Athletic Training & Sports Medicine
Mission Statement
- Our goal is to provide quality sports medicine care and services for our North Haven student athletes in order to best help them succeed on and off the field.
- The North Haven Sports Medicine Staff serves roughly 500 student athletes per season.
Athletic Training
- What is athletic training?
- Athletic Trainers specialize in injury prevention, evaluation, management, and rehabilitation of chronic and acute musculoskeletal injuries as well as emergency medical care and management.
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- The athletic trainer (AT) will be available in the high school athletic training room Monday-Friday, 1:30 PM to 3:15 PM for injury evaluation, pre-practice treatments, rehab exercises/stretching, taping, bracing and all other pre-practice needs.
- After 3:15 PM, the AT will be out with the teams (present at the athletic competition sites).
- If you need to find the AT after 3:15 PM, you can check the white board outside the office or check the CIAC game schedule.
- The AT will be on campus for the majority of “home” high school athletic competitions. Many times, there are multiple games occurring at once on the North Haven High School/Middle School campus. When this happens, the AT will be at the game based on the sport's potential for injury and level of competition, but will be available for all teams, if necessary. Also, there are times when there are multiple events that additional trainers are hired to help with coverage.
- During the fall, the AT will travel to “away” games with the varsity football team. The AT travels with the varsity football team because it is very difficult during a varsity football game to properly care for both teams on opposite sidelines. When the AT travels with the football team to “away” games, and there are “home” athletic events occurring at the same time, an additional AT is hired to provide coverage at the “home” athletic events
- During the winter season, when boys' ice hockey has a “home” game, the AT will be at the ice rink. Girls' Ice Hockey is a co-op team consisting of three (3) schools. Athletic training services are divided equally between the three schools in the co-op.
- Please note: The AT is not on school grounds 24/7. There will be times when there is no AT present at a practice. All coaches are CPR/First Aid/AED certified.
- Nurse
- Our school nursing staff reviews all preseason registration packets, physicals, doctor's notes, and medical information ensuring our athletes are ready for the first day of practice.
- The AT and school nursing staff communicate daily about the health of our student athletes. The nurse has the ability to care for our athletes during the school day, and the athletic trainer can care for our athletes after school hours. The nurse (not the athletic trainer) is able to make in school accommodations for athletes dealing with certain injuries. It is important for athletes dealing with injuries to follow up with the school nursing staff and provide doctors notes to help with accommodations.
Sports Medicine Team
Sports Medicine Team
- Bill DiGiuseppe - Athletic Trainer
- Email: [email protected]
- Primary phone: 475-301-3182 (for parents)
- B.S. Exercise Science, M.S. Athletic Training
- Bill, our Athletic Trainer, joined our NHHS staff in 2022. He is the athletic trainer for all NHHS & NHMS Athletics, providing after school and sideline medical care for all our North Haven athletes. When he is not at the high school, Bill enjoys fishing and going to the beach.
- Dina Angelico - School Nurse
- Email: [email protected]
- Office number: (203) 239-1641 ext 2041
- Dina, our high school nurse, has been working in the medical field for almost 25 years. She joined NHHS in January of 2019. She graduated with her BSN from Sacred Heart University and is an NHHS alumnus. She plays a vital role in clearing our athletes for each season. When she is not at work, she is a mom to three multi-sport kids and always on the go.
- Dr Marino - Football Sidelines MD
- John Marino, M.D. is a physician board-certified Physiatrist specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Connecticut Orthopaedics. Dr. Marino specializes in the non-surgical care of musculoskeletal injuries. He is very active in the community providing medical supervision at the high school and college level. Dr. Marino takes a comprehensive approach to treating student-athletes and believes in a quick and safe return to sports, providing tailored solutions every step of the way.
- Corey Berrios - Strength and Conditioning Coach
- Corey Berrios, Performance coach, BS, CSCS North Haven High School graduate, 2010 football team captain, SCSU graduate, BS Exercise Science
- Growing up as an athlete playing football, hockey, and rugby, the lessons I’ve learned from great coaches along the way have helped shape me into the coach I am today. I’ve always seen training as a microcosm for life. Learning how to face challenges, overcome obstacles, and becoming more resilient has always helped me develop as an athlete and, most importantly, as a person. One of the greatest responsibilities that I hold as a coach is the opportunity to help athletes apply these lessons from the weight room to their sports and their day-to-day lives. In more than a decade of coaching, I’ve worked with a variety of athletes and clients from different backgrounds. The common thread between everyone that I work with is a mission to foster a hard work ethic, leadership and a wealth of physical and personal confidence in any sporting or personal endeavor.
- Dylan Raube - Strength and Conditioning Coach
- I’ve grown and learned so much from the many coaches in my life, and strive to provide the same for my athletes and clients. Simply, it is my mission to provide an environment that fosters growth, confidence, and athletic development, all the while instilling the athlete is the one in control of their results.
Red Flags of Concussion
Red Flags of Concussion
- (Per CDC) In rare cases, a dangerous collection of blood (hematoma) may form on the brain after a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body that may squeeze the brain against the skull. Call 9-1-1 right away, or take your child or teen to the emergency department if he or she has one or more of the following danger signs after a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body:
- One pupil larger than the other.
- Drowsiness or inability to wake up.
- A headache that gets worse and does not go away.
- Slurred speech, weakness, numbness, or decreased coordination.
- Repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures (shaking or twitching).
- Unusual behavior, increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation.
- Loss of consciousness (passed out/knocked out). Even a brief loss of consciousness should be taken seriously.
Concussion Return To Play (RTP)
Before starting the Return to Play program
- In Connecticut, athletic trainers are legally allowed to diagnose, treat, and oversee all aspects of the concussion program as they pertain to athletics. At North Haven High School, our policy is that if the athletic trainer suspects a student athlete has sustained a concussion, the student athlete is removed from play and referred to a doctor's office, preferably their PCP.
- Once evaluated by the MD, the athlete is to bring the doctor's note to the school nurse's office. Any doctor ordered classroom modifications will go through the school nurse.
- Student athletes must return to full, unrestricted learning activities before starting the return to play program.
- A return to school should not begin until the patient can concentrate for at least 30 minutes symptom free.
- Once cleared by the MD, the student can begin the return to play process starting with taking a post-injury impact test.
- The doctor's note does not mean they are cleared for full return to sport. Athletes must complete the concussion return to play program before full return to sport.
- Concussion Return To Play program (RTP)
- The following is the Concussion RTP program Per the CDC. All concussions present differently, the concussion return to play plan will contain these steps, but will also include exercises working on balance, eye tracking, coordination, and other sports specific drills to help the student athlete get back to competition.
- Step 1: Back to regular activities (such as school)
- Athlete is back to their regular activities (such as school) and has the green-light from their healthcare provider to begin the return to play process. An athlete’s return to regular activities involves a stepwise process. It starts with a few days of rest (2-3 days) and is followed by light activity (such as short walks) and moderate activity (such as riding a stationary bike) that do not worsen symptoms.
- Step 2: Light aerobic activity
- Begin with light aerobic exercise only to increase an athlete’s heart rate. This means about 5 to 10 minutes on an exercise bike, walking, or light jogging. No weight lifting at this point.
- Step 3: Moderate activity
- Continue with activities to increase an athlete’s heart rate with body or head movement. This includes moderate jogging, brief running, moderate-intensity stationary biking, moderate-intensity weightlifting (less time and/or less weight from their typical routine).
- Step 4: Heavy, non-contact activity
- Add heavy non-contact physical activity, such as sprinting/running, high-intensity stationary biking, regular weightlifting routine, non-contact sport-specific drills (in 3 planes of movement).
- Step 5: Practice & full contact
- Athlete may return to practice and full contact (if appropriate for the sport) in controlled practice.
- Step 6: Competition
- Athlete may return to competition.
Impact Test
Explanation of the Impact Test
- At NHHS, we use the ImPACT test as a tool to help with the management of concussions. We baseline test all high school athletes every two years (ideally grades 9 and 11) prior to the start of their season. This is now a requirement for athletic participation approval on FamilyID.
- (Per ImPACT) ImPACT is an objective tool to support trained healthcare providers in making sound return to activity decisions following concussions. It’s a computerized test that measures memory, attention span, visual and verbal problem solving. ImPACT has two primary uses: before the onset of an activity, a baseline test is conducted to measure the athlete’s performance baseline. In the event of an injury, a post-injury test is administered and compared to the baseline and/or normative data scores.
- (Per ImPACT) Thousands of high schools, colleges, and universities, thousands of clinical centers, hundreds of Credentialed ImPACT Consultants, hundreds of professional teams, and select military units choose ImPACT to assist in the management of concussion. Since 2002, ImPACT has served tens of millions of individual test takers.
- The impact test is not the deciding factor if you have a concussion. It is a tool used along with other diagnostic tools to help us determine the possibility of concussion and if the student athlete is ready to return to play.
After Injury Doctor's Notes
Doctor's Notes
- Doctor's notes allow school personnel to make modifications for the athlete in the classroom, inform us on how to best treat the student athlete on and off the field, tell us when the athlete is ready to begin RTP, and when the athlete is ready to safely return to competition.
- When you go to the doctor, be sure to ask for a doctor's note for the school nurse. Ask for the note to be as specific as possible with regards to return to sport.
- All doctors notes go to the school nurse's office. It is encouraged that you keep a copy of the doctors notes for your records as well.
Sports Nutrition Information
This link contains several documents that provide information about nutrition. These documents are strictly for informational purposes and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs and/or opinions of the athletic department, including the athletic director, athletic trainer, coaches or strength & conditioning staff.