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Evaluating
an Injured Athlete
Field Exam
1.
Do not move the athlete.
Do not remove the helmet.
Do
not use ammonia inhalants, which may cause the head to jerk from the
noxious
stimulus.
Do not give liquids or food.
Do
not rush the evaluation.
Do not worry about delaying the
game.
If the athlete is unresponsive, alert other
medical personnel and coaches, and call for an
ambulance. The
medical staff should then proceed with CPR steps as necessary. If the
athlete is not breathing, start rescue breathing.
2.
Evaluate mental status, symptoms, mechanism of injury, rule out neck
injury, give a physical exam of injured area, slowly have athlete sit
up, reevaluate, help athlete walk to sidelines.
3.
The first responder at the scene of an athletic injury needs to be
able to recognize a life-threatening condition, provide emergency
care, and facilitate transportation to a medical facility when
indicated. An orderly, logical primary assessment on the field can
help identify serious conditions promptly and guide further
evaluation and treatment.
Courtesy
of Ohio State University http://amp.osu.edu
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