Surprise! The Work Has Just Begun

When an athlete becomes injured, it always comes as a surprise which results in a feeling of shock – especially if the injury is serious. This is common among athletes who have to get treatment done in the athletic training room at Bluffton University.

The injured athlete also tends to be shocked when they learn of all the different exercises and therapy they have to go through to get better. The athletic trainers do their best to appease these feelings. “Most of the athletes who come through the training room really struggle with their injury and how it affects their season. We [student athletic trainers] do our best to help them deal with their injuries and the pain of rehabilitation,” said Kait Crawford, head student athletic trainer for the year 2010.

It takes a lot of hard work on the part of the athlete and the athletic trainers to get the athlete back into performance mode and that is something else a lot of athletes deal with. “It’s not uncommon to see an athlete in the training room months after their injury or season has ended because keeping them [injured athletes] in rehabilitation prevents the injury from reoccurring,” said Crawford.