Subjects Of Athletic training Philosophies (SOAP) Notes

Good morning! Today I want to talk about accountability and how it applies to athletic training. We all know there are an unlimited number of ways to achieve the same set of rehab goals, so I don’t believe accountability can relate to our individual treatment philosophies and approaches. In my opinion, I see two qualities that can measure the “success” of an athletic trainer in their dealings with patients. Those two qualities being; patient relationship & trust, and the ability to effectively progress a patient back to unrestricted activities. Each of those qualities exist on a spectrum. You can have great relationships or you might struggle to make strong connections with your patients. At the same time you could resolve all injuries effectively and quickly, or you might have patients who keep coming back for the same old thing. For the benefit of our patients, I would think we all strive to make positive connections and get them back to being healthy as effectively as possi...

Today’s article is going to resemble a bit of a nostalgic love letter. In the chaotic environment of athletic training it is easy to get bogged down under volumes of insurance paperwork or reach the end of your patience with demanding coaches. Not to mention those difficult athletes we’ve all had the pleasure of working with. Despite all of that, I’m still here on the “front lines”, many of you are here with me. But why? The hours can be grueling, the money is often abysmal, and we generally are greatly underappreciated. Despite everything athletic training might’ve deprived me of through years of study and work, it has paid back its debt twofold. Since starting my journey into athletic training, I have had the pleasure of several once in a lifetime experiences. All of which were unique to opportunities provided by my profession. Without divulging my entire resume, athletic training has sent me to other countries, the sidelines of international competitions, travel all across the ...

When I was growing up, nobody in my immediate family had much of a medical background. So when I got into athletic training, everything was new and foreign to me as I was learning about the human body. One of the greatest lessons I've learned about the body is how little we actually know! I think this article discussing lower-crossed syndrome (LCS) is a good example of that. Or maybe I just still have a lot to learn, but either way I'd like to start this discussion. Let me start by saying, I know what lower-crossed syndrome is. Well I know what the concept is and I know how the textbook describes it. My confusion lies in the pathology and reasoning for LCS. The textbook definition of LCS goes something like this "Tightness of the thoracolumbar extensors on the dorsal side crosses with tightness of the iliopsoas and rectus femoris. Weakness of the deep abdominal muscles ventrally crosses with weakness of the gluteus maximus and medius." See the image below for clari...

Good morning! Welcome back to SOAP Notes! After a long hiatus, I have another article to share! I'm sure many of you can relate to how crazy things get towards the middle/late parts of a season. With NATA convention starting this week, I felt this topic would be appropriate. Those of you who are athletic trainers know that our profession has been pushing towards more evidence-based practice (EBP) methods. This has been reinforced by the added requirement of 10 EBP credits on our biannual continuing education reports. Unfortunately, in my opinion many of these EBP continuing education units (CEUs) are accomplished through online quizzes that rarely have an obvious correlation to the clinic. Today I want to talk about EBP, how it can directly impact clinical practices, and how it might possibly be addressed differently. My understanding of the idea behind evidence-based practice is that we must hold ourselves accountable to standards set by the most recent research availab...

Hello Everybody!  Today we have a very special article on the subject of athlete recovery. It is a special article because it was written by my friend and colleague, Graham Joseph. Graham and I had an interesting conversation on the topic of athlete recovery and he offered some great ideas on the subject. I asked if he was interested in writing an article for this site, and here we are! Enjoy!  ---- “Recovery” is one of the many catch-all terms that is widely used across the sports medicine, performance, and coaching world. However, what does this term “recovery” really mean for athletes, and how does this translate to what strategies you implement in your clinical practice? With this post I will try and limit the cliché terms and explain how I consider recovery when dealing with patients and athletes. I ask myself, what are we recovering from? I like to break this into three groups; 1) Central Fatigue, cognitive fatigue, or plain tiredness 2) Peripheral fatigue, ...

Good morning! Today I am going to introduce a slightly different format. This article will be the first in a new style/series of articles that I hope to produce once a month. The format will be based on the medical acronym SOAP. In this series, I will provide 2-4 research articles that have evidence to support opposing opinions (subjective). Then I will add my own personal experience or lessons I’ve learned from others relating to the topic, perhaps on both sides of the argument (objective). I will then offer my personal stance and consideration of the presented information (assessment). Finally, the community response from all of you will provide the “plan”! The first topic of this new SOAP series will be kinesio-tape (K-Tape). SUBJECTIVE: I have two articles cited below. The first one used the application of kinesio tape on the forearm and measured grip strength and force sense in healthy collegiate athletes. In an overview, the study concluded that K-tape had no effect on gri...

Hello everybody! Today’s SOAP Note will be focused on the blend of the weight room and the athletic training room. I have previously talked about the role of the strength coach being focused on enhancing movement through force production compared to the sport coach who teaches skill. Then there is the athletic trainer/physical therapist who aim to restore mobility in injured athletes through the means of efficient movement. Today I hope to explore both the division and the deep connections between the weight room and the athletic training room. Please note, I do not personally believe all athletic trainers and strength coaches operate this way, nor am I speaking of any specific person. I am only analyzing the demands of each job in a general sense. Let’s begin with the commonalities. Between the three departments of athlete development (medical, performance, and sport) there is really only one goal; to optimize athletic potential in an individual. For each department, that goal me...