Lawrence University

To the parents of all of Lawrence University's student-athletes,

Rest assured, your son/daughter will be well taken care of by the athletic training staff and team physicians at Lawrence University.  Lawrence University employs highly regarded Certified Athletic Trainers (ATC) that are nationally certified by the Board of Certification for Athletic Trainers (BOC) and licensed by the State of Wisconsin.  We are devoted to the health and wellness of your student-athlete.  We manage this objective through early recognition of athletic injuries and illnesses and supervision of a complete rehabilitation plan. In order for us to achieve these goals, your understanding of our responsibilities and our program is essential. The purpose of this page is to inform you about athletic training services and the sports medicine care available to your child at Lawrence University.  

Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) are health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions.  I encourage you to visit the National Athletic Trainers' Association webpage for more information about Athletic Trainers.

Please visit our AT Facility webpage to learn more about the types of equipment we have to offer for treatment and rehab.

NOTIFYING ATHLETIC TRAINING STAFF OF AN INJURY/ILLNESS

It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to report any injury or illness as soon as possible to the Athletic Trainer for an initial evaluation and/or consultation.  The athletic trainer's evaluation of the injury may result in any or all of the following actions:

• Treatment and rehabilitation of the injury
• Referral to a LU Team physician/consultant
• The athletic trainer will inform the coaches of initial evaluation and/or physician referral
• The progress of the athlete is monitored by the athletic trainer, who will update coaches of the athlete's progress

The athletic training staff is here to help your child with any injury or illness they may sustain.  When they call home and say "I got hurt" or "I don't feel well", please ask if they have seen the Athletic Trainer. If they say "no", please encourage them to go see the Athletic Trainer as soon as possible.

If your athlete has any surgeries or hospitalizations, it is important that we know about those as soon as possible so we can begin the rehab and return to play process.

REHABILITATION (POST-SURGICAL and POST-INJURY)

If any student-athlete has surgery or sustains an injury, we are fully capable of handling all therapy/rehab in the athletic training room.  We have an on-site Physical Therapy Assistant that provides physical therapy free of charge to the student-athlete.  Below are some benefits of the student-athlete completing rehab in the Atheltic Training Room (ATR) vs a Physical Therapy Clinic.

• The student-athlete is able to receive guided rehab/therapy about 4-6 days a week either from the PTA or ATC.  Patients typically visit a clinic only 1-2 times per week.
• They do not have to leave campus for their therapy.
• We work around the student-athlete's schedule so they do not miss class and can still attend practices to be with their team.
• We have many of the same modalities available in the ATR as in a PT Clinic (and no extra charge).
• We still work with the student-athlete's surgeon about the post-op protocol and progression.

ATHLETIC TRAINER / PHYSICIANS CLEARANCE

The LU Athletic Trainers and Team Physicians/consultants have the final say to determine whether a student-athlete is held or restricted from participation due to an injury or illness.  LU reserves the right to exclude a student-athlete from competition if there is any doubt concerning the student-athlete's physical condition or ability to safely compete in intercollegiate athletics.

RETURN TO PLAY GUIDELINES

The Athletic Trainer or Team Physician/consultant will determine when a student-athlete can return to full athletic activity.  This decision is based on many factors but includes their progress in rehabilitation and their performance in functional and/or skill tests.  The Athletic Trainer will monitor daily progress and determine the level of participation which may include limiting participation, restricting activity, and/or removing the athlete from any or all activity.

The Coach's Role--It is important to note that the coaching staff at LU is NOT involved in the clearance of an athlete after an injury. While we are in constant contact with the coaching staff regarding injuries and we work very closely with them when returning an athlete to play, coaches do not make decisions regarding an athlete's injury care. For these reasons, if you have questions or concerns regarding your injured athlete, they should be directed to Athletic Training staff.

PHYSICIAN REFERRALS

Our general rule for all (non-emergency) injuries and illnesses is make sure you see the Athletic Trainer first.  For the best results, we would like all referral decisions coordinated through us. This allows several important things to happen, it ensures all relevant parties are aware of the injury, it ensures we have a precise diagnosis, treatment plan, and participation status from the physician before the student-athlete returns to play, and in short, it allows us to provide optimum care throughout the duration of the injury/illness.

We have developed relationships with several Primary Care and Orthopedic doctors in the area. It is important to note that these relationships are not monetarily based and several of the physicians donate their time to see athletes in the LU Athletic Training Room throughout the school year.  These relationships allow for our student-athletes to be seen in the ATR and also in the physician's clinic in a very timely manner, most times the day of or day after an injury or illness.

If you feel your son or daughter needs to see a physician for an injury or illness, please feel free to give us a call and discuss the situation. 

ATHLETIC TRAINING ROOM PHYSICIAN VISITS

Throughout the school year, our team physicians (both primary care and orthopedic) donate their time to come in to the LU Athletic Training Room to see LU student-athletes free of charge.  The visits are coordinated by the LU Athletic Trainers and typically occur on Mondays or Tuesdays.  Any athlete can be seen, provided they have spoken with an LU Athletic Trainer first.

If your child would like to be seen by one of our team physicians, please have them some speak to one of the Athletic Trainers.

SEEKING OUTSIDE MEDICAL ADVICE

Every student-athlete has a right to consult outside medical advice, however, it is strongly encouraged that the student-athlete start with a LU Athletic Trainer.   

If an Athletic Trainer is unavailable and the situation is emergent and needs immediate attention, the student-athlete should seek medical attention at the closest facility. Athletes are required to notify the athletic training staff as soon as possible of the emergency room visit.

• All LU student-athletes are required to have health insurance that meets the requirements (Insurance FAQ).
• A copy of the student-athlete's primary insurance card must be on file prior to their being allowed to participate in any conditioning, practice or competition.
• If the student-athletes insurance policy expires or changes during their season and new information is not on file, they will be ineligible until proof of valid insurance is shown.