Athletes turn to trainers for injuries

by: sarah linder
Staff Writer

Sprained ankles and knees are just some of the common injuries that are being dealt with this year.

As it has been an incredibly tough year for coaches and athletes, let’s not forget about the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

The trainers at St. Ambrose University handle many responsibilities when dealing with the pressures of helping an injured athlete. When a crisis strikes, trainers become the most important people on the field or court.

Head athletic trainer, Dean Beauchamp, has worked as a trainer for 15 years and has been at SAU for three.

"I see too many injuries during the year and it’s hard," Beauchamp said. "There are definitely more injuries this year than in the last two years, especially in football."

Football and soccer face the most injuries just about every year. This year, the football team has lost about six men for the season. The women’s soccer team, who was also hit hard, lost a couple players for their season as well.

"They tend to have the most injuries because they tend to have the most contact," Beauchamp said.

Assistant athletic trainer, Kristy Sandman, has seen many fractured tibias, which is the inner and the larger of the two bones in the lower leg. As far as season-ending injuries, Anterior Cruciate Ligament, or ACL, tears have been the most common.

"Fractured tibias are probably the worst injury I’ve seen," Sandman said. "As far as the ACL tears, they pretty much ended a lot of people’s seasons."

Aside from the common ankle sprain, there have been numerous ligament tears that result in surgery. The football team alone has faced a loss of six men to surgery this year.

"This is just a very unusual and frustrating year for the football athletes, the coaches and myself," Beauchamp said. "It’s just a rash of things we’ve had to deal with."

Sometimes, a lot of the injuries stem from bad luck, positioning, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Beauchamp believes some of it is poor conditional stress of the mechanism of what goes on. The athletes can hurt themselves by not being in optimal shape.

"The worst injury I’ve seen this year was when a football player tore three ligaments in his knee. It was the same injury Daunte Culpepper suffered in the NFL," said Beauchamp. "It was a very violent looking injury, it was very serious."

Though teams are facing a more complicated year, Beauchamp recommends some tips that can help lower the risk of potential injuries during the season.

"Do off-season training programs, keep yourself in optimal playing condition, eat smart and train smart," Beauchamp said. "And don’t overlook nutrition."

Though there have been many injuries resulting in time off or ending seasons for some athletes, this year has proved to be one of the most frustrating years for coaches and trainers as well.