Quenching the thirst for knowledge, one employee at a time

Advanced Physical Therapy’s Lynsey Hansen gives Wisconsin Rapids Officer Travis Plowman a gentle reminder about hydration: “Don't forget: Drink water and get some sunlight. We are basically houseplants with more complicated emotions.”

“Lots of people don’t like water,” she began.

Lynsey Hansen is one of Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine’s Industrial Athletic Trainers. It’s her job to care for employees of the companies, organizations and municipalities at which she works.

Hydration is one of her things. She brings it up a lot. But she tries not to hound.

“Being properly hydrated is super important, so I talk about it frequently,” said Hansen. “It can actually help improve your overall well-being.”

How that conversation starts is dependent on her audience—a police officer, a firefighter or someone in industry—but the questions that follow are the same:

“How have you been feeling lately?”

“How have you been sleeping?”

If the answer to either is “Not that great,” Hansen will touch on hydration in pretty short order.

If someone says they’re tired, she’ll ask how much water they’ve been drinking; Hansen uses the standard “drink half your weight in ounces per day” as the bare minimum, then adjusts that based on activity levels. If it’s about frequency and getting up at night, she’ll discuss front-loading the day with water intake. If it’s about simply increasing water consumption, she’ll provide tips to get reluctant water drinkers to move in the right direction (she sees sports drinks as a kind of compromise, which supplies some benefits but includes lots of additives).

Or, said Hansen, they might be complaining of being tired or in pain or struggling with some sort of issue that makes them reliant on eating sugary things or drinking caffeinated beverages.

“Many times in these moments when our body wants those things, we’re just dehydrated,” she said. “If you’re dragging or feeling like crap on a daily basis, you need to understand drinking more water can flip the script. Such knowledge can be a powerful motivator.”

Hansen acknowledges that getting people on board with better hydration (and better health and sleep as well) is not always an easy sell.

“If you don’t want to do it, you’re not going to do it, regardless of what I say.”

But the resolute athletic trainer carries on, undaunted, sprinkling her discussions with tips that might resonate with the unenthusiastic H2O consumer:

• “Add low-sugar Liquid IV to your water now and then. It tastes great, keeps you in the hydration habit, and trust me, it enhances the functioning of your cellular transport chain!”

• “Athletes prioritize hydration. You’re an industrial or tactical athlete, so you need to have that exact mindset. Now drop and give me twenty!”

• “Put 6 rubber bands around your 16 oz. water bottle because that’s how many bottles you should aim to drink daily. Every time you drink one, take one of the bands and put it on your wrist. By the end of the day, all 6 should be off the bottle and on your wrist! Easy way to keep track!”

At the mention of rubber bands, Hansen segues into another subject near and dear to every athletic trainer: injury prevention.

“Sorry, that just made my brain go this way. Your muscles are rubber band-like, so when you're hydrated, your muscles have that fluidity and pliability. When a force comes on, your muscles can take it and bounce back. If you’re dehydrated, your muscles will be super tight, and any force that comes along can create damage. Staying hydrated helps you prevent injuries. So rubber bands are very cool on many levels.”

Speaking of injuries, Hansen has a concussion tale, a fall of about three stories from a pyramid.

And there’s another about tearing her hamstring from the bone (it didn’t stop her from what she needed to do, however).

She’s a tenacious one, no doubt.

But those are stories for another time . . .

Providing Experiences for the Next Generation of Professionals

Getting people back to what they love is the job of an athletic trainer. Ensuring there are plenty of high-caliber graduates ready to serve active populations is the job of universities and colleges, whose programs provide interactive learning environments that will prepare students to enter the profession.

Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine (APTSM) plays a vital role in the process.

“It’s important we offer internships and job shadowing opportunities for those on the path to becoming athletic trainers,” said APTSM’s Traci Tauferner. “The field is projected to grow 25% by the end of the decade.”

While there is a broad range of settings for the athletic trainer—physician practices, professional sports, clinics specializing in sports medicine, occupational health, and performing arts, to name a few—the vast majority of graduates will enter the field’s most traditional setting: schools.

That’s where Tauferner started out after earning her athletic training degree at UW-Oshkosh. With a robust resume developed since her graduation—she’s the Director of Industrial & Tactical Medicine at Advanced—Tauferner now devotes time both to her administrative duties as well as to the onsite therapy services she delivers at multiple locations.

Tauferner is committed to bringing attention to industrial athletic training, especially as the need for athletic trainers to prevent, evaluate, manage, and rehabilitate conditions faced by workforces—directly at companies and municipalities—continues to grow.

“Achieving injury prevention and cost control in this day and age for the industries and tactical groups we serve is not just a desired outcome,” said Tauferner. “In many cases, it’s a matter of survival.”

More than 55 Wisconsin companies and organizations utilize Advanced PT’s hallmark program of onsite wellness solutions. APTSM’s dedication to workplace health and safety has contributed to recognition at local, state, and national levels.

That kind of focus includes providing learning opportunities for those interested in pursuing a career in the field, and Tauferner is passionate about students understanding the paths available to them.

“It’s important for us to provide these experiences for the next generation, especially so in the bourgeoning industrial and tactical realms, as fewer than 5% of graduates are going into those sectors,” she said.

The connection between APTSM and Tauferner’s alma mater remains strong, as evidenced by UW-Oshkosh student Cade Littleton’s recent experience.

Littleton, a senior in the Masters of Athletic Training Program, spent the summer working through four specific rotations: clinical, hospital, professional team, and industrial/tactical.

Littleton said a few football injuries (“some hip and shoulder pain, but nothing huge like a blown ACL”) led him to seek treatment. Though his high school didn’t have a traditional athletic trainer, a nearby orthopedic group supplied the small school with a physical therapist, and Littleton found himself fascinated by the PT’s skills.

“I was just very interested in what he did, so much so that I actually job shadowed him for one of my classes,” said Littleton. “That set me on the PT path, but once I got to school and got a little more experience with athletic training, I became drawn to that, to work with a younger and highly active population.”

To meet the requirements of the program, one of Littleton’s rotations had him paired with Tauferner.

“This was actually the third time I had met Traci,” said Littleton. “I met her following a presentation she did on mental health, then at the WATA (Wisconsin Athletic Trainers’ Association) conference this year.”

For two weeks Littleton followed Tauferner’s schedule (“yeah, she starts early”), which included stints with the tactical groups she services.

“It was cool to see the firefighters and police officers and how they handle things at their own facilities,” said Littleton. “It was a lot different than my traditional experiences.”

With those tactical groups, Tauferner gave Littleton the opportunity to do full evaluations; she provided guidance, talking Littleton through treatment options and giving him the chance to “do his own thing.”

“Traci allowed me to do a lot more hands-on than I expected, so that was really cool,” he said.

He also learned about Tauferner’s use of and advocacy for modern cupping techniques.

“Just how she used cupping and explained it so it made sense to the client was very interesting,” said Littleton. “That helped me a lot because I’m still a student trying to figure this stuff out.”

Asked about key takeaways following the rotation, Littleton doesn’t hesitate.

“The experience pushes me to continue to learn, to ask questions, and to demand respect as Traci does.”

Littleton admitted he’d like to replicate the demeanor Tauferner exhibited throughout their time together.

“Traci’s vibe is straight confidence,” said Littleton. “The setting doesn’t matter.”

Summer rotations are complete, Littleton is now working with UW-O’s athletic trainer for 2023 football season. Set to graduate next May, Littleton is currently leaning towards working in the high school or college setting, but he’s not ruling anything out.

“I’m not 100% sure yet,” said Littleton.

If uncertain about his job setting, Littleton expresses a clearer view in the geographic sense.

“I’m up to moving,” he said. “I’m not a huge fan of winter.”

—

If you or a student you know is interested in experiencing what Advanced does every day, contact us today!.

Recreating the Unthinkable: The Stevens Point Mass Casualty Event

Even when you know it’s a simulation, you’re a bit on edge. Maybe it’s because everyone is.

Or it might be the card they handed you to identify your role in the simulation, which reads “ACTIVE SHOOTER MOCK VICTIM INFORMATION.”

Advanced Physical Therapy’s Lynsey Hansen was ready for her role as a shooting victim nonetheless.

“I was hit but still responsive,” Hansen said. “I just followed what was on the card and did my part.”

The mock disaster, held in Stevens Point for Central Wisconsin first responders, required that exact mindset from everyone involved: be prepared to do your part.

The active shooter event is known as Rescue Task Force Training (RTF). Conducted annually by the Stevens Point Fire Department, Police Department and Emergency Medical Services Team, RTF provides the training ground for multiple agencies to respond to a simulated disaster scenario. The collaborative effort identifies opportunities for enhanced coordination among the agencies tasked with stabilizing a complex situation and triaging victims at a time when every second matters.

While this was Hansen’s first participation in the event as a member of Advanced PT, her boss has been there a few more times.

“Advanced has been working with Stevens Point Police and Fire for 13 years, so this was my 13th,” said Traci Tauferner, Director of Industrial & Tactical Medicine. “I go every year to RTF training, and every year I learn something new.”

Often assisting as a victim in the dress rehearsal, Tauferner recently has taken a step back to view things as an observer.

“As the provider of onsite rehabilitation for Stevens Point Police and Fire Departments, it’s a perfect time for us to educate ourselves about the physical aspects required by personnel to effectively do their jobs in a high stress mass casualty event,” said Tauferner. “With that knowledge, we will understand how we can best rehab them if they have an injury.”

In previous drills, Tauferner focused on her role as victim, viewing the triaging interactions she had with first responders tending to her injuries. This year’s perspective afforded her the opportunity to see department interactions, triage tools, deployment, and the results of public safety partners who have planned and trained together.

Scrutinizing the approach of first responders in managing a large-scale crisis assists Advanced onsite tactical providers.

“We aren’t police officers or firefighters,” said Tauferner. “If we don’t study how they do their work, we won’t understand how to strengthen them, condition them, rehab them, and protect them if they have an injury.”

Hansen, fresh from her first acting stint, appreciated the combined efforts of those who pitched in to coordinate the event.

“You’ve got staff members and groups from multiple locations—Stevens Point, Plover, Portage, etc.—that participate, which is so important because each situation will be unique and you’re going to need to pull from every available area,” Hansen said. “So getting that experience is so beneficial for all parties.”

Afterwards, departments held debriefing sessions, both individually and jointly; those wide-ranging conversations help drive next year’s training. All participants acknowledge the intricacies of fine-tuning the rapid deployment of resources among multiple groups, but their overarching goal is simplicity itself:

To create a unified response that saves lives.

Advanced PT Presents at the 4th International Physical Employment Standards Conference

Traci Tauferner, Director of Industrial & Tactical Medicine at Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, presented “Developing a Return to Work Assessment for an Injured Police Officer: A Case Report” at the 4th International Physical Employment Standards Conference in Gold Coast, Australia on February 26, 2023.

 The prestigious conference, hosted by the Bond University, will address the three T's essential to supporting physical performance in physically demanding occupations: Theory, Testing and Training. Specific topics will include physical employment standards, identifying and mitigating injury risk factors, physical conditioning and assessing occupational readiness.

 The conference content will be a blend of research and applied practice in a range of physically demanding occupations including military, law enforcement, fire and rescue and first responders.

 Modeled on some of the world’s best educational institutions, the vision for Bond University, Australia’s first private, not-for-profit university, is to provide an educational experience of the highest international standards under the tutelage of the country’s leading academics.

 During the past 30 years, Bond University has become one of Australia's leading institutions of higher education, renowned for its expertise in study areas ranging from business, law, medicine, architecture, and data analytics, to film and television, communication, sports management, and occupational therapy.

 Home to the Tactical Research Unit, Bond University research facilities attract world-renowned academics, working with state-of-the-art technologies and resources to develop cutting-edge innovations.

 Previous conferences were held in Australia (2012), Canada (2015) and the United Kingdom (2018).

Contact us to learn more about the details of the case report and how it helped the officer and agency.

“Police Support Staff Person of the Year.”

Traci Tauferner supplying rehab services at Wausau PD.

On January 7, 2023, the Wausau Police Department recognized Traci Tauferner as “Police Support Staff Person of the Year.” Tauferner, the Director of Industrial & Tactical Medicine at Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, provides onsite preventative and reactive care for members of the Department and has been doing so since 2020.

Those who know Traci understand how squirmy this blog will make her, as she is the consummate team player who shuns any form of self-aggrandizement; however, the award is in her name, so we’re going to roll the dice and hope she’s too busy to notice we posted this.

And to put us in an even more precarious situation—because Traci flips really big tractor tires just for the fun of it—we’re going to use her own words to explain what she does and why:

“My passion to do my job to serve and protect others can be directly linked to the events of 9/11. The moment I saw TV news footage of departing soldiers leaving their families at airports across the country, I knew I was also going to help. I joined the Army soon after, and my 17 year old self went from "What have I gotten myself into?" to "I am capable of so much more than I have ever thought.

“I spent nine years in the National Guard, including a six-month deployment in Iraq providing security and surveillance support for tactical units. This training led me to where I am today. Helping others do what their job requires is what fuels and excites me, and a good deal of my energy now goes into developing programs and strategies that ensure essential job requirements can be performed safely.

“The day-to-day work with my tactical teams puts me in the unique position of understanding the physical and mental stressors they face; more importantly, it affords me the opportunity to do something about these circumstances. By providing the most advanced conditioning and rehabilitation resources available to the professionals tasked with keeping their communities safe, we can keep them performing at the highest levels while dramatically reducing the financial burdens placed on their departments.”

Congratulations, Traci!

Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine provides onsite therapy for Wisconsin companies, organizations and municipalities ranging from 50 to over 5,000 employees. To learn more about how we can customize an injury prevention and management program for your workforce, contact Traci Tauferner at 920-979-5597.