Marines have the image of tough, gritty warriors. But they must also be seen as athletes whose performance in the field is an integral part of their assignments. Like athletes competing on the professional and collegiate level sports, Marines need quality Athletic Trainers (ATs) to help with rehabilitating injuries, overcome stress related fractures that may not be typically seen in an athletic setting. These ATs who work with the Marines are focused on mitigating and injury prevention with teaching proper running form, rucking form, stretching techniques, or correcting biomechanics during exercise so that the Marines can deliver in the field.
Federal Staffing Resources of Annapolis, MD is partnered with Spectrum Healthcare Resources in a joint venture to provide strength and conditioning services. The program calls for Certified Athletic Trainers also to assist those who have been injured in returning to duty, provide therapy exercises to help decrease pain, heal and keep the Marines in optimal shape. Our ATs often are side by side training with the Marines at events to gain their trust and to be available to evaluate an injury immediately.
“These people are athletes: combat athletes,” said one of the trainers from her location in Okinawa, Japan in December 2019. “Division 1 sports have athletic trainers. They have them for a reason. Trainers are there, ready to take care of injuries so everyone can be resilient and ready for duty.”
Another trainer also at the Okinawa location noted, “Anytime I get Marine, I think of getting not just a patient, but a student. If they are hurt, they want to know what is going on with them. They want to know what they can do to prevent the injury from getting worse and preventing it from happening again.”
FSR is excited to be a part of an ever-expanding Human Performance Optimization (HPO) program supporting the Marines around the globe. FSR has a proven successful track record supporting HPO programs with the U.S. Special Operations Forces.