Sports Coverage - Immediate Medical Attention for On-Field Injuries

Players inevitably sustain injuries on the field. While this cannot be avoided, the next best thing is to respond instantly to injuries and ensure the continuity of the game. Spectrum Therapy and Fitness (formerly HEATS Therapy and Training) is the top choice of sports clubs and organizations looking for reliable, quality first-aid and medical services at the scene of action. On top of our personal training Oakville facilities, we specialize in providing athletic therapy and sports coverage for amateur sports.

Good arrangements for on-site medical coverage reflect positively on sports clubs/organizations. Spectrum Therapy and Fitness has an excellent track record of providing sports coverage services to several sports organizations in the Burlington, Oakville and greater Hamilton areas. Over the past eleven years, we have served the needs of athletes and sports bodies successfully.

What Do Our Sports Coverage Services Encompass?

The nature of injuries suffered by players will determine the medical plan of action. We effectively address and manage different injuries occurring on court, on ice or in the field. Get the right medical response for the situation at hand, ensure player relief, and minimal interruptions in the game. Here’s a look at the on-field medical help we provide:

• Attend to urgent and non-urgent injuries
• Administer first-aid
• Offer a sideline assessment of player injuries to correctly judge if it is medically safe for him/her to return to play
• Provide basic emergency life support
• Manage acute traumatic neurological dysfunction
• Prepare injured players for entrance into the appropriate health care delivery system

Spectrum Therapy and Fitness offers a range of sports coverage services across all kinds of sports, including soccer, basketball, ice hockey, football, field hockey and gymnastics. Even in the more challenging gaming environments, we have provided invaluable medical assistance and high levels of safety.

Experienced First Responders Attend to Injured Players

All the safety coverage providers at Spectrum have undergone first responder training and/or hold the necessary certification that qualifies them to provide on-field care. Experienced in athletic therapy, our providers are quick to respond to injuries and prescribe the right medical action for the situation. Passionate about doing our bit for the sports community, we rigorously follow the standards set by the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA) and the Ontario Athletic Therapists Association (OATA).

Talk to Us

To know more about our sports coverage services please call us at 905-580-4047 or reach us via email at heatstraining@yahoo.ca. You can also schedule a complementary consultation to better understand how we can help your sports club or organization with on-hand medical response.

We are located at 2335 Strawfield Court, Oakville, ON, L6H 6C2.

 

Spectrum Athletic Therapy – HEATS Field Coverage Division

Description of Field coverage services distinguishing our services from other providers.

When it comes to providing services for sport organizations such as Soccer clubs, football clubs, rugby clubs, etc, there really is no better provider or advocate of such services than a certified athletic therapist with the First Responder designation.

Based on statistical analysis over the past 12 years of covering regular league play and tournament play soccer, we have noted that our services as a first responder and sport event coverage provider, that the majority of the interventions that we are involved with are of the non-urgent variety.

I will define the non-urgent injury. With reference to the severity of the injury sustained by the player(s), there is no immediate threat to life, nor is there any compromise to the athlete’s airway, breathing, circulation or level of consciousness. Also absent, are any signs of any major bone breaks, major bleeding, dislocations or tearing away of tendinous attachments from the bones.

There are also no signs or symptoms of any spinal injuries, severe concussions, or any aberrant dysfunction of the neurological system of the player.

I will now describe what does fall within the “non-urgent” category of injuries.
As mentioned above, non-urgent injuries do not pose an immediate threat to the athlete’s breathing or airway along with compromising their level of consciousness. Non-urgent injuries tend to affect more of the musculo-skeletal system and soft tissues. Muscle strains, minor ligament sprains, heat or environmental injuries, relatively minor contact injuries (collisions with other players causing bruising or bleeding,) abrasions due to contact with the field, blisters that disable an athlete’s ability to run or walk, labored breathing due to predisposed asthmatic conditions, any minor cuts and scrapes that are deemed unfit to play with.

To bring these findings into perspective, as an athletic therapist covering soccer games for over 12 years, I would offer a conservative estimate that 70-75% of the injuries we see are of the non-urgent nature. This point of course can depend on level of play and playing conditions as well. With that said, our training, education , and skill set are well suited to these types of interventions.

Our interventions in these non-urgent situations will often advocate for the injury that the player sustained, as opposed to putting that player at any further risk at the expense of returning to the game prematurely. Other providers that provide similar services, will mainly focus on the urgent-type or more severe injuries because of the nature of their training and qualifications. These providers will be the first to admit that their treatment applications usually results in having the player sit out of the game as a result of their recommendations regardless if the injury is urgent or non-urgent in nature.

As athletic therapists, we are the athlete’s biggest fan and support option.
Our interventions are designed to help return the athlete back to play or their game should the injury be deemed fit to handle the return.

Many other providers will check off the “no return to play” option for the athlete due to their level of assessment and treatment options, whereas our service significantly increases the athlete’s chances of participation back from an injured state, safely and effectively.

Athletic therapists are also trained to intervene for the urgent injuries as well. All of our therapists at HEATS, are First Responder trained and certified.

Parents, coaches and the players want to be assured that the players are cared for both on and off the field. Youth soccer organizations should understand that although there is a degree of valuation, and fees for athletic therapy services, the cost per benefit ratio is repaid many times over with the peace of mind that is given to parents knowing their child is well cared for in any situation.

HEATS have developed this standard of care and professionalism for over 12 years of service with various soccer clubs and sport organizations.

For more information about our field event coverage services, visit us at: www.heatstherapyandtraining.com, or email us at : heatstherapy@hotmail.com

Yours in Sport,

Jean LaFleur
Spectrum Therapy and Fitness – HEATS Field Coverage Division