ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOX) - With high school sports competition resuming in the region, trainers are taking on new roles.
Many athletic trainers are responsible for helping develop contingency plans for any type of emergency. Brent Holtgrewe is Director of Athletic Health Care Services for St. Louis based non-profit Athleticare Sports Health Foundation. Holtgrewe says trainers have also had to help develop protocols for returning to play safely during the pandemic. "If we don't understand these protocols and follow these protocols, we're not going to be able to do what we want to do and be able to give these kids the opportunity to do something that they love."
Holtgrewe says protocols have included screening, ppe and distancing. He says many athletic trainers chose to start practices in small pods, "a positive test didn't lead to an outbreak because we did what we were supposed to do."
He says one of the biggest challenges for trainers is identifying potential coronavirus cases in young athletes, because the symptoms tend to be mild and resolve quickly.
Holtgrewe tells KMOX one concern trainers have right now is not knowing the long-term impacts for coronavirus infections, "COVID-19 effects the respiratory system and the heart, the cardiovascular system, so it is concerning. What does this look like for our athletes?"
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