Ohio State’s athletic training expands to ROTC and Sheriff’s Office

Ohio State's athletic training expands to ROTC and Sheriff's Office

Expertise of athletic trainers aids cadets, deputies in injury prevention and support

As The Ohio State University's expansion of athletic training grows beyond student-athletes, the program has made its next moves into the university's ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) program, as well as the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.

With a background in track and field training at Oklahoma State University and the University of Iowa, Ohio State athletic trainer Sam Wagner was pulled into ROTC after initially joining the team to work with the Performing Arts Medicineprogram.

Similar to high-performing dancers and other athletes, cadets and midshipmen suffer chronic injuries from an increase in physical activity when entering the program or overexertion to the point where their bodies break down.

"Education really is an important factor there, because they require, from a physical standpoint, a similar effort to a student-athlete, but they don't have the same resources as a student-athlete," Wagner said.

Athletic trainers like Wagner have taught students how to prevent injuries, whether it's going over running programs, finding the right shoes for their foot type, showing when to change those shoes out, and foam rolling and stretching techniques.

"Did you know that you have to change your running shoes every six months or 500 miles or it can start to cause problems in your bones and joints if you don't?" said Yasmine Moukadam, a third-year midshipman, 2nd class in Navy ROTC. "Well, I didn't and I don't think I ever would have if it weren't for the athletic training staff team educating us on self-care."

One of the larger concerns for ROTC students when it comes to medical attention is the potential lifelong impacts of an injury, even a minor one. When Wagner is treating students, she looks at it from a bigger picture.

She used concussions as an example: "One concussion may not have an impact now, but we ... do the best that we can to make sure this doesn't affect you later on-in and outside of the military."

To prevent fear of speaking up about any discomfort or injury that a student might be feeling, Wagner emphasizes the importance of treatment as soon as possible to avoid future problems.

She often tells cadets, "This one thing won't affect you if we stay on top of this now. If it's something that's minor, we can get it taken care of and nip it in the bud, then it'll have a better impact on your career versus us ignoring it and things getting worse."

In an effort to grow the progran, Wagner also has connected with athletic trainers working with ROTC at Auburn University, Texas A&M University and University of South Carolina to see what other programs are doing.

Bringing the athletic training team into ROTC has produced positive results.

"Our ROTC departments have an amazing relationship with the Wexner Medical Center and Health and Rehabilitation Services," said Kevin P. Cullen, assistant vice provost and director of military and veteran services. "At the individual level, our athletic training program prevents injuries, speeds up recovery and enhances performance in difficult military activities. At the academic department level, our athletic trainer increases military readiness and combat preparedness, helps build physical and mental resilience, and establishes a foundation for long-term health benefits."

In addition to the partnership with ROTC, athletic trainers were brought into the Franklin County Sheriff's Office in February 2024 in an effort to reduce medical costs for the department and individuals.

Over the past year, athletic trainers have conducted injury evaluation, rehabilitation, treatments and paperwork for a research study supported by the Human Performance Collaborative.

Unlike the ROTC and BalletMet patients, employees at the Sheriff's Department range in age and background, which leads to different injuries, Wagner said. The gear they wear also has an impact.

"We see a lot of upper extremity injuries in regard to them wearing the vests all day," she said. "Because of this, they get into a more rounded shoulder position, leading to shoulder impingement and some chronic upper extremity injuries."

After considering joining the Air Force in high school, Wagner has found a new way to contribute to their work and help ROTC students and the tactical athlete through athletic training.

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