Athletic Training

Overview

Athletic Trainers are health care professionals who work alongside physicians in caring for a variety of patients, particularly those with sports medicine needs. They have extensive educational requirements in preventing, diagnosing, treating, referring, and rehabilitating injuries and illnesses. Most states require a license or registration to practice Athletic Training. Athletic Trainers are also members of a larger team of allied medicine and sports medicine professionals and provide a major link between the sports programs and the medical community, which might include such professionals as:

physical therapists
sports nutritionists
family medicine physicians
pediatricians
orthopedic surgeons
exercise physiologists
biomechanics specialists
sports psychologists
podiatrists
other related consultants as needed: pharmacists, dentists, dermatologists, equipment personnel, etc.

Together, with other members of the medical community, they help patients to recover from athletic injuries and illnesses and to improve and maintain their physical abilities in order to return to exercise, competitive sports, work, and daily activities.

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Last Reviewed: Apr 21, 2010

Janine Oman, MS, PT/ATC
Assistant Athletic Director
Instructor at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University

Mark A Merrick, PhD, ATC
Associate Professor at the School of Allied Medical Professions
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University