Sport First Aid

Approximately 90 percent of high school student-athletes report sustaining an injury while participating in sports. With only about one-third of high schools in the United States having full-time athletic trainers and another third lacking any athletic trainer services, you—the coach—are often the first responder when an injury occurs. This reality underscores the importance of providing you with proper training in first aid and injury prevention. Such training prepares you to act quickly and appropriately when an athlete is injured or becomes ill, ensuring the safety and well-being of your student-athletes.

As a current or aspiring high school or club coach, you can rely on Sport First Aid, Sixth Edition, for the information you need to be a capable and confident first responder. The sixth edition has been revised and restructured. It features an unparalleled author team of experts in athletic training, sports medicine, exercise science and physiology, strength and conditioning, and sport coaching. It reflects the leading health organizations’ latest emergency guidelines, including those for CPR, concussion, dehydration, and heat illness.

Tailored specifically to your needs as a coach, the text covers causes, symptoms, and action steps for more than 100 injuries and illnesses. In this sixth edition, the most common injuries and illnesses are described in greater detail and prioritized so they are easier to reference. Additionally, flowcharts for over 40 specific injuries and illnesses offer step-by-step visuals to guide you through the decision-making and response process.

Beyond specific first aid procedures, the text provides guidance on understanding your legal duties as a coach, assembling an athletic health care team and collaborating with other team members, minimizing the risk of injury, planning for medical emergencies, administering the plan during emergency situations, and assessing when and how to move injured and sick athletes.

An athletic trainer may not always be present at every practice and game. As a coach, it’s crucial to have a basic understanding of first aid and injury prevention. Sport First Aid is the most authoritative source for this potentially life-saving information. It will prepare you to respond appropriately in emergency situations, meet your legal obligations as a coach, and foster a safe environment for your athletes.

Robb S. Rehberg, PhD, ATC, NREMT, has served in many roles in the fields of athletic training, sports medicine, and emergency care. He is currently a professor of sports medicine and athletic training at William Paterson University of New Jersey and a senior medical advisor and director of game day medical operations for the National Football League (NFL). He also served as head athletic trainer at Westwood Regional Junior/Senior High School in Westwood, New Jersey, for 14 years; as a clinical athletic trainer at the Center for Concussion Care at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, New Jersey; and as a high school and youth sport coach.

Rehberg has held several leadership positions, including serving as president of the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey and as a member of the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association and National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) District 2 executive boards. Outside of athletic training, Rehberg has served as the director of first aid and emergency preparedness training and program development for the National Safety Council. His contributions and service to sport safety, athletic training, and sports medicine have been recognized through numerous awards, including induction in the halls of fame of both NATA and the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey.

Rehberg has authored three textbooks in the field of sports medicine and has edited over a dozen first aid, CPR, and emergency preparedness textbooks and related training programs. He has served as an author or coauthor of dozens of publications and presented over 200 lectures on various topics in sports medicine and emergency care. He has also authored several online education programs, including ConcussionWise, a concussion education program that has trained over 2.5 million coaches, parents, and athletes in 53 countries. He served as executive producer for over a dozen first aid, CPR, and emergency preparedness training programs with the National Safety Council.

He is the cofounder of two companies: Sport Safety International, an organization dedicated to the safe participation in sport and physical activity through education, and the Rehberg Konin Group, which is the largest group of athletic training legal experts in the world.

Rehberg earned his bachelor’s degree in athletic training with a minor in health science from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, a master of sport science degree from the United States Sports Academy, and a doctor of philosophy degree in health science from Touro University.

CONTRIBUTORS
Michael Prybicien, MA, LAT, ATC, CES, PES, is a certified and licensed athletic trainer in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and is currently an athletic trainer at Passaic High School in New Jersey, a high school with over 3,100 students and 1,500 student-athletes. He is also an athletic training adjunct faculty member at William Paterson University of New Jersey and an athletic trainer spotter for the NFL.

Prybicien is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and holds bachelor’s degrees in both health education and exercise and sport science. He earned a master of arts in sport administration teaching, with a concentration in health education, from Kent State University.

Prybicien has received several prestigious awards for his work in the field, including the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Service Award and Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award and the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey (ATSNJ) Distinguished Service Award. Additionally, he has been inducted into both the ATSNJ Hall of Fame and the New Jersey Scholastic State Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

He is active with the NATA, serving on the Secondary School Committee, the ATs Care Committee, and the AT Educationalist Community Board. He has authored numerous online education courses, book chapters, abstract articles, and journal articles in his areas of expertise.

Ben Chianchiano, MS, ATC, LAT, CSCS, has a master of science degree in exercise science and physiology from William Paterson University of New Jersey and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. He has been a strength and conditioning coach at the high school and collegiate levels and has also worked in clinical settings. He is a subject matter expert who works on special projects at Sport Safety International, an organization dedicated to the safe participation in sport and physical activity through education.