Celebrating National Athletic Training Month

During the month that recognizes athletic trainers, we dive into their diverse roles. Spoiler alert: Athletic trainers treat many types of patients, not just athletes.

• By School of Health Professions
• March 3, 2022

March is National Athletic Training Month, with the goal of spreading awareness about the important work being done by athletic trainers. The 2022 slogan is, “Providing Healthcare Everywhere.”

We spoke with Larry Munger, PhD, LAT, ATC, an assistant professor in the Masters of Athletic Training program of the TTUHSC School of Health Professions, about the role of an athletic trainer.

Athletic Trainers: Providing Healthcare Everywhere

Despite the title, athletic trainers work with all types of patients, including the military and in corporate industrial settings, like Amazon or General Motors.

“Athletic trainers will work in the organization to do regular checkups and movement testing,” Munger explains. “If someone complains about aches and pains, they will do testing to reduce the chance for further injury and work loss.”

Movement Testing For All

Munger explains that there are many different screening tests for injuries that involve pushing, pulling, squatting, lifting and any other movement common to the workplace or vocation.

“If someone complains of being hurt, you have to first identify the movement that is hurting before you can implement strategies to help them,” Munger says.

Munger says that the most common movement screen is called FMS, which stands for Functional Movement Screening and was developed by Gray Cook beginning in 1995.

“The screening includes an overhead squat, inline lunge, trunk stability and a leg raise test,” Munger explains. “Their thought process is that it’s like taking blood pressure; they are identifying common movement patterns.”

The fundamental difference between treating athletes and non-athletes is identifying what the patient’s movement demands are. Specific sports call for specific treatment and movement screening. It’s also important to do a sport or work analysis profile, which outlines the job demands as well as home life.

Reducing Injury During Exercise

Preventing injuries is better than treating them. To reduce injuries, Munger recommends starting slow with any fitness program you’re going through.

“Work on the basic movements,” he says. “Anytime you’re starting an exercise program or becoming more active, understand that you can’t do it all at once and it will take time.”

It’s also important to understand the difference between joint pain and muscle soreness.

“Joint pain will be within the joints and often more localized, while muscle soreness occurs in the main part of the muscle that is sore,” he says.

Working in different planes of movement is a good way to avoid injury by not putting too much strain on any one muscle or joint and maintaining mobility.

The Importance of Staying Active

How many of us made a New Year’s resolution to get in shape or lose weight only to go too hard, causing injury or severe soreness?

“You need to continue to stay active when sore and identify the movements or exercises that don’t hurt or cause pain,” Munger recommends.

Simply beginning with walking is a great place to start, he says. Eventually, you can add some jogging, perhaps half a block. The important thing is to not give up on being active and progress slowly.

“Find something to do everyday,” Munger says. “It doesn’t have to be a lot. Maybe do one squat every time you brush your teeth, or at a set time every day. Over time you can increase the amount of exercise and continue to stay active.” 

*Image: TTUHSC MAT alum Erin Earhart (Class of 2021) performs a knee evaluation on a patient. Now an Assistant Athletic Trainer at Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC, Erin completed a summer internship with the Buffalo Bills in2020 while still a student in the MAT.