Lab 12: Protective Equipment and Prophylactic Procedures

Lab 12: Protective Equipment and Prophylactic Procedures Complete the following activities during your lab class under the guidance of your instructor. Objectives of Lab: • Describe proper protective equipment for multiple sports. • Demonstrate proper football helmet and shoulder pad fitting. • Describe the uses of thermoplastic padding. • Demonstrate the fabrication of thermoplastic padding. Lab Activity 1: Protective Equipment Fitting Practice and demonstrate your ability to appropriately apply these techniques with a partner as demonstrated and instructed in class. 1. Football Helmet Fitting Procedure a. Wet hair and measure the circumference of the head above the ears to determine shell size. b. Place helmet on head, bladders deflated and without jaw pads. c. Select and fit jaw pads so that pads feel firm against the face. d. Inflate crown bladder so that helmet is now one or two finger widths above the eyebrows. e. Center chin strap and adjust to equal pressure on both sides. f. If there are side air bladders, inflate. g. Helmet should cover base of skull and allow normal neck extension range of motion (ROM). h. Ear holes should align with ears. i. Face guard should be two or three finger widths from nose and not restrict vision. j. Apply pressure on crown. Helmet should not move. k. Grasp facemask and pull downward. Helmet should not move. l. Place hands on the sides of helmet, then front and back and attempt to rotate. m. Have the athlete perform several position specific movements to check proper fit. 2. Football Shoulder Pads Fitting Procedure 1. Ensure the athlete is standing without shirt or only in a t-shirt. 2. Assess the athlete’s height and weight, medical history, playing position, and chest circumference. 3. Match correct pads to athlete. 4. Place pads on athlete and anchor laces, straps, etc. for a snug fit. 5. Assess the fit of the pads: a. Anterior i. Covered: Clavicles, AC joint, pectoralis, and trapezius muscles; ½inch over deltoid. ii. Arms should be raised overhead and neck with normal range of motion (ROM) and without pinching. iii. Caps should fit snuggly over deltoid. iv. No overlap in outer shell and laces, pads should be tight and centered. b. Posterior i. Shell below inferior angle of scapula. ii. Laces tight and centered. iii. Collar should not pinch neck. Test pads in positions to ensure proper fit. 3. Various Types of Protective Equipment a. Describe the primary purpose of mouth guards in sport and list the three types of mouth guards. i. Purpose: Mouth guards are primarily used in contact sports to reduce injuires to the teeth, gums, or lips 1. Stock 2. Mouth formed 3. Custom fabricated b. Describe the primary purpose of eye guards in sport and list the three types of eye guards. i. Purpose: Eye guards are used to protect the eyes in sports that are at an increased risk of contact to the eye 1. Glasses 2. Shields 3. Goggles 2 Lab Activity 2: Thermoplastic Custom Padding/Bracing Practice and demonstrate your ability to appropriately apply these techniques with a partner, as demonstrated and instructed in class. 1. Thumb spica a. Demonstrate the fabrication and application of a thermoplastic thumb spica, as demonstrated and practiced in class. 2. Answer the following questions related to thermoplastic padding. a. List the materials required for the construction of custom-made thermoplastic pads. Hydrocollator,thermoplastic mold, felt, elastic wrap, and non-elastic tape to secure it b. What is the primary purpose of hard, high-density padding? To protect them from further injury We use them when someone has a bruise and is going to be practicing or playing c. Describe two ways in which custom-made padding may be secured to the body for participation in sport. Elastic wrap, or elastic tape Lab Activity 3: Case Scenarios 1. During batting practice before a weekend intercollegiate baseball series, the centerfielder picks up his batter’s helmet and notices that the open- and closed-cell foam inner lining is partially missing. He brings you the helmet and asks if you can replace the padding. The team is away from home this weekend, and no one on the team wears the same size helmet. What can you do in this situation to provide protection for the centerfielder and avoid legal problems? We will tell him that he can not bat to avoid potential injury and legal problems since his helmet is missing the inner lining foam If you have an athlete who continues to bite through a boil-and-bite mouth guard during use, what would you consider as a solution? We can check is mouth piece and charge him everytime he bites through the mouth guard 3 2. The fullback on the football team requires the use of contact lenses during all practices and competitions. Several times during preseason practices, dirt and grass were thrown through the face guard into his eyes, damaging the lenses but fortunately not his eyes. What techniques can you use to prevent debris from entering his eyes? We can have him use a shield References Prentice, W. E. (2017). Principles of athletic training: a guide to evidence-based clinical practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. 4