Ever wonder who those guys are that run onto the field when a Chicago Fire players goes down after catching a cleat to the thigh or an elbow to the face? Paul Ziemba, Chicago Fire head athletic trainer, and Bo Leonard, assistant athletic trainer, reside at the AthletiCo training room within TOYOTA PARK, and it is their job to keep the "Men in Red" healthy and on the field.
Ziemba and Leonard have been with the team since the first day of physicals on February 5, have traveled with the team throughout the entire preseason, and are present for every practice and game in which the team participates.
On a typical day, the training room staff arrives at TOYOTA PARK around 7:00 a.m. - two hours before the team begins to arrive and three hours before the start of practice. The first thing the athletic trainers do to prepare for training is bring out water, Gatorade, ice bags, ice towels, electrolyte supplements, and protein bars to the practice field. The trainers also have to bring out a splint bag (containing a variety of immobilization devices), an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator), and medical bags that includes everything from band aids to medication and tape.
When players arrive, the trainers immediately go to work warming them up, treating them for any existing conditions, and performing preventative treatment to avoid any future injuries from occurring. Preventative treatments can include warming up on a stationary bike paired with stretching, taping ankles or wrists, warm whirlpools to wake up the muscles, as well as rehabilitation exercises to strengthen weaker muscle groups.
Early in preseason, the players had two practices a day leading to a high incidence of tendonitis in the group. Now that the season has gotten underway, the most common injuries that the athletic trainers treat are lower extremity injuries - mostly toe, ankle, and shin contusions. Many players wear very small shin guards during games and at times don't wear shin guards during practices, exposing them to opportunities for cuts and bruising on their legs.
"As we spend more time with these guys, ideally we become like a family and we get to know their ins and outs. When we get to that point with these athletes, we can look at a guy and know he is running bad, you don't even have to ask him because you know how they act on and off the field. The hard part of the job is figuring out if it is soreness or if it is an injury."
Ziemba and Leonard say the worst injury they have had to treat this season has been Pascal Bedrossian's hamstring strain that kept him out for three weeks. Although not a traumatic or gruesome injury, it had to be treated conservatively and took a long time to heal.
Another injury that the athletic training staff had to respond to was Chris Armas' head wound during the Fire's match against the New England Revolution on April 7. Armas received a blow to the right side of his face, resulting in cuts above and below his eye. Ziemba and Leonard were able to stop the bleeding and apply special adhesive strips to prevent the cuts from opening any further. Thanks to the athletic trainers' care, Armas was back on the field in less than five minutes.
When players are injured in a soccer match, the trainers must wait for permission to enter the playing field - the referee does an initial assessment of the scene to see if the player needs care, usually asking the player if he wants help. If the player does need the assistance of the athletic training staff he is required to leave the playing field, leaving his team down a player during the time he receives treatment.
"We have to be sure there is a valid reason to go out onto the field" says Ziemba "That is why we hesitate at times to make sure we are really needed. We have to be ready to apply a band aid or call an ambulance and put the player on a stretcher."
Fire players that do sustain an injury receive care from athletic trainers, doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists and a host of other specialists. Injured players undergo treatment everyday, several times a day - with treatments before and after practice. If the injury is very serious, the player sees a physical therapist later in the afternoon to ensure that he can return to the playing field as quickly as possible.
No matter what happens during practice or in games, Ziemba and Leonard are prepared for it all. The Fire faithful can rest assured that their favorite "Men in Red" are being well cared for and are in good hands.
