Athletic Trainer

While Athletic Trainers want to provide the best care for an athlete with an acute cervical injury, it is important to stay up to date with current protocol changes. Evidence has shown that some practices have caused more harm to a cervical spine patient. In May 2014, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) released an official statement pertaining to this issue. It serves as an extension to a long-standing position statement, which was released in 2009. The main focus of the official statement is to adapt to the changes made by EMS for prehospital care. This immensely affects the way Athletic Trainers provide their initial treatment and immobilization. In any traumatic situation the first response is to evaluate the scene and patient. In the case of an Athletic Trainer it is typically an athletic related traumatic injury. All institutions have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place, which provides a step-by-step protocol. EAPs frequently reflect the ideals from the NATA Position Statement as they are seen as the “Gold Standard” in the profession. In the case of an acute cervical spine injury “selective immobilization” is conducted. This essentially clears the …show more content…
If there is a possible c-spine injury, the athlete is immobilized until EMS arrives on the scene. If CPR or other life rescuing procedures are necessary, it is also the Athletic Trainer’s responsibility until help arrives. If transport is necessary the removal of specific athletic equipment will be dependent on the mode of immobilization and transportation. This is key in high contact sports such as football. Football requires various padding and protective equipment. According to the NATA position statement, the helmet and shoulder padding should remain on the athlete. This ensures little to no movement of the c-spine during immobilization. The facemask can be removed to provide CPR if