If your child has suffered a potentially serious sports injury, contact 911 immediately. For less serious concerns, consult the event’s medical staff when available or call Prevea Health at (920) 272-3380 for the Green Bay area schools, (920) 458-3791 for Sheboygan area schools or (715) 717-3375 for the Chippewa Valley schools.
If your child is in a sport in which Prevea provides athletic training services, refer to the information below for common student-athlete practices.
At school
Injuries acquired during an athletic practice or game should be reported to your team’s licensed athletic trainer (LAT) as well as your child’s coach as soon as possible to provide complete quality care.
The LAT will evaluate the injury and decide the most appropriate course of care for the athlete. Treatment will be based upon established protocols and standing orders provided by Prevea Health physicians. Minor injuries, in most cases, can be treated successfully on site in the high school’s athletic training room. If the injury is more extensive or will require further medical evaluation by a physician, the athletic trainer will contact the athlete’s parent/guardian by phone or a written note with information concerning the nature of the injury.
On the road
If an athlete is injured while on the road at a sporting event and an athletic trainer is not available, the injury should be immediately reported to the head coach and coaching staff. They may elect to have the injured player be evaluated by the hosting team’s LAT or physician, if available. Many times the athlete will be referred back to your school’s athletic training staff the following day. It is important that the athlete reports the injury to the athletic trainer at the next available visit. In the event of a significant injury, the parent/guardian should be notified directly from the current location and consulted about the injury.
Questions from home
If you are concerned about an injury your child suffered during athletics, call or e-mail your athletic trainer.
If an injury appears minor one day, but becomes more bothersome the next day, you may call your athletic trainer and he or she can help you decide what action to take for your son or daughter. However, it is always your right to seek further medical care for your son or daughter if you have any doubt or question regarding your child’s injury.
Therapy
The LAT can assist in providing therapy for an athlete’s injury if directed by a physician through written instructions. In this case, the physician needs to provide written instruction as to what type of actions they would like the LAT to perform.
Return to play
If you take your child to see a physician regarding an injury or medical concern, it is required that the attending physician send a written note with directives as to when the athlete is allowed to return to play, along with any limitations on practice or playing status. This must be on file with the athletic trainer and/or the school before the athlete returns to full active status.
If the athlete has a cast from a broken limb and is cleared by his or her physician to participate in athletics, a note must be provided to the athletic trainer so the cast can be padded for the athlete’s contests. A note also has to go to the referees of the contest stating the cast must be worn for protective reasons and the athlete is cleared to participate with the cast in place.