2005 VATA ANNUAL MEETING & SYMPOSIUM

The 2005 Annual Meeting and Symposium held in January at the Williamsburg Hospitality House was once again a great success. The meeting and symposium posted a record setting 180 attendees this year. The opening evening focused on management and assessment of concussions. The presentations included Implementation of the NATA’s Position Statement: Management of Sports Related Concussions by Tim Laurent, ATC; A Comparison of Different Tools for Evaluating Mild Head Injury by John Reynolds, ATC; and The Role of Athlete Hydration Levels on Standard Assessment of Concussion (SAC) Scores by Chase Hale, ATC and Barbara Long, ATC.

The program consisted of 16 presentations over the course of two days. The program also included an American Heart Association CPR for the Health Care Professional course conducted by Emily Wallin, ATC and a roundtable discussion on teaching high school sports medicine courses by Becky Anhold, ATC. Saturday featured presentations by Robert Wilder, M.D. on Evaluation of the Injured Runner and Rehabilitation of Common Running Injuries, and Current Concepts for Osteoarthritis Treatment of the Knee presented by Stephen Saddler, M.D. Case presentations were also conducted by Tom Kuster, ATC, Breane Piatt, ATC, Kevin Domboski, ATC, and Polly Porter, ATC. The other presentations included the following:

The Medial Collateral Ligament of the Knee, What We Do and Do Not Know – Patricia Aronson, ATC

From the Field to the Operating Room: Making the Move from ATC to PA-C – Talena Williams, ATC, PA-C

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Colonization in Apparently Healthy College Students – Barbara Long, ATC, Chase Hale, ATC, and Tara Elliott

Financial Planning for the Athletic Trainer – Steve Consiglio, ATC

Management of Lateral Ankle Sprains: An Evidence-Based Approach – Jay Hertel, ATC

Also held, as part of the meeting and symposium was the college student program in which 10 students participated in 9 presentations. The schools that were represented in the student program were Bridgewater College, George Mason University, James Madison University, Lynchburg College, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Some of the presentations included:

Spontaneous Pneumothorax in a Collegiate Male Basketball Player: A Case Report – John E. Carlson (Bridgewater College)

Peroneal Nerve Contusion in a Collegiate Soccer Player – Jennifer Whited (George Mason University)

Bilateral Exertional Compartment Syndrome in the Anterior and Lateral Compartments of a Twenty-year-old Lacrosse Goalkeeper – Katie Hohn (James Madison University)

Multidirectional Shoulder Instability in a Collegiate Volleyball Player – Kristi Link (Lynchburg College)

Core Stability Rehabilitation for Weak Low Backs – Randi Scott (Virginia Commonwealth University)

In addition, we had another great showing of exhibitors in attendance this year. The exhibitors in attendance included: ACO Med Supply, Aircast, Alan G. Day Corporation, Collins Sports Medicine, Henry Schein, John Hancock Financial Services, Mueller Sports Medicine, O-Pro Mouthguards, and Seneca Medical.