Sports Medicine

Purposes and Aims of Navarro College Sports Medicine

Navarro College Sports Medicine exists as a support organization aiding in the utmost professional rendering of health care and counseling to the athletes who represent Navarro College by participating in NJCAA athletics.The program prefers to be identified as Navarro College Sports Medicine and not Navarro College Athletic Training. Although the core of the group gets its inner strength from the staff and student athletic trainers, the organization exists on a larger scale as members of a larger sports medicine team that includes physicians, administrators, and consultants that are called on countless times to provide much needed support.

Care of the Navarro College athlete encompasses a wide scope of responsibilities that can be broken down but not completely limited to five main categories with several branches falling under each one. The textbook, Principles of Athletic Training, by Arnheim and Prentice provides an accurate layout of these duties: 

Prevention of athletic injuries

1. Requiring and assisting with pre-season physical examinations.
2. Developing training and conditioning programs to ensure proper conditioning for participating athletes.
3. Maintaining and fitting protective equipment.
4. Counseling and Guidance
5. Ensuring a safe playing environment.
6. Taping and applying prophylactic devices
7. Rehydration specialization

Evaluation and Immediate recognition and management of injuries

1. Basic first aid care
2. CPR and rescue breathing
3. Clinical evaluation
4. Proper treatment protocols
5. Transport or referral to proper medical personnel

Rehabilitation and Reconditioning

1. Designing or following clinical rehabilitation protocols
2. Ensuring that the athlete returns at an apt time
3. Educating the athlete on conditions of their injury and time of return
4. Proprioception training
5. Cardiovascular reconditioning

Health Care Administration

1. Overall organization of policies concerning day to day running of the training room
2. Maintaining records of all treatments, rehabilitation’s, and illnesses
3. Education and supervision of student athletic trainers
4. Keeping adequate supplies and ordering of those supplies

Professional responsibility and development

1. Staying up on current trends and developments in the medical field
2. Consulting with and viewing the work of physicians and others associated with the sports medicine team

The Navarro College Sports Medicine Team also functions to educate student athletic trainers at the junior college level to be completely prepared to move on to the next level of athletic training, and ultimately become allied health care professionals. Education of the student trainers involves day to day experiences in the training room and on the Navarro College athletic fields. The team attempts to saturate the student trainers with an abundance of opportunity and information in the clinical setting as well as the education that they pick up in the classroom. Student trainers get hands on experience under the guidance of a lincensed athletic trainer. There exist many duties that fall under the five main domains of athletic training listed above.

For Our Visitors

The Navarro College Sports Medicine Department provides visiting teams and their athletes with a variety of Athletic Training services, supplies, and equipment. A Certified Athletic Trainer will be present at all home events.

The Athletic Training Room is located in Room 129 of the SEC building. The main entrance for Visiting Teams is located on the back side of the SEC/Faculty Parking. The Athletic Training Room will be open two hours before each event and for one hour following the conclusion of the event.

Quick access athletic training rooms located at soccer, softball, and baseball facilities.

*Tiger Stadium: Visiting Teams at Tiger Stadium will enter through the visitor locker room.

The following items will be provided for visiting teams on the field:

The Navarro College Sports Medicine Department will provide the following services to Visiting Teams:

• Emergency Injury Assessment and Management
• Taping (Visiting Teams MUST provide taping supplies)
• Wound Care/First-Aid Management

The Navarro College Sports Medicine Department will provide the following modalities to Visiting Teams if requested by the Athletic Trainer ahead of time:

• Cryotherapy (ice bags, ice cups, cold whirlpool)
• Heat therapy (heat packs, warm whirlpool)
• Electrical Stimulation (Must have a note from the School’s ATC or Physician)

 MEET OUR CURRENT STAFF