Oswego State ATs Address Injury Trends, Rising Demands and Staffing Challenges

Oswego State’s athletic training staff reports that injury patterns among student-athletes have remained largely consistent in recent years, but chronic overuse injuries, increased practice intensity, and staffing shortages continue presenting significant challenges.

As national attention increases around sports injuries—especially overuse conditions and concussions—collegiate programs are working to balance prevention, treatment, and NCAA-required safety measures while meeting the growing physical demands placed on athletes.

Assistant Athletic Trainer Adeline Benjamin, who works with multiple teams including volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, and swim and dive, said each sport brings its own set of injury patterns.

“Sports that are of higher impact such as men’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s ice hockey tend to have higher rates of acute injuries,” she explained. “Lower impact sports such as swimming or cross country have higher rates of chronic injury.” Benjamin added that increased practice intensity or additional games can significantly impact chronic injury rates because “less time for recovery… is vital in keeping the body healthy.”

Head Athletic Trainer Elise Fitzsimmons said that while injury types fluctuate from year to year, campus-wide injury frequency remains fairly steady.

“Every year is different… it’s hard to anticipate,” she said.

Both Athletic Trainers emphasized that Oswego State relies on venue-specific emergency action plans and individualized care protocols. Return-to-play progression remains tailored to each athlete, following a sequence Benjamin described as rebuilding motor function and proprioception, strengthening and flexibility, and finally sport-specific movements.

Communication remains largely face-to-face, and documentation is supported by software such as ATS and standardized SOAP note templates.

Technology, Fitzsimmons noted, “hasn’t changed anything, just helped enhance what we are tracking.”

Despite staffing shortages and burnout concerns, Oswego’s Athletic Trainers remain committed.

“Our staff is committed to maintaining our athletes’ health and well-being,” Fitzsimmons said. “We are continually following best practices and ensuring our athletes have a positive experience in intercollegiate athletics.”

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