#IdahoRush
Concussion Awareness
Saint Alphonsus Sports Medicine
Saint Alphonsus Sports Medicine is a team of physicians, certified athletic trainers, and physical therapists that work with many athletic organizations with the goal of keeping athletes doing what they love. Sports Medicine specialists understand that athletes are different than most, athletes continue to participate and work through injuries and pain. We want to help prioritize your injury care and get you back to doing what you do best! Saint Alphonsus sports medicine has experts that can help any athlete with injuries, we understand that athletes need specialized and expedited care.
Baseline Testing
Diagnosing concussions relies partially on recognizing changes in a player’s cognitive ability (i.e. memory, etc.). But to notice the changes, we have to have an idea of the player’s cognitive ability before the possible concussion happened. To establish this “baseline” we strongly encourage players to have baseline testing done by experienced medical professionals: To make an appointment with the call 208-367-3761. Teams can also make group arrangements. The cost is $20 per player. Baseline testing is recommended for players 10 years of age and older. The tests are recommended yearly for kids 10-14, then every other year for players once they get to high school.
Concussion/On Field Service
The new concussion policy requires that players who have sustained a concussion be evaluated and cleared by a medical professional before returning to play. To facilitate that evaluation, Certified Athletic Trainers from Saint Alphonsus are on-site at the Simplot Sports Complex and the Optimist Youth Sports Complex on Saturdays during the soccer season. These trainers are qualified to evaluate, diagnose, and authorized to clear players for returning to the game. At Simplot, the trainers can be found in the north parking lot above Fields 5 and 6, where headquarters tents are normally set up for tournaments. At Optimist fields, the athletic trainers can be found near the tennis courts. There is no cost to be seen by these athletic trainers. Athletic Trainers will also help with soccer-related injuries other than concussions, too.
Coach and Parent Education
Idaho Rush prioritizes coach and parent education; we have created an education seminar to educate all our coaches and parents on how to recognize possible concussions and provide them with the tools to be able to deal with concussions when they occur. In conjunction with concussion education, the seminar also focuses on injury prevention, nutrition and hydration and overall athlete wellness.
Call an ATC phone line
We have created a call a Sports Medicine Ask an ATC phone number, where any coach, athlete, or parent can call and receive guidance from a certified athletic trainer on injuries.
Call us, we can help!208-367-3761
