Three things you may not know about athletic training

If you’re an athlete, whether amateur, student or professional, chances are you’ve encountered an athletic trainer or at least heard the term. Athletic training is a discipline in sports medicine that involves the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sports-related injuries and other medical conditions.

While an important aspect in the prevention of sports injuries is ensuring athletes receive proper training and conditioning, an athletic trainer is not the same thing as a personal trainer. At Excel Sports and Physical Therapy, we believe patient education is a key part of delivering the highest level of care. To help you have a better understanding of athletic training, we’re sharing the following guide. If you have any questions or want to learn more about our services, feel free to reach out at any time.

What you should know about athletic training

Here are some facts about athletic trainers that many people are surprised to learn:

• Athletic trainers are medical professionals — Athletic training is formally recognized as an allied health care profession by the American Medical Association. In many settings, an athletic trainer is the first responder for athletes dealing with concussions, fractures, asthma attacks and other serious conditions.

• About 70% of athletic trainers have a master’s degree — The educational requirements to be a certified athletic trainer are high. A bachelor’s degree is generally the minimum standard, while most go on to complete a master’s program.

• Only 2% of all athletic trainers work in professional sports — According to the National Athletic Trainer’s Association, a much larger proportion of trainers practice in secondary schools, universities and clinics.

Athletic trainers can be found in a wide variety of settings, from athletic and school events to emerging areas such as assisting police departments, fire departments and the military.  

Learn more about athletic training services from Excel

At Excel Sports and Physical Therapy, we provide top-tier athletic training services for our local athletes. Excel Sports offers athletic training in St. Louis, St. Peters, O’Fallon, St. Charles, Wentzville, Warrenton and the surrounding communities here in Missouri. Our experienced and highly-credentialed athletic trainers stay up to date on the latest research in this field, including conditioning, concussion management and injury prevention. No matter what your needs, we want to work with you to receive the athletic training services you require.

Learn more about our offerings and make your initial appointment by contacting our friendly and helpful team today.