Mar 20, 2019 Playing It Safe

An athletic training program partners with area schools to prevent and manage injuries among student athletes.

When Jack Milazzo, 17, a senior at Robbinsville High School, sprained his thumb during a wrestling match, he turned to Tiffany Strauss, the school athletic trainer, for help. “She must have taped up my thumb six or seven times to find the right position,” he recalls. “She really took the time to listen to me and help me get back to wrestling.” Likewise, Tiffany came to the aid of Maya 􀀀ohnson, 16, a junior and a basketball player at Robbinsville High School, when she broke her ankle outside of school. “She iced me, recommended certain stretches and told me what kind of brace to get,” recalls Maya. “I could feel the difference afterward.”

Tiffany is one of several local school-certified athletic trainers who have partnered with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Hamilton Athletic Training, which launched in March 2018. RWJUH Hamilton collaborates with many local schools to provide sports medicine and athletic health care support, including Bordentown School District, East Windsor School District, Princeton Day School, Robbinsville School District, STEMCivics Charter School, The Hun School and The Pennington School.

Under the physician oversight of medical director Adam Redlich, MD, RWJUH Hamilton Athletic Training supports schools in several different ways, such as providing a full-time or part-time athletic trainer to complement the district’s athletic trainer; sharing a substitute when an athletic trainer needs a day off; and delivering educational workshops for health care professionals, coaches and the public.

Supporting school teams

Wherever they are working, athletic trainers are available to evaluate an individual when an injury or activity-related illness occurs, as in Jack’s case. Athletic trainers are nationally certified and state-licensed to evaluate and manage injuries ranging from concussions to ankle sprains, muscle injuries and bone contusions. In addition to secondary school and college settings, athletic trainers are key health care allies in the workplace. They work with “occupational athlete” employees with physically demanding jobs that require repetitive motion. “In addition to creating a treatment plan for injured people, athletic trainers facilitate collaborative care with other health care specialists, such as physicians and physical therapists,” says Ryan Stevens, Manager, Athletic Training Services at RWJUH Hamilton and RWJUH Somerset.

Athletic trainers also work with school sports teams and local workplaces to develop and implement injury reduction programs. In one example, Stevens developed a 15-minute dynamic warm-up for cross-country athletes, which significantly reduced shin splints and knee pain. “It helped enhance their movement, stability and strength, and resulted in a huge decrease in overuse and repetitive stress injuries,” he says.

The students are grateful for the athletic trainers’ support. “Tiffany always talks about the importance of stretching and taking care of our bodies,” says Maya. “She goes above and beyond what you’d expect in an athletic trainer. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

To learn how your athletes or employees can reduce their risk of injury and stay healthy, visit www.rwjbh.org/athletictraining.