This whole blogging experience has been some what of a pleasant surprise to me. I did not think I would get much of anything out of doing a blog, but that seemed to not be the case. As time crawled on and I continued with my blogging I came to enjoy it. I began to learn new things about the field of athletic training while practicing writing in a blog style and researching. Not only did I learn a lot of new information about athletic training through the blogging process, but I also learned more about myself as a researcher. Blogging helped enhance my writing and communication skills while allowing me to learn more about myself as a researcher and athletic training. After looking over my blog posts I have compiled a few lists.
Top 3 Things I Learned About Athletic Training:
-Athletic trainers must be personable, caring, sensitive, toward their athletes
-Make sure practice facilities, weather, and other variables are safe for athletes to practice
-Remain calm and under control in all situations
Top 3 Things I Learned About Myself as a Researcher:
-Like to research things I have questions about
-Able to use different research engines to find information
-Know how to go about finding the appropriate information (key word searches, etc)
Questions That Remain About the Field of Athletic Training:
-How many athletic trainers are there in America?
-What are some more uncommon jobs in the field of athletic training?
-What is the highest paid job in the field of athletic training?
-What are the top colleges/universities for athletic training?
-What are the top graduate programs for athletic training?
-Who was the first female athletic trainer?
-Are there any other fields I can go into with a degree in athletic training?
Completing this blog has taught me more about myself and athletic training than I thought it ever would. I can definitely see myself using blogging in the future as a form of effective communication. This whole experience has opened my eyes to a new kind of communication that can be used to share and learn new and interesting information. I am glad that I had the opportunity to blog and better my communication skills.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
Remixing Knowledge
I came across a website created by professional in the field of athletic training that focused in the different types of equipment used in sports. In order to critically read and respond to this website I used RAIDS. Here is what I got.
Revision:
-what is safety?
-how to keep athletes most safe
-why do athletes put themselves in danger by wearing or not wearing certain equipment
-power of rules and regulations
Arrangement:
-by sport
-statement
-boys and girls
-background information
Invention:
-injuries connected to improper equipment or lack of
-boys sports more physical
-more pads = more contact/injury
-quality of equipment decreases over time
Delivery:
-statement
-claims
-situations
Style:
-facts
-realistic
-informative
This website is aimed at athletic trainers and more closely athletes. The goal and purpose of this website is to keep athletes safest by providing them with up to date information on sports equipment. I feel that the website is successful in getting this necessary information across, but it ultimately comes down to what an athlete prefers when it comes to equipment. It is for this reason that I find it hard to say that this website is completely successful because it does not necessarily prevent injuries from happening.
Revision:
-what is safety?
-how to keep athletes most safe
-why do athletes put themselves in danger by wearing or not wearing certain equipment
-power of rules and regulations
Arrangement:
-by sport
-statement
-boys and girls
-background information
Invention:
-injuries connected to improper equipment or lack of
-boys sports more physical
-more pads = more contact/injury
-quality of equipment decreases over time
Delivery:
-statement
-claims
-situations
Style:
-facts
-realistic
-informative
This website is aimed at athletic trainers and more closely athletes. The goal and purpose of this website is to keep athletes safest by providing them with up to date information on sports equipment. I feel that the website is successful in getting this necessary information across, but it ultimately comes down to what an athlete prefers when it comes to equipment. It is for this reason that I find it hard to say that this website is completely successful because it does not necessarily prevent injuries from happening.
Practice Your Knowledge
I have learned about taping and wrapping ankles in a two of my classes this year, but have only had the chance to wrap an ankle. Instead of taping an ankle in class as well my professor taped her own ankle in front of the class. I enjoyed wrapping an ankle and got a lot out of the experience and thought that taping an ankle would be well worth the time. So that is just what I decided to do.
Before I could begin the process of taping an ankle I needed to find an ankle to tape. At first I contemplated taping my own ankle, but I decided that taping another person's ankle would be a more realistic situation. Although knowing how to tape your own ankles could be very beneficial if you are an athlete that has ankle problems because it would save you time in the trainer's room and it would allow you to develop a valuable skill. Anyways, I asked my roommate Alex if he would let me tape one of his ankles and he said he would not mine at all. I had Alex sit in the proper position and I went about taping his ankle in the necessary steps. At first my tape was not all that smooth and there were some openings between the tape, but as undid and redid taping his ankle the quality of my work definitely improved. After taping Alex's right ankle three times he allowed me to do the same to his left ankle. By the time I got working on the left ankle the amount of time it took me tape the ankle had decreased and the quality increased.
I wish my professors would have allowed a class period or two for taping and wrapping ankles. I would have benefited tremendously from the experience. I found that being hands on and actually taping an ankle allowed me to get a better grasp on things and see how different steps of the taping process accomplish certain jobs. My one professor did say that in order to become good at taping and wrapping you have to continually practice. It was not until I actually taped an ankle myself that I truly understood this. This whole experience helped me develop and learn better than I could have from just listening to my professor and it has reinforced that repetition increases learning.
Before I could begin the process of taping an ankle I needed to find an ankle to tape. At first I contemplated taping my own ankle, but I decided that taping another person's ankle would be a more realistic situation. Although knowing how to tape your own ankles could be very beneficial if you are an athlete that has ankle problems because it would save you time in the trainer's room and it would allow you to develop a valuable skill. Anyways, I asked my roommate Alex if he would let me tape one of his ankles and he said he would not mine at all. I had Alex sit in the proper position and I went about taping his ankle in the necessary steps. At first my tape was not all that smooth and there were some openings between the tape, but as undid and redid taping his ankle the quality of my work definitely improved. After taping Alex's right ankle three times he allowed me to do the same to his left ankle. By the time I got working on the left ankle the amount of time it took me tape the ankle had decreased and the quality increased.
I wish my professors would have allowed a class period or two for taping and wrapping ankles. I would have benefited tremendously from the experience. I found that being hands on and actually taping an ankle allowed me to get a better grasp on things and see how different steps of the taping process accomplish certain jobs. My one professor did say that in order to become good at taping and wrapping you have to continually practice. It was not until I actually taped an ankle myself that I truly understood this. This whole experience helped me develop and learn better than I could have from just listening to my professor and it has reinforced that repetition increases learning.
Works Cited
Metcalf, G. R., and C. R. Denegar. "A Critical Review of Ankle Taping." Athletic Training 18 (1983): 121-3. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
"Arnheim's principles of athletic training: A competency - based approach (14th ed.). New York: McGraw - Hill.", by Prentice, W. E. (2010)
"Arnheim's principles of athletic training: A competency - based approach (14th ed.). New York: McGraw - Hill.", by Prentice, W. E. (2010)
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Magic Johson and AIDS
Here at Michigan State University the name Magic Johnson reigns supreme over all other names that have ever participated in sports for the school. Magic Johnson's name and number 33 hang high in the rafters of The Breslin Center to honor him. Not only is Magic known for his great basketball career, but he is also known for contracting HIV. He contracted the blood borne pathogen while playing for the L.A. Lakers in the NBA. He was defining himself as one of the best basketball players to ever play the game when in 1991 he tested positive for HIV. Not too long after his diagnosis he made a public announcement that he would retire. HIV cost Magic Johnson his playing career and decreased health. This was some information that was covered in my introduction to athletic training class while learning about HIV and AIDS. Now here is some more in depth information on the topic.
AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is a disease of the human immune system caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). There is a loss of protection against even the simplest infections, which makes someone with AIDS extremely vulnerable to developing a variety of illnesses, infections, and cancers. There is currently no vaccination available and a person can be infected by infectious material such as blood, semen, and vaginal fluid. The greatest risk for contracting HIV is through sexual contact with an infected partner. And the risk of HIV transmission in athletics is minimal. The highest risk sports of HIV transmission are boxing, martial arts, wrestling, and rugby. Furthermore, there is a moderate risk of transmission by playing basketball, hockey, football, and soccer. Finally, the lowest risk of transmission is by playing badminton, baseball, and archery. Even with these claims there is still no definite answer to whether an asymptomatic HIV carrier (someone with no symptoms) should participate in sports. The American with Disability Act of 1991 states that athletes infected with HIV cannot be discriminated against and may be excluded from participation only on a medically sound basis. Neither the NCAA or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend mandatory HIV testing for athletes.
Crazy to think that there could be a possibility of contracting HIV through participating in sports, no matter how minimal. And the risk is there for athletic trainers as well, since they are in constant care and contact with their athletes. I wonder how many asymptomatic athletes are participating in sports today? I wonder if there is any way to actually find that out since athletes with HIV cannot be discriminated against? Overall, HIV and AIDS are things every athlete and athletic trainer should be aware of to best protect themselves and others around them.
AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is a disease of the human immune system caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). There is a loss of protection against even the simplest infections, which makes someone with AIDS extremely vulnerable to developing a variety of illnesses, infections, and cancers. There is currently no vaccination available and a person can be infected by infectious material such as blood, semen, and vaginal fluid. The greatest risk for contracting HIV is through sexual contact with an infected partner. And the risk of HIV transmission in athletics is minimal. The highest risk sports of HIV transmission are boxing, martial arts, wrestling, and rugby. Furthermore, there is a moderate risk of transmission by playing basketball, hockey, football, and soccer. Finally, the lowest risk of transmission is by playing badminton, baseball, and archery. Even with these claims there is still no definite answer to whether an asymptomatic HIV carrier (someone with no symptoms) should participate in sports. The American with Disability Act of 1991 states that athletes infected with HIV cannot be discriminated against and may be excluded from participation only on a medically sound basis. Neither the NCAA or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend mandatory HIV testing for athletes.
Crazy to think that there could be a possibility of contracting HIV through participating in sports, no matter how minimal. And the risk is there for athletic trainers as well, since they are in constant care and contact with their athletes. I wonder how many asymptomatic athletes are participating in sports today? I wonder if there is any way to actually find that out since athletes with HIV cannot be discriminated against? Overall, HIV and AIDS are things every athlete and athletic trainer should be aware of to best protect themselves and others around them.
Work Cited
Sutliff, Michael A., and Richard Bomgardner. HIV/AIDS--how to Maintain a Safe Environment. 65 Vol. , 1994. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
Infectious Diseases
In my introduction to athletic training class we have begun talking about infectious diseases and blood borne pathogens. Just like many other people I did not know a whole lot on the topic and found it to be very interesting and informative. Maybe that is why I am interested in the field of athletic training...? Anyways an athletic trainer must be aware of and take universal precautions against the spread of infectious disease and blood borne pathogens. Now I will present some of the information I learned in class.
Examples of infectious diseases:
-Aids (Viral infectious disease)
-Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E (Viral infectious disease)
-MRSA infection (Bacterial infectious disease)
-Pinworm infection (Parasitic infectious disease)
-Tinea pedis (Fungal infectious disease)
Infectious Diseases:
-The invasion or infection of a host (person/animal) by a microorganism called pathogens
-Pathogens - Bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi that cause disease by
1) disrupting a vital body process
2) stimulating the immune system to mount a defensive reaction
Transmission of infectious diseases:
Direct transmission
-Contact between body surfaces: touching, sexual intercourse
-Droplet spread: inhalation of contaminated air droplets from someone who sneezes in close proximity
-Fecal-oral spread: feces on the host's hands are brought into contact with the new host's mouth
Indirect Transmission
-Water, food, towels, clothing, and eating utensils
-By vectors (living things): insects, birds, or animals
-Airborne transmission: sharing air with infected people
Five Stages of Infection:
1) Incubation - from the time a pathogen enters the body until it multiplies to the point where signs and symptoms of a disease begin to appear
2) Prodromal - a variety of signs and symptoms may develop
3) Acute - the disease reaches its greatest development
- the likelihood of transmitting the disease to others is highest
4) Decline - the first signs of recovery appear
5) Recovery - apparent recovery from the invading pathogen
- the patient is susceptible to other pathogens
Hope you found this information to be rather interesting. This is a topic that pertains to more than just athletic training. This information can be used to keep you healthy throughout your daily life. And to all the athletes out there who shower after practice and games, make sure to bring your towels home every week to wash. Wouldn't want you to get invaded by an infectious disease!
Examples of infectious diseases:
-Aids (Viral infectious disease)
-Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E (Viral infectious disease)
-MRSA infection (Bacterial infectious disease)
-Pinworm infection (Parasitic infectious disease)
-Tinea pedis (Fungal infectious disease)
Infectious Diseases:
-The invasion or infection of a host (person/animal) by a microorganism called pathogens
-Pathogens - Bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi that cause disease by
1) disrupting a vital body process
2) stimulating the immune system to mount a defensive reaction
Transmission of infectious diseases:
Direct transmission
-Contact between body surfaces: touching, sexual intercourse
-Droplet spread: inhalation of contaminated air droplets from someone who sneezes in close proximity
-Fecal-oral spread: feces on the host's hands are brought into contact with the new host's mouth
Indirect Transmission
-Water, food, towels, clothing, and eating utensils
-By vectors (living things): insects, birds, or animals
-Airborne transmission: sharing air with infected people
Five Stages of Infection:
1) Incubation - from the time a pathogen enters the body until it multiplies to the point where signs and symptoms of a disease begin to appear
2) Prodromal - a variety of signs and symptoms may develop
3) Acute - the disease reaches its greatest development
- the likelihood of transmitting the disease to others is highest
4) Decline - the first signs of recovery appear
5) Recovery - apparent recovery from the invading pathogen
- the patient is susceptible to other pathogens
Hope you found this information to be rather interesting. This is a topic that pertains to more than just athletic training. This information can be used to keep you healthy throughout your daily life. And to all the athletes out there who shower after practice and games, make sure to bring your towels home every week to wash. Wouldn't want you to get invaded by an infectious disease!
Works Cited
McClaskey, D. "The Relevance of Athletic Training to Public Health." International Journal of Athletic Therapy & Training 17.3 (2012): 1-6. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
Blood-Borne Pathogens: Guidelines for Athletic Trainers. 30 Vol. , 1995. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
Psychological Intervention
When an athlete suffers an injury people do not always think about the emotional and psychological damage that has been done to the athlete. People tend to only think of the physical damage that has been done. While the physical damage done to a player can seem extreme, sometimes the emotional and psychological damage caused by an injury can almost be worse. This is why it is key for an athletic trainer to be able to use psychological intervention.
Athletic trainers must understand how the psyche, especially feeling and emotions, enter into the individual's reaction to injury or illness. They must keep in mind that each individual reacts in their own personal way. And in order to return to play injured athletes must be completely ready psychologically as well as physically. Following and injury an athlete may have problems adjusting socially and may feel left out or forgotten by the rest of the team. This is seen especially with long-term injuries. The athlete may feel as though they have received little support support from coaches and teammates. To the athlete it may seem the coaches have ceased to care about me and that teammates have no time to be with me. If this is the case with an athlete then athletic identification is gone and so is friendship based on athletic identification. To avoid or limit this from happening the athletic trainer should have a supporting relationship with the athlete (key to successful rehabilitation). The athletic trainer can provide social support to the athlete by being a good listener, finding out what the problem is, being aware of body language, explaining the injury, managing the stress of the injury, and helping he/she return to competition.
There have been so many great athletes that have suffered injuries and some never totally recover. I never really thought that the reason an athlete did not perform as well as they once did could have been because of psychological damage. An athlete's psyche must be as in tune as possible as well as the body. I hope this brings to light the importance of the psychological aspect in rehabilitation and that more people understand how it affects athletes and their performance.
Athletic trainers must understand how the psyche, especially feeling and emotions, enter into the individual's reaction to injury or illness. They must keep in mind that each individual reacts in their own personal way. And in order to return to play injured athletes must be completely ready psychologically as well as physically. Following and injury an athlete may have problems adjusting socially and may feel left out or forgotten by the rest of the team. This is seen especially with long-term injuries. The athlete may feel as though they have received little support support from coaches and teammates. To the athlete it may seem the coaches have ceased to care about me and that teammates have no time to be with me. If this is the case with an athlete then athletic identification is gone and so is friendship based on athletic identification. To avoid or limit this from happening the athletic trainer should have a supporting relationship with the athlete (key to successful rehabilitation). The athletic trainer can provide social support to the athlete by being a good listener, finding out what the problem is, being aware of body language, explaining the injury, managing the stress of the injury, and helping he/she return to competition.
There have been so many great athletes that have suffered injuries and some never totally recover. I never really thought that the reason an athlete did not perform as well as they once did could have been because of psychological damage. An athlete's psyche must be as in tune as possible as well as the body. I hope this brings to light the importance of the psychological aspect in rehabilitation and that more people understand how it affects athletes and their performance.
Work Cited
Stiller-Ostrowski,
Jennifer, Daniel R. Gould, and Tracey Covassin. "An Evaluation of an
Educational Intervention in Psychology of Injury for Athletic Training
Students." Journal of Athletic Training 44.5 (2009): 482-9. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
Noting Cultural Assumptions
My goal for this blog post was to find a portrayal of an athletic trainer in popular culture. I tried to think of some movies that have athletic trainers in them an not many came to mind. In fact there were only two that I could think of. The first of the two movies was Miracle, but I remember that I wrote about that movie earlier in the semester so I did not want to write about that again. Second of the two movies was Youngblood.
In Youngblood there is an athletic trainer of a Canadian junior hockey team. He is kind of a weird, odd older man in his late 50s who is not afraid to say what he thinks. Sometimes the things that come out of his mouth make the players he takes care of uncomfortable. There is one scene where Dean Youngblood, the main character and young star hockey player, gets injured and their is a cut above one of his eyes. The athletic trainer takes him to the locker room during intermission and literally sews the cut up. He makes a few comments while sewing up the cut that make Dean uncomfortable and it almost seems as though he is not the best athletic trainer in the world.
I think for some people this how they view athletic trainers; old, odd, and not so good at their job.
And from watching a movie such as Youngblood I can see why they would think this. Although I feel that the majority of people do not view athletic trainers this way. For the most part I think that majority of people view athletic trainers as a kind of "knock off" doctor who is on site to give you immediate medical care. This not an accurate description of an athletic trainer, but it does not take away from the profession. And to go along with this I would be willing to bet that most people view athletic trainers as people who love sports. Overall, I believe that athletic training and its trainers are not understood as well as they should be and until recent years not appreciated enough.
Work Cited
Youngblood. Dir. Peter Markle. Perf. Rob Lowe, Cynthia Gibb, Patrick Swayze. Guber - Peters
Company, 1986. DVD.
In Youngblood there is an athletic trainer of a Canadian junior hockey team. He is kind of a weird, odd older man in his late 50s who is not afraid to say what he thinks. Sometimes the things that come out of his mouth make the players he takes care of uncomfortable. There is one scene where Dean Youngblood, the main character and young star hockey player, gets injured and their is a cut above one of his eyes. The athletic trainer takes him to the locker room during intermission and literally sews the cut up. He makes a few comments while sewing up the cut that make Dean uncomfortable and it almost seems as though he is not the best athletic trainer in the world.
I think for some people this how they view athletic trainers; old, odd, and not so good at their job.
And from watching a movie such as Youngblood I can see why they would think this. Although I feel that the majority of people do not view athletic trainers this way. For the most part I think that majority of people view athletic trainers as a kind of "knock off" doctor who is on site to give you immediate medical care. This not an accurate description of an athletic trainer, but it does not take away from the profession. And to go along with this I would be willing to bet that most people view athletic trainers as people who love sports. Overall, I believe that athletic training and its trainers are not understood as well as they should be and until recent years not appreciated enough.
Work Cited
Youngblood. Dir. Peter Markle. Perf. Rob Lowe, Cynthia Gibb, Patrick Swayze. Guber - Peters
Company, 1986. DVD.
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