It's the fourth quarter, fourth down and 1 yard to go. The home team is down by 3 and the state championship is on the line.
Injuries occur everyday to athletes at all levels of competition.
Many of these injuries are minor, but many are potentially serious. Athletic trainers are board-certified, licensed allied health care practitioners who specialize in the recognition, treatment, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries. Certified athletic trainers work on a daily basis with athletes in a variety of settings to provide for their total health care and to help improve their physical performance. The certified athletic trainer is a highly educated and skilled professional specializing in athletic health care. In cooperation with physicians and other allied health care personnel, the athletic trainer functions as an integral member of the athletic health care team in secondary schools, colleges and universities, sports medicine clinics, professional sports programs, and other athletic health care settings.