Sports Medicine
Seton High School
Provided by TriHealth Orthopedic & Sports Institute
Isabella Lasita '20
MS, AT, ATC | Athletic Trainer
(513) 471-2600 ext. 2429
Robert Altenau, MD
- Board-Certified Family Practitioner
- Fellowship-Trained Sports and Orthopedic Physician
(513)481-0900
- Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon
(513) 346-1600
What is an Athletic Trainer?
- Athletic Trainers are healthcare professionals who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions.
- The AT is here to return your daughter to the sports she loves as quickly and safely as possible.
- The AT is the liaison between athlete, parent, coach, doctor etc. She will speak up when the girls can’t or won’t speak up for themselves.
Athletic Training Room Hours
Criteria
- School days, the Athletic Training Room opens at dismissal
- The closing time depends on events for that day
- Hours for specific days are noted on a board outside of the Athletic Training Room.
- Dr. Altenau sees athletes in the Athletic Training Room, every other Wednesday at 3pm. Parents are more than welcome, but it is not necessary for them to be there. There is no charge for this service.
Event Coverage Home games are covered based on the national highest risk of injury.
Seton home events are covered in the following hierarchy:
- Soccer > Volleyball > Cross Country > Tennis > Golf
- Basketball > Swim/Dive > Bowling
- Lacrosse > Softball > Track
- Varsity > JV
- All coaches are First Aid and CPR certified and have AT’s number in case of an injury.
What to do if Your Daughter is Injured .
If it is a true medical emergency call 911
- Contact the AT!! In Season or Out of Season Athlete should contact the athletic trainers. Avoid unnecessary trips to the ER. Do the correct things in the beginning to ensure a speedy recovery
- RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation
- Dr. Altenau, Dr. Reilly and Dr. Chaney give priority to Seton Athletes
Rehabilitation
- When possible, the AT tries to keep all rehabilitation at Seton. There are special scenarios when rehabilitation will have to be done at a Physical Therapy clinic. This is done for multiple reasons. The first is communication. It is easier for the AT to communicate with parents, coaches and doctors if the athlete is seeing her for rehab. The second is to make it a bit easier on the athletes and their parents. If therapy is at Seton, a parent does not have to find a driver or schedule a time around the family’s busy schedule. The third is to save Seton families money. Healthcare can be expensive, the AT tries to help out when possible. Anyone seeing the AT for rehab will be given a home exercise program. Please encourage your daughter to do these exercises as well as ice when an injury occurs.
Pre-Participation Sports Physicals
It is recommended that all athletes go to their primary care physician for their annual physical. Once completed and signed by a physician, the form must be submitted to the Athletic Department:
- Upload to Final Forms
- Drop off during office hours
- Email to a member of the Athletic Department
- The OHSAA requires a physical copy of the pre-participation physical be on file with Seton prior to an athlete trying out.
- Physicals are good for 13 months. Dates in Final Forms are for 12 months, this gives a 1 month buffer to obtain a new physical.
Medical Clearance/Doctors Notes
- You are always welcome to see any physician you prefer as well as go to physical therapy anywhere you prefer. When you do, we ask that a doctor’s note or physical therapy note be turned into the AT. This helps with communication. Doctor’s visits, as well as physical therapy visits, are often a whirlwind. These notes help us and your coaches understand the diagnosis and plan. This is especially important if the athlete is being cleared to participate after an injury. All notes are put in your daughter’s file and patient confidentiality is enforced.
- A note must be returned to the AT after any visit to a physician, physical therapist, chiropractor or other medical provider before being allowed to participate. No athlete shall return to participation, even when cleared by a physician, without written notice being turned in or cleared by the Seton Sports Medicine Staff. Seton Sports Medicine Staff reserves the right, even upon clearance by a physician, to hold the athlete from competition if it is felt that it is in the best interest of the athlete.
No exceptions will be made.
Concussions
- The state of Ohio has a law forbidding any athlete that exhibits signs or symptoms of a concussion from returning to play for 24 hours. After 24 hours the athlete needs to be evaluated by a M.D. or D.O. or other Healthcare Professional (Athletic Trainer) approved by Seton to be cleared for participation. At that time, if it is found that your daughter has a concussion, there is a protocol that must be followed to return to play. The protocol is at minimum 4 days long, and can only start once your daughter is symptom free. If you feel your daughter has suffered a brain injury, please call me immediately.
- If a referee pulls your daughter from a game, there is nothing you or the AT can do to allow her to be reentered. Signs and symptoms of a concussion as well as other information about the law can be found on the State of Ohio Concussion Information Form that you signed on Final Forms prior to tryouts. The information is also on Seton’s Athletic Webpage.
- TriHealth provides ImPact testing for Seton High School. This computer based test, which feels similar to a video game, tests memory, reaction time and concentration. Soccer, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse and dance are required to obtain a baseline. Other sports will be baseline tested if requested. If your daughter suffers what we think is a concussion she will be retested and her scores will be used in collaboration with the SCAT5 evaluation, balance testing and symptoms reported to clear her to return to play. You can find more information on ImPact testing on Final Forms with the Consent form.
Lightning and Inclement Weather Policies
- It is an OHSAA rule that games/practices must be suspended when lightning is seen or thunder is heard. Thirty minutes after the last sign of lightning or thunder the game or practice may resume. It is important if a game is suspended due to inclement weather that you are safe as well as your daughter. Please seek shelter in cars or under pavilions until it is deemed safe.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest/Lindsay’s Law
- Lindsay’s Law is about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in youth athletes and was put into effect in 2017. All student-athletes and their parents/guardians must review the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Informational Handout and watch the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Informational Video on a yearly basis.
- SCA is when the heart stops beating suddenly and unexpectedly. This cuts off blood flow to the brain and other vital organs. People with SCA will die if not treated immediately, oftentimes with an AED (automated external defibrillator). The athletic trainer will have an AED with her at all times. All coaches are CPR and First Aid certified which includes AED training.
- If an athlete experiences fainting before, during, or after a practice, scrimmage, or competitive play the coach MUST remove the athlete from activity immediately. The athlete MUST be seen and cleared by a physician before returning to activity. This written clearance must be shared with the athletic trainer before the athlete can return to her sport.
Communicable Diseases
Please see the Student Handbook under Student Health for Seton’s Communicable Disease Policy. Your daughter must stay home from practice if she is not at school due to illness. There are some communicable diseases (mononucleosis, skin lesions, COVID) that will require a doctor’s note for her to return to play. She will be held out of practice/competition until a note is received.
Prevention of spreading diseases:
- Do not share water bottles, razors, towels, soap or deodorant
- Keep all open wounds covered when participating in her sport
- Keep your daughter home if she is contagious (fever, diarrhea)
Diet & Nutrition
- Most athletes at Seton do not eat or drink enough. If they do it is mostly high calorie, high sugar and low nutrient foods. Please encourage your daughter to eat a well-balanced diet full of all the food groups, especially protein and calcium. Please discourage your daughter from fad diets or diets that exclude an entire food group. All nutrients are beneficial for an athlete’s performance. If you suspect that your daughter may need help identifying a healthy balanced diet please feel free to contact the AT
- Athletes are encouraged to bring a water bottle to take with them to classes throughout the day to aid in staying hydrated. An athlete that weighs 150 lbs. and exercises for 2 hours a day should drink approximately 150 ounces of water or 12.5 12 oz. water bottles. If your daughter needs help with calculating how much she should drink, please have her get in touch with the AT.