Jan 29, 2015Paralympians Push the Limits
Presenter: Tona Hetzler, Ed.D, ATC and Doug Rempe, MS, ATC, PT
Title: The Emergence of the Paralympian: Amputee Athletes Push the Limit
Date: Saturday, June 20, 2009
Time: 3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Overview:
Amputees make up a significant portion of the growing athletic population. As more amputees increase their activity levels, the sports medicine community should be aware of this demographic and keep pace with the needs of these athletes. Awareness of abilities and impairments and functional limitations of these athletes is essential to the sports medicine community’s knowledge base.
Key Points:
- Understanding the classification and terminology related to amputee athletes.
- Learning how to focus on the special considerations for amputee athletes.
- Comparing the biomechanical analyses of walking and running gait.
- Analyzing sport prosthesis.
Benefits the Most:
Athletic trainers and other allied health care professionals interested in learning more about the amputee athletes and becoming more comfortable and knowledgeable about serving this patient population.
Biographies:
Dr. Hetzler is an Associate Professor at Missouri State University, serving as Department Head and Program Director of Sports Medicine and Athletic Training. Hetzler completed her graduate work at Oklahoma State University’s School of Applied Health and Educational Psychology and served on the school’s faculty for six years before relocating to Missouri State. For more than a decade, Hetzler has assisted athletes during all levels of competition. Her work with the U.S. national teams began in 2004. In 2007, Hetzler was named an athletic trainer for the USA ParaPan American Games in Rio de Janiero, and last year, Hetzler served as an athletic trainer during the Paralympic Games in Beijing, working primarily with track and field athletes.
Doug Rempe began his career as a head athletic trainer at the high school level. After earning his masters degrees from the University of Cincinnati and Andrews University, he focused on outpatient orthopedic care. In 2004, Rempe served as a volunteer ATC/PT at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Three years later, he was selected as an athletic trainer/physical therapist for powerlifters at the USA ParaPan American Games in Rio de Janiero. In 2008, Rempe served on the training staff of the track and field team during the Paralympic Games in Beijing.
