Calls for athletic therapists to be present at all-level sports in Quebec
Posted January 14, 2023 6:05 pm.
Last Updated January 14, 2023 6:24 pm.
“When there’s nobody present who’s trained in this, you might have parents and coaches run on and does anybody know CPR? Call 911! Ok, but by the time the ambulance arrives, it might be too late,” said Montreal athletic therapist Cristina Mattoscio.
One Quebec athletic therapist is calling for medical staff to be present during sports at all levels in the province – after NFL player Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during a game.
The shocking televised event – a hard-hitting reminder of the importance of athletic therapists.
“Any injury can happen that can be life threatening but even if we just look back at the commotio cortis that happened to Hamlin, the first 3 minutes are the most crucial. If you do not receive that care in the first 3 minutes, your chance of survival goes from 25 down to 3%. That’s just one case, but in any other life threatening case, it is the ability to receive that lifesaving care immediately, which makes the difference,” said Mattoscio.
All sports can lead to injury – but life-impacting or endangering incidents are historically more common in high contact sports like hockey, football and soccer.
“I’ve had athletes where it wasn’t urgent when I arrived to tend to them because we were able to de-escalate the situation. However, if we’re not there and the athlete suffers an ACL tear, I’ve seen this happen many times. I get on the field, there’s screaming, hyperventilating, rolling around when we don’t manage the initial shock they can go into shock and it will then become an emergency,” said Mattoscio.
Cristina treats minor injuries every time she works – no matter the sport, for high-contact sports at least once every match and for more serious injuries on average one every three shifts. But for most Quebec athletes – medical staff isn’t on-site.
“University level, CEGEP level, there’s a medical staff on site. But if we bring it down to the high school level, it gets a little complicated. It gets a little more difficult to have those people on side because there’s so many so many high schools and the distance. And they don’t always have access to those facilities and people that are trained, medically trained to be on-site,” said Stephane Boudreau, Assistant Director General for the RSEQ.
Quebec has the highest number of hospitalizations due to sport in Canada as compared to any other province, according to statistics.
Experts say athletic therapists – could make the difference in reducing the strain on Quebec’s fragile healthcare system
“I don’t know what happens when we’re not there. It’s actually scary for me to think about,” said Mattoscio.
