Often telling people what my title as an athletic trainer leads to more questions, or the assumption that I am a personal trainer. Its our own fault as a profession, Athletic Trainer doesn’t really define itself for you like the title personal trainer or Physical Therapist. The long answer is that: Athletic trainers (ATs) are highly qualified, multi-skilled health care professionals who render service or treatment, under the direction of or in collaboration with a physician, in accordance with their education, training and the state's statutes, rules and regulations.
Performing Dry Needle treatment to relieve tension in a runners hamstrings
Definitions can be tricky though, that doesn’t really say “what” I do.
The best way I can put it though, is an AT is a highly skilled medical Swiss army knife, Leatherman, Gerber or whatever your multi-tool of choice is. An AT can evaluate in injury on the football field, diagnose and treat heat casualty at the cross-country race, pull a player from a game for a concussion, provide rehabilitative care and treatments for an injury, administer conditioning and injury prevention protocols and even determine clinical readiness for an athlete to return to sport. An AT can be vital to an athlete at every phase of an injury. AT in large part work as part of a larger connected healthcare system built largely around athletics programs such as in professional sports, college or high school setting. Most of the time you will see an AT in the wild doing things seemingly innocuous, like holding water bottles or taping an ankle. What all an AT can do varies State to State. There are currently debates being held to change this narrative, as I too agree it’s silly to cross a state line and no-longer be able to help someone with injury in a certain fashion.
What is Bexar Athletic Training.
As I mentioned, what an AT can do is limited state to state. Here in Texas we are pretty powerful assets for the athletes we have the privilege of serving. I am a local trail runner and Brazilian jui jitsu practitioner. This coupled with the fact that I am undoubtably 40years old has made very aware of the injuries that plague some of us adult athletes. My mission is to help adult athletes reach their goals without pain. Pain is a great teacher but a lousy running partner. If you are setting out for a new race, personal-record (PR), or your first competition and have an old injury slowing your progress, I am your guy. If you are trying to get moving on the next distance or a bigger competition, and want to bullet proof yourself from injury, let me know. I really enjoy helping people move past pain and attain their training goals. Old injury or new, my mission is to help you reach your goals without pain.
How can BEXAR AT help?
I am a hands-on practitioner, I want to put my hands on your injury and really get down to what tissue or structure is the true root cause of the pain, not just a symptom. After diagnosing the root cause, I can employ a number of treatment options ranging from manual therapies such as joint mobilizations to dry needling. Typically, I like to wrap up with corrective exercises to either nullify the pattern that caused the issue or, build back a better system that won’t repeat the issue later down the line. That’s right, I really want you to not need me forever. If I can get you into a better movement pattern that relieves pain and improves performance while becoming less prone to injury in the future, then we all win! I want to see people win.
If you need an injury looked at, have some issue bothering you at certain point in training or just fear that old ache popping back up, look me up, it’s my mission to help you realize your athletic goals, without pain.
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