Tables & Equipment for Athletic Training

You are watching a high school football game and a player takes a bad hit to his knee. Besides the coach, the other person running on the field is the athletic trainer. Trainers address acute and chronic injuries. Their role is to prevent and handle injuries through hands-on and educational techniques for people involved in physically active endeavors. Athletes, extreme sports enthusiasts, dancers and actors alike rely on athletic trainers. These training professionals need equipment like tables and athletic tape to do their jobs.

  1. First Aid Equipment

    • All athletic trainers know how to tape specific body parts to protect an existing injury, or prevent an overused one from getting worse. A trainer always has plenty of athletic tape on hand; both adhesive and flexible adhesive types. He may have pre-wrap, too. Additionally, he has common first-aid supplies such as bandages, slings, and even braces. Air braces are good for sprained ankles. Hot and cold packs for warming or icing an injury are also a necessity.

    Measuring Tools

    • Athletic trainers also keep track of the athlete's body fat measurements, so they may have calipers or body fat testing tools like an electrical impedance handheld tester. If they are able, they have access to hydrostatic weighing equipment, and can measure the body weight of their athletes underwater. Trainers use goniometers to measure range of motion in joints, and measuring tapes for girth measurements.

    Tables

    • Since athletic trainers work in interesting environments like on the field or backstage, they need portable tables. These are used for taping an individual, administering first aid care or even massaging a muscle knot or cramp. Some tables are waterproof and durable, while others are designed to have storage space as well. The type of training will dictate which table or how many different tables a trainer will have.

    Exercise Equipment

    • Trainers are likely to have resistance band tubing or therabands for rehabilitation exercises or to help athletes build strength in a particular muscle group. They may have access to stationary bicycles, treadmills or ellipticals for cardiovascular exercise or rehabilitation. Balance and wobble boards are used to help athletes improve balance and coordination. Athletic trainers are also involved in workouts for team members, or overseeing weight room workouts. The possibilities for pieces of equipment are endless, from agility cones to benches to medicine balls. A lot of the equipment choice is dictated by the organization or institution employing the trainer.

    Other Equipment

    • Athletic trainers may be responsible for maintenance of hydrocollators or whirlpool baths. Therefore, trainers need cleaning equipment for these hydrotherapy tools. If trainers draw blood, then rest mats, cots, blood pressure cuffs and chairs for drawing blood are needed. Athletic trainers may ultimately be in charge of practice room setup and have coolers, freezers or other appliances for regular use.