As part of an ongoing effort to reduce the catastrophic athletic injuries and illnesses among young athletes in the United States, the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) spearheaded the Alliance to Address the Youth Sports Safety Crisis in America with the support of 29 other leading health care and sports organizations...

The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) announced today that an out-of-court settlement was reached in its Fair Practice Lawsuit against the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) on Sept. 21, 2009. The NATA filed suit against the APTA for antitrust violations that unfairly restricted athletic trainers from practicing manual therapy and gaining access to continuing education courses on manual therapy.

Concussions are by far the most common, and one of the most difficult to manage injuries seen in sports today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are between 1.6 million and 3.8 million brain injuries that occur in sports each year - and 63,000 occur in high school athletes alone.

According to a new position statement from the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), proper management of acute spinal injuries on the athletic playing field is crucial, given that sports participation constitutes the second most common cause of spinal cord injuries for Americans age 30 and younger. Sports medicine providers and others on the sidelines need to be familiar with the appropriate acute-management guidelines for athletes with cervical-spine injuries.

The World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy (WFATT) will host the 2009 World Congress in San Antonio, Texas, June 15-17, 2009. The forum is sponsored by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) with the theme of "Global Perspectives in Athletic Health Care." "We are excited to bring together leading sports medicine professionals throughout the world to address health issues relevant to active populations," said Catherine Ortega, PhD, ATC, president of WFATT.