Our Services
Comprehensive Solutions for Elevating Athlete Safety and Performance
Consulting Services
We’re currently offering consulting services to school boards, dioceses, sports medicine companies, and recreational facilities to enhance safety of athletes during sports participation. Basic consulting contractual services include the following:
- One-time annual education course for coaches to meet state requirements of Youth Concussion and Serious Sports Injury Laws
- Or a review of current educational programming to assure compliance with current laws and optimization of knowledge transfer of participants.
- A quarterly online webinar for coaches, parents, and athletes to attend to enhance knowledge on health and safety during sports participation.
- Topics may include, but are not limited to, athletic trainer role, concussion return to play/learn, emergency action planning, medical time outs prior to events, mental health of athletes, nutrition, sportsmanship, Stop the Bleed initiative, sudden cardiac death (AEDs), and weather safety.
- A monthly e-mail communication to athletic trainers and parish administrators to distribute to coaches, parents, and athletes through e-mail and social media platforms to serve as reminder messages to proper implementation of policies and procedures.
- Examples include AED policies, CPR/AED requirements for coaches, mental health emergency action plans (EAPs), venue-specific EAPs, and weather policies (heat and lightning)
Educational Courses
Educational Courses for Healthcare Providers: Continuing education courses to meet licensure requirements for a variety of healthcare professions.
Educational Courses for Youth, Recreational, and High School Coaches: Annual health and safety educational courses to high school, middle school, and youth coaches and officials. All of these courses meet the requirements of specific Louisiana state laws, including the Youth Concussion Act and the Remy Hidalgo Act.
Foundations of EBP
Evidenced-based practice (EBP) is currently recognized as the most appropriate avenue to deliver high quality healthcare as well as ensuring the best patient outcomes. It is essential that health care professionals be able to understand each step within the process while performing these steps effectively and efficiently in the appropriate order. Lecture techniques will be implemented to define the three aspects of evidence-based practice while identifying the steps undertaken by healthcare professionals throughout this critical process. This course will discuss key principles and the importance of evidence based practices within the practice of sports medicine. Participants will be able to list and differentiate between the various components of a PICOT question. Throughout this course, participants will become competent in applying solutions to reduce the barriers to implementation of evidence-based practice techniques. Small group discussions will be used to allow participants to develop an example PICOT question to integrate all three aspects of evidence-based practice.
Current Controversies in ACL Rehabilitation: What Does the Evidence Say?
As technology, surgical techniques, and graft options continue to evolve with regards to ACL reconstruction, sports medicine professionals must stay abreast of changes within the literature to assure proper rehabilitation of athletes. A combination of lecture and interactive group discussions/lab will be implemented as the instructor provides a review of the current literature as it pertains to current controversies in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction rehabilitation. Some of the topics to be covered throughout this course include the need for surgical reconstruction, graft choice options, and functional bracing. Participants will also review the possible benefits of inclusion of a neuromuscular injury prevention program while taking a closer look at appropriate rehabilitation exercises to integrate during different stages of post-operative recovery. Individuals will be able to distinguish between different types of functional tests, which will allow sports medicine professionals to develop a more comprehensive return to play plan. Interactive group discussions will be used to compare the recommended guidelines presented within the lecture to the participant’s current clinical practice while assessing the need for change within a specific patient population.
Sleep Recommendations for Competitive Athletes
Sleep has many physiological and cognitive functions that may be important to elite athletes. Healthcare professionals would benefit from developing a strong foundation regarding sleep habits to educate athletes on proper sleep habits at various levels of competition. Lecture and interactive group discussion formats will be implemented to achieve the objectives pertaining to sleep and athletes, including identification of the main phases of the sleep cycle as well as the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation. Participants will utilize group discussions to identify barriers and apply solutions to implement appropriate sleep recommendation for athletes at various competition levels. The participants will be able to assess their own practice and make immediate recommendations to athletes and staff members regarding the sleep habits of competitive athletes.
Developing Effective Concussion Education for Coaches, Parents, and Athletes
Recent developments within the sports medicine field to promote athlete safety includes education provided to athletic coaches, parents, and athletes at various levels of competition regarding serious sports related injuries. The idea of evaluating the effectiveness of educating coaches and athletic staff members on serious sports injuries is necessary for the safe and efficient care of all athletes. Lecture will be used by the instructor to review the current literature as it pertains to concussion education. Once recommendations have been elucidated, small groups of participants will complete an interactive activity to identify appropriate methods to develop and deliver educational materials to enhance knowledge transfer for all audience groups. The participants will discuss results and compare these findings to currently implemented educational programs within their own clinical practice.
Implementation of Evidence Based Upper Extremity Screening in Overhead Athletes
1 hour
Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstructions have recently reached “epidemic” proportions at the professional level. It is imperative that professionals take a proactive approach to promote prevention and wellness in athletes. Lecture and group discussions will be used to discuss literature as it pertains to upper extremity injury epidemic in overhead athletes. Participants will discuss and identify barriers to implementation of pre-season screens along with solutions to minimize these barriers. The group will discuss the benefits to performing screens on overhead athletes and develop efficient and reproducible protocols to implement within daily clinical practice.
Proper Management of Ankle Sprains in Competitive Athletes
2 hours
Ankle injuries are considered to be the most common sport injury. Some deleterious effects include high recurrence rates, chronic instability, increased risk of osteoarthritis, and decreased future physical activity level. A combination of lecture, lab, and group discussions will be implemented to achieve the stated objectives. The instructor will provide an overarching review of the literature as it pertains to ankle sprain and foot injury rehabilitation. Once the literature and practice guidelines are reviewed, the participants will partake in an interactive group discussions and lab participation to demonstrate various types of exercises discussed during the didactic portion of the course. Sports medicine professionals will be able to develop a well-established evidence-based plan for acute ankle sprain injuries, including the components of evaluation, treatment, rehabilitation, return to play decision making, and prevention, to reduce long-term negative effects from this common sports related injury.
Are We Missing the Mark with Hamstring Rehabilitation?
2 hours
Hamstring injuries are common during sporting activities with high re-injury rates, which may indicate inadequate rehabilitation or premature return to play. A combination of lecture, lab, and group discussions will be implemented to achieve the stated objectives. The instructor will provide an overarching review of the literature as it pertains to mechanisms and prognostic factors of hamstring muscle and tendon injuries. Once the literature and practice guidelines are reviewed, the participants will partake in an interactive group discussions and lab to demonstrate various types of exercises discussed during the didactic portion of the course. Participants will be able to reflect on their current rehabilitation and return to play plan for hamstring injuries and make appropriate modifications for future rehabilitation interactions.
Prevention and Rehabilitation of Elbow Injuries in Competitive Overhead Athletes
2 hours
Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstructions have recently reached “epidemic” proportions at the professional level. In addition to surgical reconstruction, many non-operative injuries occur in competitive overhead athletes. A combination of lecture, lab, and group discussions will be implemented to achieve the stated objectives. The instructor will provide an overarching review of the literature as it pertains to elbow injury epidemic in overhead athletes. Once the literature and practice guidelines are reviewed, the participants will partake in an interactive group discussions and lab participation to augment the didactic portion of the course to demonstrate various types of exercises to implement throughout the rehabilitation program Participants will be able to reflect on their current rehabilitation and return to play plan for elbow injuries and make appropriate modifications for future rehabilitation interactions.
Management of Sports-Related Concussions: Staying Ahead of the Game
4 hours
Concussions continue to be a serious epidemic in youth and competitive sports. With approximately 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports-related concussions occurring every year, these injuries are considered to be among the most complex injuries in sports medicine to diagnosis, assess, and manage. In this course, a combination of lecture, lab, and group discussions will be implemented to achieve the stated objectives. The instructor will provide an overarching review of the literature as it pertains to concussion management from acute injury to return to play. The modules within this course include introduction to concussions, recognition and sideline evaluation, clinical evaluation, neuropsychological testing, rehabilitation techniques, and academic modifications. As the literature and practice guidelines/recommendations are reviewed, the participants will partake in interactive group discussions and lab experiences to augment the didactic section of the course. Labs will be interspersed throughout lecture content to maintain attention of audience and practice skills immediately after lecture content. The mission of this course to provide a concise resource on how to properly manage concussions from acute injury to return to play by implementing a multimodal process and enhancing multidisciplinary communication to keep the athlete at the forefront of care.
Identification and Management of Mental Health Conditions: Taking Care of the Entire Athlete
3 hours
As the type, severity, and percentage of mental illnesses continue to rise in adolescents and young adults, athletic trainers and healthcare professionals are certain to encounter student-athletes with psychological concerns at the secondary school and collegiate levels. In this course, lecture techniques will be utilized to discuss the different types of mental health disorders prevalent among competitive athletes along with the various stressors and triggering events that may lead to psychological concern in these individuals. After a thorough review of the literature on best practices regarding the management of mental health conditions in athletes, group discussions will allow participants to generate a plan to formally address mental health conditions in athletes, construct a referral network of mental health providers, and investigate the legal liability associated with developing a plan to manage mental health conditions. All three aspects of evidence-based practice will be implemented within the course to assure effective knowledge transfer and integration of information into daily practice for all participants.
Effective Techniques to Enhance Athletes’ Safety: Is Your Message Getting Through?
2 hours
Recent developments within the sports medicine field to promote athlete safety includes education provided to athletic coaches, parents, and athletes at various levels of competition regarding serious sports related injuries, including sport-related concussions (SRCs). With the serious nature of these sports-related injuries, an incidence reduction of these injuries may occur with appropriate education to athletic personnel as well as implementation of safeguards throughout the health care process of the athlete. In this course, a combination of lecture and group discussions will be implemented to achieve the stated objectives. The instructor will provide an overarching review of the literature as it pertains to effective techniques to enhance knowledge transfer to allow for initial recognition of concussion injuries in youth athletes. As the literature and recommendations are reviewed to support the need to update mandatory educational programming for various audiences, the participants will partake in interactive group discussions to critique their own educational plans to mitigate the risk of continued participation after serious sports injury and identify essential areas needing remediation in current educational programming.