the same page -You can always ask to talk to a supervisor because these are generally big EMS areas and you can't control what everyone does.  Can you talk about the order you take the piece off of the helmet? -Side pieces off first. Allows to flip and gives access to the airway CPR with shoulder pads. With a spinal cord injury and you are having to do CPR and you are removing the equipment, you would leave the shoulder pads in place as long as you...

Protect3D joins medicine and technology to help Athletes return to the sport safer and maybe faster. Kevin Gehsmann joins me to share their story and how Athletic Trainers can get their athletes braced. Where did the idea come from? Engineering student Liked 3D printing Daniel Jones, the quarterback at Duke, went down with a clavicle fracture. They decided their engineering project would help Daniel and other elite athletes needing protection. Customized for his unique needs and ROM What has been the most difficult hurdle for Protect3d? In the early days, we were recognized by the NFL and won $50,000 and Superbowl tickets. The pandemic caused a lot of challenges. Every device we make has a positive impact on the athlete and their performance Share a success story you enjoy. Clavicle pads reduce the risk of re-injury and increase the confidence of the player and health care team. It is also the original pad or brace that birthed the idea. Outside of your own clinics where have you had doctors adapting this style of bracing? We started with elite athletes and have worked with orthopedic surgeons and athletic trainers. An ankle/foot orthotic is a new brace to help with foot drop. We had a D1 athlete participate in games with a Protect3D brace for foot drop.  What do you see as a hurdle for secondary setting adoption of Protect3d braces? The cost of the product is one hurdle. Setting up a system for billing on demand can be an obstacle as well. Are these braces something that could be printed on your everyday, at-home printer? Due to the material, printer, and the need to control different variables as a medical device, they are not currently printed at home devices. There may be options in the future as we grow and develop. Want to test out Protect3D? Have an athlete needing a brace? Willing to give me your honest feedback on the podcast? Send me an email and maybe follow it up with a social media post. Give me the story (protect patient privacy) If it works out then we will collaborate to get you a custom 3D-printed brace for your athlete. Contact Protect3D

How common are facial injuries occurring? -20-40% involve face It could just involve something as simple as a slap in the face. On-field assessment allows you to hone in on a specific injury.  Where does your mind go during the initial assessment for a facial injury? What are you looking for? -1st talking and airway  Ecchymosis is present, when should you refer? -Racoon eyes (both eyes) - vasal or skull fracture possibility -Battle sign - ecchymosis behind the ear. Basal or skull fracture possible. Skull fractures is surgery common or just monitor? -CT to check the brain and for fracture -not all require surgery Mandibular fractures. Are we looking at surgery? -Depends on the type of fracture. Not displaced can monitor and have on a soft food diet.  -High protein foods for high-level athletes so they can still get nutrients Healing time during a mandible fracture, what are they allowed to do? -As tolerated -Lift, light exercise -nothing stressful that they clench their jaw. Difference between RTP. What are you looking for, for an athlete returning to play in a contact sport? -Depends on sport and position.  -2-3 months, but it depends on how the athlete is healing and what their position entails.  Regulations in rugby. They aren't allowed to wear certain masks? -Protective gear cannot be a hard shell.  -Lots of pads and tape. -Can have a mouth guard. TMJ dislocation. What is the relocation process? -Usually down and out. Put posterior pressure and push back in.  -Wear gloves and roll gauze on your thumbs since you have to push on the bottom teeth.  -Relocated the TMJ, but chose to not let him back in the game.  Follow up for TMJ dislocation? -Follow up with them.  -Ask about symptoms, can lead to who they need to be sent to.  -Typically if it is back in and they are good, you can watch them. Maxillary fracture. Seen one clinically? -Common from motor vehicle injuries -Never seen one from sport.  -Could maybe see one from a combat sport. Splint a lefort fracture. -Bartans split technique. Key signs of a zygomatic fracture? -Big swelling over cheek bone -Dent in the cheek bone Nasal fracture, when can you get them back to sport? -Depends on sport/position -usually 4-6 weeks -Need to be pain free and breathe ok.  Mask wearing can be just to be for the athlete to have comfort and prevent another injury.  Fix nasal bone once done with sports. Nasal bleeds. At what point should you call EMS if you cannot control a nosebleed? -Symptoms of lightheadedness or dizziness. Headache or nauseous Manage a nosebleed if someone is dizzy? -Tilt and pinch. Try sitting, not just lying down.  Orbital injuries Eyelid injuries - refer to an ophthalmologist. ER have on call? -Have to go to an ER connected to a hospital because they will have one on call.  -The movement and tear ducts are something to consider.  AT should control bleed and refer? -Control bleeding, and cover then refer to ER. What should the AT's actual action be when referring an athlete to the hospital for an orbital injury? -ABC's -Neck -Then they can sit up and you can evaluate.  Most orbital injuries something you would refer to ER? -Corneal abrasions can be sent to urgent care.  -Foreign body could go to an urgent care -ER globe rupture, eyelid laceration, loss of vision Ear injuries Ear magnets -Put on the outside ear to squeeze which can help prevent cauliflower ear.  How long do you have to drain cauliflower ear? -Hematoma is the beginning, cauliflower ear is when you don't take care of it.  -As soon as possible when it is still fluid/squishy. Can be within the next couple of days. The most common head injury seen is a concussion.  All five senses are on your head. Want to check all 5 in your assessment.

Discussion topics:  -Team paramedic and coordinates emergency care for on field.  What are the classifications from paramedic to ECA, EMS, and Paramedic -ECA - first responder. Couple weeks class -EMT basic - everyone starts off at. Full college semester -EMT advanced - Intubate and start IVs, and cardiac meds. Can't RSI or DSI -Paramedic - nationally and state certification; Two-year program and learn advanced cardiology and pharmacology Difference: Licensed paramedics will have an AA in paramedics or a bachelor's in emergency medicine.  ATs are under the direction of a physician, how does that work with emergency medicine? -Work under a medical director. Medical directors must be licensed by the state. Emergency certified physician. Roll of team physician on the sideline? -EAP's  -Get together with all emergency response teams to see what everyone can do or should do.  -Communication -EMS arrives, they take over control of the athlete and their protocols go into effect.  Equipment removal in in-service? -Discuss how far to go with equipment removal.  -CPR of football, don't remove helmet/shoulder pads, just face mask. Open shoulder pads to do CPR and place AED pads. Organizing the annual practice, how should the AT approach it? -Week before training camp starts.  -Coordination through their contact. EMS Chief or president of the company.  How long does the training last? -Depends on how much you want to cover.  -At least CPR, backboarding, trauma injury. 30 minutes each -Debrief before and after.  How can we educate EMS on what ATs can do? -Invite EMS groups to your in-service to participate in the training process.  -Look at each other's protocols.  -Get everyone's education  How much are protocols changing year to year? -Generally, they don't. Just based on technology and medical changes.  Differences between rigs? -BLS is a basic truck with 2 EMTs. Basic first aid/childbirth -ALS truck for higher emergencies.  What does it look like after EMS has taken over care and on the way to the hospital? -After a report from AT, they do their own patient assessment.  -After assessment, determine the care plan. Get vitals and stabilize life events.  What is the most important information coming out of the report from an AT? -Short and sweet -This is what happened, what I did, what I found.  Spine board or not to spine board? -Depends on the medical director's protocol.  -Depends on the situation and if it will make the injury worse.  -For the team, it might depend on the spine doctor/team physician.  -Annual meeting to discuss spine boarding and log roll vs. 6-man lift. Stories -Professional baseball game. Baserunner ran into the catcher. The collision was bad. Amazing that there was only a broken nose.  -Open femur fractures, concussions Anything else to add? -Communication is the number one key. -Reach out to local EMS agency -Athlete/patient comes first.  -Find out each other's capabilities. Contact Brad: bwilson@hcec.com

How do you go about starting a relationship to find a team dentist? -A lot of AT's have nobody.  -Find someone who is available to come after hours and loves it. -Can cold call offices or Google search.  -looking for sports dentistry -Ask other ATs if they know a dentist since the community is small.  What resources are available to the AT with dental emergencies, especially after hours? -Cell phone number of the dentist -Tooth SOS app. How do you know who to refer to for dental injuries? -General dentist first, then general dentist can refer to the proper personnel.  Special consideration for athletes with braces? -If you have braces, ligaments are already loose and can put you at risk for trauma/injury. -Mouth guard. -Mouth guards specifically for braces. And because teeth move they might have to get mouth guards frequently.  -Custom has more compliance than boil and bite.  -Can get a custom mouthguard to go over Invisalign.  -See more soft tissue trauma How have patients felt with mouth guard around braces? -Tough sell because nobody wants to wear a mouthguard at that age.  What would you like the AT to do to help with the referral process? -Send pictures. -Backstory is nice to know -Timing -Don't need past dental records Team dentist be utilized for PPE's? -Have the athletes come in groups. -Visual exam  -Oral cancer screening -cavities/wisdom teeth -Get scans for mouthpieces.  -Able for the athletes to ask random questions -Establish a dental home, especially for college students who move away from home.  -Dentist can give a card Fun stories -Mowing lawn and trying to tie a string and it took the tooth.  The little girl had her silver cap come off and there was a Jolly Rancher glued to it.  -Kids are very resilient and heal a lot quicker than adults.  Action Item: What should an AT have in their bag? -gloves, gauze, light -Guidelines on what to do when it happens.  Cheat Sheet -Cell phone number of the dentist,  - Tooth SOS app - Save a tooth solution - Spit in a cup - Do not put the tooth in water

Work Right Northwest was the best fit for Jody during his current stage of life. He loves the industrial setting and the support the company offers for personal growth. Jody, Start with your AT story. From Waco Was not enjoying playing football and quit to become the student AT for softball. Chris Hargrove was the AT that me under his wing Graduated from Baylor as an AT working with some legendary ATs like Mike Simms Jody moved to Lincoln Nebraska to get a master's degree and work with their Track & Field teams. 2007-2009 did a fellowship with US Olympic and Paralympic Track and Field. That led to internships with USA teams. He has worked with a lot of providers throughout the US and learned different perspectives as well as made a lot of connections. 13-year Outreach Coordinator at BSW 2012 I began the GA partnership with Baylor and grew the program to about 16 schools. How does WorkRight fit into that? Auto industry, shipping and delivery, food, manufacturing, and warehouses across the United States. We focus on being proactive with industrial athletes. These workers are at the same station doing the same repetitive motions for 8-10 hours per day. We are limited to OSHA first aid guidelines. There are plenty of at-home exercise options or opportunities. Better posture. Improved hydration. Early symptom intervention - 15-minute eval on site. Tell me a few stories Often times the job is the first time the workers have benefits that include healthcare. We provide a list of healthcare coverage professionals in the area and establish relationships with them to help facilitate care. One line worker was having continued upper trap and cervical issues.  After a few visits, he was able to work pain-free. One of our ladies had posture issues and we were basically the only medical option for her.  I have thought about how I could change into the industrial setting.  Walk me through the process. We work 4/10s with someone on duty 24/7  Mon-Friday. *dependent on site* We do a lot of 3-day weekends. Vacation time: can accrue up to 2 weeks of vacation time Holidays: get a lot of major holidays off…but this is site-dependent too. Manual therapy skills are important. Taping and first aid skills are important. Start learning the lingo. Visit LearnRightNW.com and take the entry-level course. How do you build connections with clients at Work Right NW? Listening Seeing them at their job What do I need to consider before making the move? Making that big of a change will come with some hiccups. Research the company Know the details Know their injury software Learn the lingo OSHA first aid principles One of my biggest deciding factors was their personal growth support. Resources https://WorkRightNW.com/ https://www.learnrightuniversity.com/ https://staffrightrecruiting.com/ Contact Us: Jody Moore - Jody.Moore@workrightnw.com C: 254-715-1727

RankOne data makes it easy to tell your story as an Athletic Trainer. If you collect it then you can pull everything you need with a few clicks. If you need help just call and they can guide you through. What are some of the common things you RankOne sees from ATs? End-of-year audits Newspapers seeking info Easily filter through the data that has been entered We take data security seriously Data transfer is really important in security. We work with a lot of partners to make the transfer of data as seamless as possible We partner through our API to integrate those partners. Do you have a complete online solution for forms? We put the medical history form online We have included a physical upload form so parents can include a scan of the form. There are definitely pros and cons for both. Going Back to Data Collection Other than concussion reporting integration what are you seeing? Justifying the need for Athletic Trainers Reports show how many treatments and using the CPT codes can demonstrate value The proof of your value is in the data. Until something bad happens the ATs value is usually glanced over. It gives you a great way to look back and reflect. Seen anything weird? We get calls requesting additions often. So we add fields when it helps them collect that data. We like to get a consensus before we make any big changes by checking with the Athletic Trainers. Ease of use features with RankOne Data: Print Paperwork Run Reports Messaging within RankOne We are creating a more robust messaging system that allows two-way communication. It will message the email that the account was created with. Any features you have cut? There have been quite a few changes that are in response to user feedback. What are we doing to prevent the dreaded August 1st breakdown? We have set up some API boundaries for our partners. Load-tested the servers. Thanks, Bethpage Consulting for helping make the trip to SWATA 2023 possible Check out the Instagram Live video

Kim Lowry and Nutrition Myths are so close, so easy, so trendy…Kim Lowry discusses some of the Sports Nutrition myths with Ryan Collins at the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Update. Protein 2-2.2 grams of protein if they are trying to bulk up Total calories are a common misconception You can not bulk up Muscle but not add any fat…almost universally Spread it out throughout the day Nutrient Timing Research is mixed - some say within an hour increases your muscle growth You can ap into muscle synthesis about every 3-4 hours High Protein snacks and meals Nuts Low-fat cheese sticks Greek yogurt Deli turkey P3 packets Protein bars and shakes Adding chicken to your pasta dish RAMEN -  You can add peanut butter Or peanuts I like to use the “Tasty App” and search for dorm room ramen for healthier options Eggs are another good option Creatine is BAD… Pretty much all of the nutrition myths have been disproven in all healthy usage of creatine.

Sean Hwang discusses his first SWATA experience with Dr. DJ Gilliland. Tell us your story, Sean Korean American Went to UT Austin. US Army field artillery officer for 3 years Went to chiropractor undergrad for a semester I had been doing something similar to AT with my amateur Korean soccer teams I shadowed John Houston at the University of Houston Women's Basketball SWATA Student Track? I was not expecting to learn a lot because they made it out to be a fun hang-out. Dr. Knoblauch's lecture about balance Being up to date on current trends Cannabis lecture from Dr. Konin Have you met anyone knew? I would love to…but I have not really. Dr. Harrison: we will take you around and let you shake hands with everyone Does UH pay for the students to go to SWATA? Nope they fundraise Last year's group did a great job fundraising. The stickers and bracelets were a pretty big hit How many students ended up coming from UH? There were about 20 students. Our preceptors and partners jump on the opportunity to get the students here. If you are passionate about learning new things then coming to SWATA is the place to be. What has been the most unique thing you have learned so far? Cannabis is not THC. CBD can be used without it causing an impact on your THC test levels. Suggestions from Sean I would like to see more nonathletic setting workshop courses here at SWATA. Tory Trevino asks: what are you learning as professionals? DG: CBD talks DG: Seeing people I have not seen in years LH: Bre'Layshia's talk included a personality trait test and have mock conversations with different personality types. Contact Us @s.noogi__ on Instagram @drgililland on Twitter (X) @layciJ on Twitter (X)

Foster Care is not easy. Neither is Athletic Training. Travis Turner is trying to grow his family through foster care/adoption.

Storytime with buzz is just that, fun stories from an old school Athletic Trainer still practicing. Thanks, Bethpage Consulting for helping to get the SMB out to SWATA 2023 in Arlington. I have been attending SWATA for about 38 years I broke my collarbone playing football and then became the team manager.  Sam Aguilara came to teach the coaches about Athletic Training products.  I knew I could do the stuff he was showing the coaches. The next thing I knew they were sending me to AT clinics at colleges. I have met a lot of great people during my career as an Athletic Trainer Joel Kregerberg was the assistant AT for the Oilers while I was an intern.  I got to tape Earl Cambell.  He greatly deflated my ego when he told me it was the worst tape job he ever had. Give me some more storytime Houston Rodeo got me started with Justin Sports Medicine and Truman Spoon Sports Medicine Did you get autographs? Not really, I was always around the people and did not consider it. Where was your first job as an AT? Seminole High School is about an hour from Lubbock. I moved to Macaney with the head coach Then the Houston Oilers called and I moved to Houston Take us back to Seminole HS I taught driver's ed in the morning. It is a small school with a small AT Facility We were really good at basketball and gymnastics I taught a job at the Air Force base with firemen and nurses Who are some of the mentees that have impacted you? Valerie Tinklepaugh-Hairston - with her impact on college sports and SWATA David Traylor - SWATA Hall of Honor Southlake Carroll High School is being run by two of my former ATs TSATA Hall of Honor This award brings a smile to my face every time I think about it. What did you dream about being as a kid? My dad was a pharmacist My brother was a pharmacist and MD I thought about following them Storytime - What sticks out the most? A Houston Oiler went down and was basically numb from the neck down We backboarded him That was his last game to ever play. He was a good friend of mine. My wallet and everything I needed were in my bag that the equipment managers packed up since I went to the hospital with him.  We almost got stranded in Kansas City. MarkChisum@alertservices.com Contact us:

Preparedness to throw is a whole new process of injury prevention. Chris Gallina joins Ryan Collins live at the Sports Medicine Update 2023 What are we looking for as parents Volume Radar guns BAD in Youth Athletes Rest for throwing Athletes We usually suggest no athlete should be pitching for more than 7 months Maybe pitch for 2 seasons then focus on fielding and hitting Pitchers should not play pitcher and catcher as well Breaking balls James Andrews - you should not throw a curve ball until you can shave Mechanics is key during the pitch Fastball and changeup are very effective for youth athletes What are the signs and symptoms to look for Medial elbow pain is number one The posterior cuff is sore on the Youth Athlete after almost every pitching outing When do we shut them down? Flex  Rotation Cross body abduction External Rotation Gain Is it GIRD or adaptation? Mr. Burns Posture (The Simpsons) Soft tissue Pec Minor  Deep Neck Flexors

Career Advancement brought Bre'Layshia Alexander from working intermediate athletics to her current role with Baylor Scott and White. She discussed this all with Joseph Eberhardt live at SWATA 2023. Sponsored by San Antonio Sports Medicine What are the goals of the Career Advancement Committee? Chaired by Bre'Layshia Split from the young professional committee 7-12 years in the profession Everyone on our committee presented at SWATA 23 The Career Advancement Committee also hosts a scavenger hunt for prizes to increase engagement. Student workshop highlights: Resume workshop Career Advancement talks Tools on how to advance your pay or benefits Life Balance options How do we contact the Career Advancement group? @D6_YP_CAC @Swata-YPC Email: brelayshia.alexander@bswhealth.org Facebook Bre'Layshia @atc_mojo2015 Facebook   Where did you get into AT? I was a cheerleader in high school and band in high school.  After not making the team I searched for a way to be on the sidelines. I became a student aide for 1.5 years in high school Graduated from Texas State and got a job in Temple. After 3 years as a middle school AT I knew I had to move on SportsCareAT Now a physician liaison with BSW What is your role with TSATA? Recently passed legislation that opens up jobs and expands the scope of an ATs practice. Bre'Layshia Alexander Joseph Eberhardt