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From Journal-Sentinel (Milwaukee):
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=735716
Marking trainers with care
Posted: April 5, 2008
Tom Haudricourt
The 2008 season began with a total of 109 big-league players on the disabled list. St. Louis and Florida topped the list with eight players each on the DL, and only Minnesota opened with a completely active roster.
There are huge financial consequences for teams with each player who lands on the DL. With that in mind, it's time to give athletic trainers their props.
The reputations of athletic trainers took a hit over the winter when some folks confused those legitimate club employees with the likes of Brian McNamee, the personal trainer who claims he injected both Roger Clemens and Clemens' wife with performance-enhancing drugs.
So, let's set the record straight. An athletic trainer is not a personal trainer. And he's not a horse trainer or boxing trainer, for that matter.
"We are health care professionals with degrees and certification to treat athletic injuries," said Roger Caplinger, in his seventh season as head athletic trainer for the Milwaukee Brewers.
"The role of the athletic trainer in professional baseball is all-encompassing. You're the person who treats the injuries, rehabilitates the injuries, manages the injuries."
An athletic trainer must receive a bachelor's degree from an accredited college program, pass a certification test by the National Athletic Trainers Association and remain up-to-date with all educational programs.
Some personal trainers have certifications, but they are not required. The industry is self-regulated for the most part and anyone with a client can call himself a personal trainer.
This is not a knock on personal trainers, who can help people with a variety of fitness needs. But shady characters, such as McNamee and Greg Anderson, who served as Barry Bonds'personal trainer and was an alleged supplier of performance-enhancing drugs, have done that profession no favors.
In the wake of the wide-ranging steroids scandal in baseball and the resulting Mitchell Report, personal trainers no longer have access to major-league clubhouses. As far as certified athletic trainers are concerned, it's good riddance.
"They are fitness people, not medical people," Caplinger said. "We serve as the liaison between the doctors and the players. Athletic trainers are an integral cog in the wheel of how things run in professional baseball, from a medical standpoint.
"You want everybody to be a part of your medical staff, all under one umbrella. The more deviations you have from that, the more players will want to have their own personal people around. Then, you lose communication and structure."
As with all baseball teams, the Brewers have a medical chain of command. William Raasch is the head team physician and the club's medical director. He works in concert with fellow team physicians Mark Niedfeldt and Craig Young to meet the Brewers' medical needs.
Caplinger, assistant athletic trainer Dan Wright and strength and conditioning specialist Chris Joyner work underneath the team physicians, interacting with them on a daily basis.
Trying to practice proactive medicine, Raasch recently released a detailed study on pitching injuries and their causes.
"Dr. Raasch has done a lot of work on pitching injuries, interpreting the numbers and the deviations from the norms, and getting that data to our front office," Caplinger said.
"We're trying to figure out why players get hurt, how to minimize their risk on the field and how to prevent injuries. We're trying to do as much as we can to prevent these things, in conjunction with our physicians and our strength and conditioning staff."
Injuries are going to happen. The Brewers began the season with three players on the disabled list, all pitchers: Chris Capuano (torn elbow tendon), Yovani Gallardo (torn knee cartilage) and Randy Choate (broken finger).
Athletic trainers, under the scrutiny of Caplinger, are already working to get Gallardo back in the starting rotation. If all goes well, he'll be back in action with the Brewers by the third weekend of the month, some nine weeks after his arthroscopic knee surgery.
"Communication is the essence of the job, so the player knows the athletic trainers' commitment to them getting better," said Caplinger. "Our players know we're here to help them.
"We try to prevent their injuries, but when they do have injuries, we try to get them back as quickly and safely as possible."
With performance-enhancing drugs and stimulants now banned from the majors, athletic trainers also help educate the players on what they can and cannot put in their bodies. Those who test positive for such substances, such as suspended Brewers centerfielder Mike Cameron, shame on them, according to Caplinger.
"They've been educated," Caplinger said. "We hold our own (educational) meeting prior to the start of spring training. We had our EAP people talk to them. Dr. Gary Green from MLB has come and talked to them. The union talked to them.
"If they don't know by now, they have their head in the sand. Ultimately, it's the players' responsibility what they put in their body. I think education is the key. We've gone above and beyond what MLB has requested be done with the players."
Which, above all else, separates athletic trainers from the likes of Mr. McNamee.
Send e-mail to thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=735716
Marking trainers with care
Posted: April 5, 2008
Tom Haudricourt
The 2008 season began with a total of 109 big-league players on the disabled list. St. Louis and Florida topped the list with eight players each on the DL, and only Minnesota opened with a completely active roster.
There are huge financial consequences for teams with each player who lands on the DL. With that in mind, it's time to give athletic trainers their props.
The reputations of athletic trainers took a hit over the winter when some folks confused those legitimate club employees with the likes of Brian McNamee, the personal trainer who claims he injected both Roger Clemens and Clemens' wife with performance-enhancing drugs.
So, let's set the record straight. An athletic trainer is not a personal trainer. And he's not a horse trainer or boxing trainer, for that matter.
"We are health care professionals with degrees and certification to treat athletic injuries," said Roger Caplinger, in his seventh season as head athletic trainer for the Milwaukee Brewers.
"The role of the athletic trainer in professional baseball is all-encompassing. You're the person who treats the injuries, rehabilitates the injuries, manages the injuries."
An athletic trainer must receive a bachelor's degree from an accredited college program, pass a certification test by the National Athletic Trainers Association and remain up-to-date with all educational programs.
Some personal trainers have certifications, but they are not required. The industry is self-regulated for the most part and anyone with a client can call himself a personal trainer.
This is not a knock on personal trainers, who can help people with a variety of fitness needs. But shady characters, such as McNamee and Greg Anderson, who served as Barry Bonds'personal trainer and was an alleged supplier of performance-enhancing drugs, have done that profession no favors.
In the wake of the wide-ranging steroids scandal in baseball and the resulting Mitchell Report, personal trainers no longer have access to major-league clubhouses. As far as certified athletic trainers are concerned, it's good riddance.
"They are fitness people, not medical people," Caplinger said. "We serve as the liaison between the doctors and the players. Athletic trainers are an integral cog in the wheel of how things run in professional baseball, from a medical standpoint.
"You want everybody to be a part of your medical staff, all under one umbrella. The more deviations you have from that, the more players will want to have their own personal people around. Then, you lose communication and structure."
As with all baseball teams, the Brewers have a medical chain of command. William Raasch is the head team physician and the club's medical director. He works in concert with fellow team physicians Mark Niedfeldt and Craig Young to meet the Brewers' medical needs.
Caplinger, assistant athletic trainer Dan Wright and strength and conditioning specialist Chris Joyner work underneath the team physicians, interacting with them on a daily basis.
Trying to practice proactive medicine, Raasch recently released a detailed study on pitching injuries and their causes.
"Dr. Raasch has done a lot of work on pitching injuries, interpreting the numbers and the deviations from the norms, and getting that data to our front office," Caplinger said.
"We're trying to figure out why players get hurt, how to minimize their risk on the field and how to prevent injuries. We're trying to do as much as we can to prevent these things, in conjunction with our physicians and our strength and conditioning staff."
Injuries are going to happen. The Brewers began the season with three players on the disabled list, all pitchers: Chris Capuano (torn elbow tendon), Yovani Gallardo (torn knee cartilage) and Randy Choate (broken finger).
Athletic trainers, under the scrutiny of Caplinger, are already working to get Gallardo back in the starting rotation. If all goes well, he'll be back in action with the Brewers by the third weekend of the month, some nine weeks after his arthroscopic knee surgery.
"Communication is the essence of the job, so the player knows the athletic trainers' commitment to them getting better," said Caplinger. "Our players know we're here to help them.
"We try to prevent their injuries, but when they do have injuries, we try to get them back as quickly and safely as possible."
With performance-enhancing drugs and stimulants now banned from the majors, athletic trainers also help educate the players on what they can and cannot put in their bodies. Those who test positive for such substances, such as suspended Brewers centerfielder Mike Cameron, shame on them, according to Caplinger.
"They've been educated," Caplinger said. "We hold our own (educational) meeting prior to the start of spring training. We had our EAP people talk to them. Dr. Gary Green from MLB has come and talked to them. The union talked to them.
"If they don't know by now, they have their head in the sand. Ultimately, it's the players' responsibility what they put in their body. I think education is the key. We've gone above and beyond what MLB has requested be done with the players."
Which, above all else, separates athletic trainers from the likes of Mr. McNamee.
Send e-mail to thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com