Sports Pharmacy Network attends the 2024 National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Clinical Symposia & Expo

The Sports Pharmacy Network (SPN) team attended the 75th National Athletic Trainers Associations (NATA) Clinical Symposia & Expo convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, from June 25-28. The SPN team's key focus was collaborating with the sports medicine community and discussing ways Sports Pharmacy can support athletic trainers in creating comprehensive care for athletes.

"We truly believe in a "law of abundance" and "better together" approach in athletic care and wellness pursuits," Sean Casey, Registered Dietician & Director of Applied Human Performance for SPN. "Our SPN team enjoyed meeting many passionate sports medicine professionals, discussing ways in which Sports Pharmacy can support athletic trainers in creating comprehensive care for athletes."

Dr. Brandon Welch, PharmD, and Dr. Jessica Beal-Stahl, PharmD, Vice President of SPN, presented "Revive and Thrive: Unlocking Recovery with Evidence-Based Supplements," moderated by Robert Nickell on Day 3 of the convention. The presentation focused on the muscle recovery process after intense training, highlighting the role of inflammation and its impact on recovery. Moreover, the presentation covered different types of supplements available, proper usage, potential risks or side effects, and whether a governing body, such as the NCAA or U.S. Anti-Doping Agency bans a substance.

Additionally, the SPN team collected data from 41 athletic trainers who completed their survey, revealing significant insights:

• 51.2% of athletic trainers reported they were likely to receive questions about medications, yet only 9.8% said they would likely engage with a pharmacist regarding these questions.
• 59% confirmed that both OTC and prescription medications are stored in their training rooms.
• Common medication-related inquiries included NSAIDs, inhalers, antibiotics, pain medications, cough/cold medications, and antidepressants.
• When seeking medication/supplement education, the most common resources were Google, websites, and social media, with only one respondent mentioning a pharmacist.

"We engaged in numerous insightful conversations with athletic trainers throughout the event,"shared Dr.Beal-Stahl. "We discussed our supplement protocol sheets, drug-induced nutrient depletion charts, sports nutrition, and clinical services.

SPN team highlights their enjoyment working a booth side-by-side with their partner company, SportPharm™, an organization focused on how over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription rubs/creams can improve efficacy versus oral medications.

"On behalf of the Sports Pharmacy Network team, we would like to thank the National Athletic Trainers' Association for hosting an excellent event and providing us the opportunity to present," said Dr. Welch. "We'd also like to thank all the attendees who engaged with us; your enthusiasm and openness to explore collaborative initiatives motivates us to take the field of Sports Pharmacy to the next level! Working together, we can truly enhance the comprehensive care provided to athletes."

The 2025 Sports Pharmacy Summit will be held April 11th-12th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The SPN team plans to highlight a plethora of sports pharmacy topics to support the sports medicine community.

About Sports Pharmacy Network

The Sports Pharmacy Network provides an interdisciplinary platform of applied science and clinical knowledge to optimize the health and performance of athletes and protect clean sports. We are dedicated to caring for and supporting athletes across all sports and skill levels. Our mission is to empower all members of the athlete healthcare team to provide comprehensive and individualized approaches to optimizing athletes' health, performance, and overall well-being. We are committed to curating the highest quality evidence-based resources for lifelong learning and fostering meaningful relationships between passionate athlete team members. Learn more at https://sportsrxnetwork.com/ and follow @sportsrxnetwork on Instagram, Sports Pharmacy Network on LinkedIn, and YouTube.