Here's what NOT to do!!!

[Lone Star]

I got called to a High School football game several years ago, and arrived to find a 16 year old male supine on the ground. The pt was complaining of a 'burning pain' in his neck. The 'sports trainer' had removed the kids helmet, and had told him to just 'walk it off'.

While I was performing the initial and secondary patient survey, the 'sports trainer' had decided to impress us with his 'medical knowledge' (or lack thereof) and told us that he suspected the kid injured his C-8 vertebra.

I personally wanted to take this to the County Medical Control Board, but the company ORDERED Me to let it go.

The 'sports trainer' had Red Cross Multimedia First Aid training, and was planning to go to school for his CNA cert.

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[Timmy]

Yeah the “walking it off” part sounds right lol

“Your only dying son, walk it off, suck it in, you’ll be right, better luck next week”

We had an opposition player cleaned up by one of our guys, he was fully knocked out, had blood and CSF coming from both ears. No matter how much I yelled at him to leave the poor guy there till EMS arrived, he insisted that everyone “just grab and arm and a leg and we will carefully place him onto the stretcher” The things you see out on the field lol!

LMAO! To the C8 comment! Now I’ve heard it all. Maybe that kid should be on that show ‘Medical Incredible’!

Yes, sports trainer’s courses don’t really cover what is needed to treat more serious patients on field. I’ve worked with some tosser trainers over the years!

[Dustdevil]

Maybe it's just an Aussie thing. Actual certified athletic trainers (AT-C) here are a pretty knowledgable group, and generally know their stuff. The problem is with all the wannabes running around calling themselves an "athletic trainer," like all the wanker CNAs that call themselves nurses.

[NREMT-Basic]

Certified Athletic Trainers in the US are pretty good too, I think. But like, American Basics, the have a pretty carefully defined and limited scope and that involves things like splinting, possibly traction splinting, bandaging, tape-stabilizing twised ankle and applying ice or heat. I certainly dont know any of them, and I have never worked with any who could diagnose an injury down the specific involved vertebra. And what the heck does an injured vertebra mean any way. OK I can understand how that might mean that the vertebral body is broken or has been wrenched from its nice cozy little spot, but unless that trainer has memorized what spinal injuries affect what parts of the body and body function, I dont see any legitimate way he could say this. And another thing...Was he at all concerned about the free flowing CSF in the ear. And we were taught not to take off an athletes frigging helmet if their sport has one, which usually takes us here in America down to a football helmet. I cant imagine that a batting helmet or an equestrian helmet cap would do much to assist in maintaining inline stabilization. We were even trained in a lot of cases, (of course the modifier with that was, use your own judgement) not to remove a crashed motorcyclists helmet as long as the helmet is intact and its structure no compromised. Maybe this is not the right thing to do, but heck, my primary Basic intructor hadnt been on a call in 10 years, was a Basic herself and couldnt pronounce medical terminologu with more than two syllables, so I guess take the helmet thing for what its worth. I did see video of an American football player being taken off the field on the golf cart and he was still wearing his helmet.

[Timmy]

Meh, over here if you’re a Sports Medicine Australia Trainer then you pretty ‘basically’ qualified. You must have First Aid and most football trainers I work with only have level 1 trainer, this involves basic strapping, basic massage, going over you first aid again. Then we have level 2 which is advanced strapping, nutrition, exercise & stretching, warming up & cooling down, spinal and splinting ect…. It is rather hard to appropriately train all sports trainers; I’m talking about just you local every Saturday comp not at an elite level. In my state there’s about 500 football clubs, each club have 2 or more trainers. Then there’s soccer which would have some stupid number of clubs around the state.

I’m not sure what’s it’s like over in the U.S but no one apart from a doctor can really tell if someone has a fracture or not, even if a pt has a compound # I still have to say I suspect they have a #. We can only to a certain degree diagnosing injuries. I tend not to tell the play what I think they have got e.g., If I think a play has a torn tendon or sprained ankle then I will refer them to a doctor just to cover my self.

As for removing a player’s helmet, Aussie rules footy players don’t wear helmets. Only sport I can think of that would wear a helmet would be MX riders, Go Karts, Equestrian riders ect… I always remove there helmet. Only time I haven’t is when the pt has a # base of skull or the vertebra is clearly visibly pocking out the side of there neck. It has to come off at some stage and I find it’s way easier to properly immobilize there head if there helmet is off. But that’s my personal choices.

[Dustdevil]

I always remove there helmet. Only time I haven’t is when the pt has a # base of skull or the vertebra is clearly visibly pocking out the side of there neck. It has to come off at some stage and I find it’s way easier to properly immobilize there head if there helmet is off. But that’s my personal choices.

How could you possibly know in the acute stages whether your patient had a basilar skull fracture?

And why do you "always" remove the helmet? What are you accomplishing by this?

Do you remove their underwear too? There is about as much justification for one as the other.

[MeekoBB]

The stretcher wasn't even on the ground rolling...they were carrying it.

And I saw that video a long time ago.

[DwayneEMTP]

I'm thinking this may be a terminology issue...

It seems when Timmy says 'sports trainer' he means 'coach' in American speak. (Coach = clipboard, yelling, CPR card)

He doesn't seem to be speaking of someone specifically trained in athletic injury care and prevention as we would be here.

Maybe this will help...

Dwayne

[Lone Star]

Hey Dwayne?

Look back at my post about the sports trainer. This happened at a Detroit area High School. The specified injury ( as stated by the 'sports trainer') was a C-8 injury...

Last time I checked, this was kind of impossible, because of the fact that the sports trainer had no x-ray equipment on the field, and how in the hell can you injure a vertebra that doesn't exist?

So much for the training levels 'over here'!

[DwayneEMTP]

Hey Dwayne?

Look back at my post about the sports trainer. This happened at a Detroit area High School. The specified injury ( as stated by the 'sports trainer') was a C-8 injury...

Last time I checked, this was kind of impossible, because of the fact that the sports trainer had no x-ray equipment on the field, and how in the hell can you injure a vertebra that doesn't exist?

So much for the training levels 'over here'!

Fresh home from my final A&P practicum... So I'm kind of fried and can't figure out if this is a spanking or not...Either way, point taken...Perhaps I misunderstood the direction the thread was taking. (Missed the c8 reference...nerve maybe, but certainly not vertebrae)

Have a good night all.

Dwayne

P.s. Dust, we were taught in basic academy to always remove the helmet unless damage prevented it...No idea what the rational is. They didn't say much about the underwear though...