Established in 1997, St. Louis Athletic Training Services is a leading provider of on site sports medicine to all levels of athletic competition.  From weekend tournaments to competitive leagues to professional sports, STLATS is who to call for your sports medicine needs.

What is Athletic Training?

Athletic training is practiced by athletic trainers, licensed health care professionals, who collaborate with licensed physicians to provide physical rehabilitation to individuals who participate in amateur, recreational or professional sports activities.  Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis, and management of emergency, acute, and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations, and disabilities.

What does that mean?

Athletic Trainers are there to take care of you before, during and after your injury.  Athletic Trainers are licensed to provide the therapeutic physical rehabilitation needed to return to play from any injury. 

What is an Athletic Trainer?

Certified Athletic Trainers are licensed, healthcare professionals who are experts in injury prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation, particularly in the orthopedic and musculoskeletal disciplines. The American Medical Association (AMA) has recognized athletic training as an allied healthcare profession since 1990.   Certified Athletic Trainers must possess a degree from an accredited athletic training curriculum. Athletic Trainers in Missouri are required to be licensed by the State Board of Healing Arts.

Athletic Training Education Content Areas

• Risk Management and Injury Prevention
• Pathology of Injuries and Illnesses
• Orthopedic Clinical Examination and Diagnosis
• Medical Conditions and Disabilities
• Acute Care of Injuries and Illnesses
• Therapeutic Modalities
• Conditioning and Rehabilitative Exercises
• Pharmacology
• Psychosocial Intervention and Referral
• Nutritional Aspects of Injuries and Illnesses
• Healthcare Administration
• Professional Development and Responsibility

Athletic Training Practice Domains

• Prevention
• Clinical Evaluation and Diagnosis
• Immediate Care
• Treatment, Rehabilitation and Reconditioning
• Organization and Administration
• Professional Responsibility

Employers of Athletic Training Services

• Professional and Collegiate Sports
• Secondary and Intermediate Schools
• Sports Medicine Clinics
• Hospital ER and Rehab Clinics
• Occupational Settings
• Physician Offices
• Club Sports Leagues
• Parks and Recreation Departments
• United States Military Services
• Sports Events Organizing Committees

Where can our ATC's be

found?

You can find our ATC's on the sidelines of high school sports, professional football, junior hockey, high school hockey and little league wrestling, just to name a few. 

 If an athletic contest is being played, an ATC should be on the sidelines.  Having a Licensed Athletic Trainer at every sporting contest is extremely important.  ATC's provide a level of service that no other healthcare professional can.  ATC's are often the first person to evaluate an injury, usually within minutes of that injury's occurrence.  The athletic trainer then initiates a treatment plan based on their findings during that evaluation. 

Does your organization need athletic training services?

To determine if your organization or event needs Athletic Training Services all you have to do is ask yourself one question:

Does the potential for a serious injury exist at this event?

If the answer is Yes, then you should hire a Certified Athletic Trainer to provide on site medical coverage for your organization or event.  It is suprisingly cost effective.

Are Personal Trainers and Athletic Trainers the same thing?

Absolutely Not!

While some personal trainers have a degree in a human science there are no degree requirements for personal trainers and without regulation or licensure anyone can call themselves a personal trainer. 

In the state of Missouri it is technically illegal for anyone, other than a licensed athletic trainer to use the word or phrase "trainer" when describing themselves or what they do, however, it is nearly impossible to enforce. 

Everyday it seems we hear about another superstar athlete testing positive for performance enhancement drugs, and each time a new report comes out the word "trainer" is usually in there somewhere.  This is especially debilitating to the Certified Athletic Trainers out there because the general public doesn't understand the difference between personal trainers and athletic trainers. 

Here is an interesting article about this in the world of Major League Baseball.  Thanks to Alyson Footer and MLB.com for making this available.