When an athlete suffers a potentially traumatic injury, pre-hospital care is crucial. That’s why Morrow County Hospital athletic trainers and local EMS have teamed up to train for worst case scenarios for nearly the last decade.
Morrow County Hospital athletic trainers met up with Morrow County EMS last week at Mount Gilead High School to practice treating spinal injuries. Morrow County Hospital Athletic Trainer Patrick Hunter and Assistant Fire Chief Jessica George went over multiple situations, some requiring first responders to cut through pads, or load athletes onto a spine board.
George says consistent training is key to make sure injured athletes have the best outcomes.
“Recognizing that we may have a potential injury so we don’t have excessive movement that could worsen it is critical,” said George. “And the more they practice this, the quicker they are at doing this, and thus that can shorten the on scene time, meaning we can get them to the facility more quickly.”
While first responders respond as fast as possible when football players are severely injured, it’s the athletic trainers on the field who get to them first. That’s why Hunter says Morrow County Hospital athletic trainers practice their skills yearly, ready to treat injuries they hope athletes never suffer.
“Practice makes us better clinicians so we can take care of the patient the best way that we can,” said Hunter. “The skills we have, the equipment we have, it’s really about making sure the patient has a great outcome. Fortunately, we don’t have a ton of real-life scenarios when it comes to this, so it’s good to have that practice to sharpen that skill.”
Mount Gilead High School had its first football game August 23th. A Morrow County Hospital athletic trainer will be on the sideline of every home game, ready to help treat any potential injury.
