May/June 2020 - 18

Braces & Support
supportive over time. But ultimately the choice of what
brace or support to use comes down to the athlete.
SUPPORTING THE DECISION
A trainer can offer guidance and suggestions to an
athlete about making the right choice when it comes
to deciding on wearing a specific type of brace, but the
decision boils down to the athlete's preference.
" It comes down to mostly what the athlete wants and
has [those options] available, " DePalma said. " Don't argue
with the athletes. "
What leads to that decision can be a variety of factors
with style and even superstition among them. Sometimes
it's the placebo effect playing a trick on the athlete's mind
that by wearing a brace they will don't have to worry about
the injury and trust the protective equipment will do its job.
At Cornell, DePalma said the athletic trainer's final step
in the rehabilitation process is to get an athlete back on the
field injury-free and without support, if necessary.
" Our goal is to have an athlete be back fully without a
brace. If you want to wear a brace when they're back playing
- it's something extra. All our rehab is geared towards
having an athlete not wear [protective] gear, " DePalma said.
" Once they're seven, eight, nine months down the recovery
road and getting back to playing, they're doing all their
rehab with no brace. When it comes time to doing live drills
or non-contact drills they can wear it as something extra.
After 12 months and back playing at a high level it may
not be needed. Offensive and defensive linemen may wear
braces after the fact. But we never tell an athlete don't wear
a brace. "
So what's the bigger reason athletic trainers don't force
particular types of braces or that they must play without
a brace post-rehabilitation? Lawsuits. According to the
Journal of Athletic Training courts have recognized that
a duty exists between athletic trainers and competitive
athletes. The athletic trainer's responsibility, similar to
a team physician, is to protect the health and safety of
the athlete. Some of these duties include: assessing the
athlete's condition, providing or obtaining proper medical
treatment, providing clearance to return to participation
and informing the athlete of the risks of athletic
participation given the particular medical condition.
DePalma suggests documenting the steps in which an
athlete chooses a certain brace - noting the trial period and
their thoughts on the device before a final decision is made.
" That's to protect the program, ourselves, the student and
family and by documenting that they requested it, " he said.
Another instance of a athletic trainer providing an added
layer of protection. n
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18 | Training & Conditioning | May/June 2020

May/June 2020

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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/june-july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/april-may-2024-purchasing-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/2023-video-playbook
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/june-july
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/tc-april-may
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/june-july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/training-conditioning-video-playbook-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/april-may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/june-july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/april-may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/may-june-2020
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/march-april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/may-june-2019
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