To many people, March is the month for St. Patrick’s Day, college basketball, and the coming of Spring weather, but we’d like to take this opportunity to celebrate National Athletic Training Month! At EXCEL, we recognize Certified Athletic Trainers’ commitment to helping people prevent injuries and stay healthy and active.
Athletic trainers (ATs) are defined by the National Athletic Training Association (NATA) as “healthcare professions who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions.” This year, NATA created the slogan “ATs are Health Care”to showcase the all-encompassing role of today’s Certified Athletic Trainers.
Traditionally, athletic trainers have primarily treated organized sports athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. In recent years, that role has been expanded, with ATs getting the opportunity to work in industrial settings, as physician extenders, and even in physical therapy clinics.
Athletic trainers gain an extensive knowledge of anatomy, kinesiology, and injury evaluation through their clinical and didactic education that proves invaluable in the physical therapy field. EXCEL is proud to employ Certified Athletic Trainers Mark Holmes, DPT, ATC, CSCS (Fort Lee) and Nick Daniels, DPT, ATC, OCS (Cresskill). Mark and Nick are able to draw upon their athletic training background to create comprehensive and functional treatment plans for their patients. Fun fact: EXCEL co-founder Gary Flink, PT, MSPT, was also a Certified Athletic Trainer!
Happy National Athletic Training Month!