Blue Raider
Sports Medicine Health care is one of the most important aspects of a stu-
■ Drew Shea
■ Alison Ness
■ Robbie Stewart
dent-athlete’s life, and no university is more committed to keeping athletes healthy than Middle Tennessee. The Sports Medicine facility provides MTSU student-athletes with one of the finest athletic training facilities in the nation. Head Athletic Trainer Drew Shea and the Sports Medicine staff have set liberal hours to make sure each student-athlete has his or her needs met. The Sports Medicine facility opens early each morning and doesn’t close until all student-athletes have been treated. The Sports Medicine facility contains a complete injury rehabilitation center, new rehab equipment, two full-size whirlpools, a dressing area for athletes, and a private office for the team physicians. In the summer of 2008, the facility added new Mondo Ramflex flooring to provide a safe and healthy environment for the student-athletes and added new treatment tables in 2009. There is no waiting in the Sports Medicine facility since there are nine taping stations, multiple state-ofthe-art modalities, and a new rehabilitation area. All of the equipment in the facility is top of the line. Athletes can use a full-stride treadmill, a stairmaster, and an exercise bike during their rehabilitation. One of the most recent additions to the equipment is a $15,000 K-Laser which helps speed up the healing process, enabling student-athletes to return to competition at a faster rate. A fully stocked physician’s examination room for the resolution of any minor issues that a student-athlete may encounter without having to take more time-consuming measures. There is also a C-Arm portable X-Ray machine on site. Shea and his assistants each have an office in the Sports Medicine facility, and there is work space for the nine graduate assistants. Each office is self-contained, allowing private consultations with injured student-athletes.