Journal of athletic training
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To employ retrospective trend analysis in an attempt to provide a layered description of the relative contribution (per credential) of clinical athletic trainers (those without terminal degrees) to authoring scientific literature in the Journal of Athletic Training (JAT). From these data, our secondary purpose was to evaluate trends relative to changes in journal policy and increased educational rigor or professional limitations over the past decade, discussing how they may affect the potential for clinical athletic trainers to contribute to JAT. ⋯ Postgraduate research training may facilitate scientific article contribution by athletic trainers. Continued evolution in the athletic training evidence-based medicine movement should foster research-based mentorship during education. Cultivating collaborations between clinical athletic trainers and research teams may also promote outcomes assessment trials, which will benefit athletic training practices.
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Various consensus and position statements recommend a multifaceted approach when diagnosing a possible concussion. The effectiveness of these materials depends largely on their content being disseminated to educators and to those in the clinical setting. ⋯ The majority of program directors and certified athletic trainers used a multidimensional approach to assess and manage a concussion. The National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement and Vienna guidelines were underused in both the classroom and clinical settings.
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Little is known about the impact biomechanics sustained by players during interscholastic football. ⋯ We are the first to provide a biomechanical characterization of head impacts in an interscholastic football team across a season of play. The intensity of game play manifested with more frequent and intense impacts. The highest-magnitude variables were distributed across all player groups, but impacts to the top of the helmet yielded the highest values. These high school football athletes appeared to sustain greater accelerations after impact than their older counterparts did. How this finding relates to concussion occurrence has yet to be elucidated.