Sports Medicine

Participating Providers

Athletic Trainers

Athletic trainers are healthcare professionals who work with physicians to care for athletes. They must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited program. After degree completion, athletic trainers must pass a Board of Certification exam before practicing. In the state of Ohio, along with 46 other states, athletic trainers must obtain licensure as well.

BOC-certified Athletic Trainers are educated, trained, and evaluated in five major practice domains:

• Prevention
• Clinical evaluation and diagnosis
• Immediate and emergency care
• Treatment and rehabilitation
• Organization and administration

The Role of the Athletic Trainer

Prior to school athletic events, the AT will arrive and set up the sideline. This includes water for pregame hydration and any pregame needs the individual athletes may have. Pregame preparation includes injury and preventative taping as well as stretching and therapy that is needed prior to the game.

Our athletic trainers provide game coverage and injury checks with immediate care and supervision, which is a benefit if an injury occurs. Proper health services are key to the overall wellness of athletes. The AT will have a direct line of communication with Avita physicians. This speeds up the referral process and care of the athlete: injured one day, treated and receiving rehab the next. The AT is also available to help visiting team athletes should the need arise.

Locations

Bucyrus

Sports Medicine & Orthopedics

140 Hill Street
419-562-5281

Avita Therapy & Sports Medicine

959 Hopley Ave
419-562-1009

X-Ray/Mobile MRI

629 N. Sandusky Ave.
419-562-4677

Galion

Sports Medicine & Orthopedics

955 Hosford Road
419-468-7059

X-Ray/MRI

269 Portland Way S
419-468-5771

Ontario

Sports Medicine & Orthopedics

715 Richland Mall

Avita Summit Therapy

2170 Stumbo Road
419-756-2525

X-Ray/Mobile MRI

715 Richland Mall
567-307-7666

Common Sports Injuries

Sports injuries are common across high school athletes. If your athlete develops one of the following sports conditions, consult Avita Center for Sports Health for guidance.

Baseball

• Concussion
• Bruise/Contusion
• Ankle Sprains
• Pulls and Tears
• Tennis Elbow
• Rotator Cuff Tendinitis
• Fractures

Preseason Shoulder Screenings

Avita Therapy offers baseball and softball preseason shoulder screens. This screening detects shoulder issues that could lead to injuries (GIRD: Gross Internal Rotation Deficit). Once readings are taken, an appropriate stretching program can be developed to reduce the likelihood of shoulder injuries during the season.

Basketball

• Rotator Cuff Tendonitis
• Jammed Fingers/Fractures
• Wrist Sprains
• Jumper’s Knee
• Torn Meniscus
• Torn ACL
• Achilles Tendinitis
• Ankle Sprains
• Hamstring Pull or Tears

ACL Program

Avita offers an ACL program to help reduce the risk of an ACL injury. Based on the research driven program, Sportsmetrics, this program can easily be incorporated into the daily warm-up routine of the athletes. No time will be taken away from daily practice and the training usually takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Football

• Concussion
• Torn ACL
• Torn Meniscus
• Shoulder Dislocations
• Fractures
• Heat Illness
• Stingers
• Jammed Fingers
• Contusions

Combine Training

Avita Therapy offers Combine training and testing for those interested in playing college football or for athletes looking to improve their game. Training focuses on strength, agility, speed, and power.

Golf

• Low Back Pain
• Labrum Tears
• Rotator Cuff Tendinitis
• Tennis Elbow
• Wrist Sprains

Golf Rehabilitation Program

Avita Therapy and Sports Medicine in Bucyrus offers a Golf Rehabilitation program. From a Dartfish video swing analysis, soft tissue work, whole body vibration, and possible orthotics, we can keep golfers on the greens. Specific golf swing equipment with a weighted club, along with “The Coach” Swing Trainer, golfers enhance their ability to build golf-specific strength and flexibility.

Soccer

• Torn ACL
• Torn Meniscus
• Tendinitis
• Pull or Tear
• Ankle Sprains
• Concussion
• Abrasions
• Heat Illness

Agility Training

Avita Therapy offers speed, agility, and strength training for athletes striving to improve their performance. Training facilitates muscle gain to aid in the decrease occurrence of ACL tears. Every athlete has different needs, so training sessions cater to those individual differences for improved performance.

Swimming

• Swimmer’s Shoulder
• Overuse Injuries
• Asthma
• Folliculitis
• Swimmer’s Ear
• Overtraining Syndrome
• Low Back Injuries

Endurance-Based Training

Avita Therapy offers endurance training for swimmers with the goal of strengthening the shoulder to stabilize the joint. This training can help decrease the chances of an overuse injury occurring late in the season due to repetitive motion, keeping swimmers healthy and strong all season.

Tennis

• Tennis Elbow
• Rotator Cuff Tendinitis
• Bursitis
• Wrist Sprain
• Ankle Sprain
• Frozen Shoulder
• Torn Meniscus
• Knee Sprains
• Hamstring Sprain

Tennis-Specific Strength Training

Avita Therapy offers strength and conditioning training, specific to tennis athletes. This can help reduce the risk of overuse injuries from the motions used by the athlete. Every athlete has different needs to improve their performance and this training caters to those needs.

Track

• Overtraining Syndrome
• Achilles Tendinitis
• Patellar Tendinitis
• Compartment Syndrome
• Heat Illness
• Dehydration
• Stress Fractures
• Shin Splints

Dartfish Video Gait Analysis

This software program allows sport-specific movements to be videotaped and reviewed on a frame-by-frame basis. It is important to focus on how an athlete moves to avoid injury and optimize athletic performance. This video analysis is also valuable to look at proper running form and see if there may be a need for intervention with orthotic placement in the shoes.

Wrestling

• Overtraining Syndrome
• Dehydration
• Ringworm
• Shoulder Injuries
• Knee Injuries
• Elbow Dislocation
• Whiplash
• Cauliflower Ear
• Bruises or Contusions
• Finger Fractures
• Hamstring Pull or Tear

Alpha Weight Assessments

Avita Therapy offers Alpha Weigh-ins for wrestlers. All testing is completed by a member of our staff. This includes hydration testing, body fat analysis, weigh-ins with a calibrated scale, and data input into the NWCA website.

Avita Therapy

At Avita Therapy, our goal is to provide the best possible care for your athletes. Our athletic trainers and physical therapists work one-on-one with athletes, coaches, and parents to assure appropriate injury prevention and management. We pride ourselves on the relationship between our sports medicine team and the school. Besides treating the athlete, we also aim to educate the community of the importance of proper sports training.

Communication

All coaches and administrators are given contact information for members of the sports medicine team to assure athletes are seen quickly. A 24-hour call back guarantee is an advantage like no other. If a coach, parent, or athlete leaves a message with one of our staff members, they will make contact with them within 24 hours for non-emergency situations. The Athletic Trainer will ensure the athlete is seen or referred as necessary.

Athletic Screenings

If an athlete is injured or unable to play, Avita Therapy offers free athletic screenings in our Ontario clinic within 48 hours. Because our goal is to safely return the athlete to play, our therapy approach is much different. All exercises and activities are geared to be sport-specific.

Accelerate Programs

Traditional approaches to injury consist of prehab, surgery, and rehab, followed by the wait for medical “clearance” from their physician. At Avita Summit, we offer an opportunity to bridge the gap between rehab and return to play. Through our injury and sport-specific ACCELERATE programs, we can facilitate a safe and effective return to play program.

Accelerate ACL

This program is designed for post-surgical athletes who have completed therapy but are not ready for a full return to play with no restrictions. We also use this program for athletes that have met their insurance visit limit but need to continue therapy. The therapist will work one-on-one with our ACCELERATE professional to design an individualized program using periodization that will be appropriate for the athlete. During the program, the athlete will work one-on-one with the ACCELERATE professional.

Sportsmetrics ACL Prevention Training

Sportsmetrics is the first ACL injury prevention program proven to help young athletes avoid non-contact ACL injuries. The program is most effective with soccer and basketball athletes, but can help properly train any athlete. This training incorporates drills that encourage the proper form of jumping and landing during athletic participation. It pre-positions the entire body to safely manage jumping and landing. These drills range from simple jumps to multidirectional, single foot hops and plyometrics.

Ongoing Staff Training In Graston Technique

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization relieves soft tissue by breaking down scar tissue and reducing inflammation that causes pain and restricts mobility. This allows quicker intervention at the site of the pain to treat the cause. Once the tissue dysfunction has been identified, the instruments break up scar tissue. Treatments of stretching, strengthening, and icing can then be incorporated to rebuild soft tissue.

V-Force

Vibration on our standing platform allows tight tissues to relax, and works injured tissues in sport-specific positions and exercises. Vibration allows targeted muscles to contract several times per second and builds strength quicker than regular resistance-based exercise. The platform also reduces spasms in the low back and soft tissue neck injuries when sitting, kneeling, and moving into other positions.

Custom Orthotic Fabrication and Fitting

Through the Dartfish software and a one-on-one biomechanical assessment, orthotics can be processed with a physical therapist. Casts taken of the feet are fabricated and have specific orthotics placed in the shoes of the athlete to give ideal joint comfort from the feet to the knees, hips, and lower back. Retraining with orthotics in the shoes through sport-specific activity can take place since pain is no longer a factor.

Aquatic Therapy Pool

Early weight bearing activity after an injury is possible in water. When returning athletes back to their sport, it is important to maintain conditioning. Water provides resistance to exercise and keeps the athlete active to maintain cardiovascular conditioning.

Bump Clinic

During the fall sports season, the Avita Center for Sports Health Bump Clinic is an opportunity to have sports-related injuries evaluated by a sports medicine physician. Avita provides athletes with an assessment and gives recommendations for treatment, which may include x-rays or other diagnostic testing, physical therapy, modification in the training program, or a change in equipment.

Avita’s bump clinics are available during football season at the following locations:

Contact Information