Health and Wellness through Athletic Training: Understanding the Role of Athletic Trainers
By Katie Jenson, Certified Athletic Trainer, Head Athletic Trainer at Hackley School
Last week, a Hackley student athlete came into the athletic training room stating that he had eaten a cookie with nuts in it, and while he had no known nut allergy, he was starting to feel tightness in his throat, swelling in his cheek, and was experiencing difficulty breathing. Kayla Simpson, assistant athletic trainer for Hackley School, and I recognized these as classic signs of an anaphylactic reaction. We had an EpiPen in the athletic training room office, were able to administer it, and the student athlete began to feel better immediately. We followed our emergency protocol by calling 911, the EMTs arrived and assessed his condition, and transported him to the hospital.
In our role as athletic trainers, Kayla and I serve an essential role in protecting and supporting the well-being of our students. As this example shows, our work goes beyond treating sprained ankles and taping knees — although we do, of course, also perform these treatments — to intervening and treating more severe emergent situations, ranging from concussions and respiratory and cardiac issues to, as the example above shows, allergic reactions. We love our work because we know that our education and expertise allows us to truly provide support and protect the health and wellness of the Hackley community.
Jason Edwards, Director of Athletics, observes that “The athletic trainers at Hackley School have added new directives and techniques to stay at the top of their profession. They have embraced our ideals and have made the athletic training room a place that students would prefer to spend their time and interact as a community. They have expanded their role to not just the students on the Hilltop, but our employees. Their attitude and demeanor towards all things Hackley have made their transition to the school very easy and everyone within the community has valued this new direction.”
It is not uncommon for people to blur the role of an athletic trainer with that of a personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach. These roles are also essential to the health and wellness of students, and Hackley’s athletic trainers partner with members of the strength and conditioning staff, just as we partner with members of the physical education department and coaches. As Lisa Pavarini, Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach, noted, “Athletic trainers and strength and conditioning coaches at Hackley have a very symbiotic relationship. We are working together for the same goal; the health and safety of our athletes.”
This partnership might be best understood when you think about the role each individual plays in the health and well-being of students. As athletic trainers, we direct students on performing movements with correct form and utilizing the proper muscles; looking at the big picture of the body, which includes elements like proper alignment to avoid injury. The strength and conditioning coaches, while cognizant of proper form, would build on these foundations to help athletes increase their strength, speed, agility, and endurance.
Steve Frolo wears many hats in the Physical Education and Athletics department, teaching and coaching children from Kindergarten through grade twelve. He observes that “The job athletic trainers do is so much more than taping an ankle or stopping a nosebleed. They prevent injuries, help with strength and conditioning, and provide guidance in nutrition and sleeping! They also make sure the playing area is safe for the athletes. They keep me CALM, knowing an athletic trainer is around to make those tough decisions about the health and well-being of my student-athletes!”
In my six months at Hackley, I have thoroughly enjoyed expanding my knowledge of and connections within the community. I have treated many athletes from all levels of programming offered. I have supported employees, and their spouses, been on call for Lower School P.E. classes, and enjoy watching Hackley’s youngest students tromp through the Johnson Center. For me, this deep intertwining within the community captures the essence of what the Walter C. Johnson Center for Health and Wellness is all about. We relish the opportunity to help members of the community continue their growth in living a healthier life.
Our work is not just about treating injuries; we enjoy being proactive, helping to prevent injuries much more than we enjoy being reactive. While some injuries are unavoidable, we want to do everything we can to prevent the ones that aren’t. Our treatment plans include the whole body, not just the part that is causing a problem or pain. Rather than just treating symptoms,we want to fix whatever underlying condition may be causing the symptoms, working with individuals to make the necessary corrections to the body instead of putting a literal or figurative “Band-Aid” on the issue.
Now, in the doldrums of winter, we find ourselves providing numerous pep talks to injured and frustrated athletes. The athletic training room is a safe haven, welcoming to students even if they just want to ask advice or talk about how they’re feeling. Sometimes these conversations veer into their relationships with coaches or teammates, support that our education as Certified Athletic Trainers prepares us to provide. While our focus is first on the body, we are taught to consider the full equation of wellness, which includes mental health, questions of anxiety and pressure, and the typical realm of insecurity that can be a natural part of adolescence.
Varsity coach, Upper School teacher and Dean Jenny Leffler says, “The relationship between coaches and ATs [athletic trainers] is integral to the success of our programs and the well-being of our student athletes. Having ATs who know our athletes and also know our school enhances and reinforces our values at every step. Athletic trainers not only treat injuries and help our students recover from those, but they are a huge part of injury prevention and encourage athletes to be stronger — whether they are recovering from a more serious injury or treating more of a nagging problem. The athletic training room is a place that our athletes feel comfortable going because they know they are taken seriously, but will also be encouraged and motivated to return to play…likely stronger than before. I am especially happy to have women in that role — and all of our athletes have a tremendous trust and confidence in Katie and Kayla.”
Recent program expansions include updated concussion return to play protocols, the addition of an electrical stimulation and ultrasound machine to facilitate healing and address muscle pain, and new massage techniques, including Graston Technique ® therapy which helps separate muscle tissue, increase blood flow, and improve muscle function and flexibility.
Most recently, we have launched a partnership with Renee Pabst, Director of Health Education, and have brought CPR instruction into ninth grade Peer Advisory classes. We also visited 11th grade Biology classes to help students understand the function and structural components of joints in the body — a discussion that organically extended into questions of nutrition, such as what to eat after a workout, the positives and negatives of intermittent fasting, and the actual value of carbohydrates (Friend or Foe?!). It has been exciting to know that our knowledge can have an impact beyond the literal space of the athletic training room or the sidelines of a competition.
For us, athletic training is a holistic endeavor that really taps into what it means to be healthy and well, and hope to encourage an appreciation of athletic training as the place students begin, rather than the place to which they retreat only as a last resort. We enjoy being part of the community and love being a positive entity. We are excited to keep building on this perspective at Hackley School.
Katie Jenson at work during a football game.
Kayla Simpson in the training room.