Craven SPORT services event medical coverage is as multi-faceted as the potentially injuries we treat. While each sport hosts unique set of needs and potential injuries, CSS provides the highest quality of event medical coverage at all times. All CSS staff providing event medical coverage are either certified physiotherapists or certified athletic therapists, and have completed their Sport First Responder.

A typical event may include:

• Injury prevention: Before an event, the physiotherapist may provide taping and mobilization where required.

• Event observation: The physiotherapist will be watching the game or event for suspected injuries and may approach an athlete on the bench to asses if an injury has occurred and whether further assessment is required.

• Responding to on-the-field injuries: The physiotherapist on site will attend to the athlete as quickly as possible. Coaches are encouraged to come on field and interact with the athlete. The physiotherapist will take charge of the situation and carry out the on-field assessment in a safe and efficient manner to determine if it is a life-threatening situation, if EMS needs to be activated, or if it is safe to remove the athlete from the field of play.

• Providing a working diagnosis: A working diagnosis will be determined by the physiotherapist before deciding if the athlete is able to safely return to play.

• Communicating with coaches: The physiotherapist will inform the coach of the status of the athlete as quickly as possible.

• Communicating with parents: The physiotherapist will also communicate their findings and recommendations to the athlete’s parents/guardians if they are available.

• Returning athletes to play: If/when an athlete is cleared to play, the physiotherapist will return the athlete to play as quickly as possible.

• Removing an athlete from play: If the physiotherapist deems an athletes injury to be such that they need to be remove from play, the physiotherapist will keep the athlete’s helmet until the athlete is cleared by the physiotherapist to return to play. This has been standard practice for concussions for the past several years, and will now include all incidences where the athlete has not been cleared to return to play.

• Supporting follow-up care: Should the physiotherapist believe that an MSK injury or suspected concussion would benefit from the ongoing care of a physiotherapist, they will provide the opportunity for the timely booking of a full physiotherapy assessment at the CSS clinic (note that ongoing care is the financial responsibility of the athlete/family)