Athletic Training

OPA is proud to support student athletes in Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley by donating the services of certified athletic trainers at nearly all high-school athletic events.

About Athletic Training

As a service to the community, OPA dedicates its entire team of certified athletic trainers to work full time in Anchorage and Mat-Su school district high schools – preventing over 4,476 injuries per year (based on a 2012 injury rate study from the American Academy of Pediatrics and actual number of injuries documented by OPA athletic trainers during the 2018-2019 season in the Anchorage School District). OPA athletic trainers also support many local events and organizations free of charge.

Athletic Trainer Services:

  • Clinical evaluation, diagnosis and/or referrals for a wide variety of medical conditions.
  • Evaluating and re-evaluating readiness to play.
  • Taping players before or during practices & games.
  • Therapeutic exercise planning.
  • Gait training.
  • Orthotic (brace) fitting.
  • Pre-game instruction and training at coaches and players meetings.
  • Injury treatment during games and practices.
  • Emergency treatment — ATCs are trained in life-saving skills such as CPR and AED use.
  • Care coordination with physicians, surgeons, EMTs and emergency department staff as needed.
  • Concussion prevention education & baseline testing assistance (now required by school districts).
  • Concussion return-to-play protocol supervision.
  • Consultation with parents, coaches, players and others regarding injury prevention and rehabilitation for individual players.

Athletic Trainer Community Benefits

Athletic trainers help individuals and entire communities stay healthy and play safe.

Athletes

Whether you’re a competitive athlete or a weekend warrior, athletic trainers can make an immediate difference in your performance and your recovery. They also give you the self-awareness you need to remain safely active throughout your life.

Coaches
Coaches count on ATs to help prevent injuries, to keep their players healthy and performing well throughout the season, and to know it’s safe for them to return to play after an injury.
Parents
Having a readily accessible health care provider at games and practices gives parents peace of mind that their kids will be as safe as possible — and well taken care of.
School Administrators
In addition to reducing overall injury rates, the presence of athletic trainers during school athletics reduces exposure to liability. It also keeps the school on the forefront of injury prevention and sports safety.

Our Athletic Trainers

The OPA team includes Alaska’s leading specialists and offers some of the latest, most advanced treatment procedures available today.

OPA treats a wide variety of conditions and offers comprehensive treatment options — including many non-surgical solutions, minimally invasive, and total joint replacements.

All treatments work to restore pain-free function that allows patients to lead active, fulfilling lives, be it walking pain-free or getting back into athletic action.

Questions?

The OPA team includes Alaska’s leading specialists and offers some of the latest, most advanced treatment procedures available today.

OPA treats a wide variety of conditions and offers comprehensive treatment options — including many non-surgical solutions, minimally invasive arthroscopies (repairs) and total joint replacement.

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