Sports Medicine
MISSION
The St. John’s School Sports Medicine Department is committed to protecting the safety and health of the student athlete and promoting their physical, mental and emotional well-being.
PHILOSOPHY
The Sports Medicine Department is dedicated toward providing up-to-date, effective, high-quality health care for the student athlete with a focus on accurate diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation grounded in evidence-based foundations. This is achieved through accessibility to athletic trainers, appropriate referral, restoration and improvement of health and well-being, enhancement of student athlete performance and the implementation of collaborative preventative measures.
Policies and Procedures
Health Records
Every middle and upper school student must have a valid current physical examination prior to participation in any SJS athletics activity. A student may not practice until their student health forms have been submitted to the School and cleared by Clinical Services.
Injuries and Illnesses
- Student athletes should report all injuries and illnesses to an athletic trainer for evaluation and treatment.
- Injured students must report to the athletic training room before practice unless instructed otherwise by an athletic trainer. Treatments and rehabilitation may be administered at other times on an individual basis and as schedule allows.
- In the event a student athlete needs a physician evaluation, the Sports Medicine staff will assist student athletes’ parents in a physician referral.
- A student athlete who is evaluated by a physician must provide written clearance from the attending physician in order to return to athletic participation.
Taping and Bracing
Taping and bracing are indicated for certain preventative measures, for acute injuries and during post-injury rehabilitation. Taping is done at the discretion of the athletic trainers or by written request from a physician treating an injured student athlete.
Mouthguards
It is recommended that all student athletes have a custom fit, high quality mouthguard. Boil and bite mouthguards are provided free of charge. Custom fit mouthguards are available in the athletic training room for a fee depending on the model and the charge can be applied to a student’s Maverick account.
Treatment and Rehabilitation
Appropriate treatment and rehabilitation will be performed under the direction of the athletic trainers. Daily pre-practice treatment is provided for acute athletic injuries. Long-term post-surgical rehabilitation is available depending on the current patient load, available training room space and athletic trainer event coverage commitments.
St. John’s Sports Medicine Department provides the following therapeutic modalities:
- Moist heat packs
- Electrical muscle stimulation
- Ultrasound
- Game Ready cold compression
- NormaTec Recovery Boots
- Whirlpool
- IASTM-instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization
- Low level Laser Therapy
- Cupping
- IDN-Integrative Dry Needling
- Kelvi PROe
St. John’s Sports Medicine Department provides the following state-of-the-art equipment and instrumentation:
- BFR-Blood Flow Restriction
- Theraband and Theratubing
- Cuff weights
- Dumb bell weights
- Bosu/Airex/Dynadisc
- Foam rollers
- Pilates rings
- Body Blade
- Rebounder w/weighted balls
- DS2 Platform
- Stationary bicycles
- Iron Neck
- Necks Level
Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
The Sports Medicine Department stocks a variety of durable medical equipment (DME), i.e. walking boots, ankle braces, slings, splints and crutches. Any student athlete in need of DME will be issued the appropriate item which will be charged to the student athlete’s Maverick account.
Head Injury Management
- Any student athlete with a suspected head injury will be removed from activity immediately, evaluated by an SJS athletic trainer and referred to a licensed medical provider and/or concussion management specialist as soon as possible. The Sports Medicine department will notify parents/guardians, school administration, Clinical Services, and coaches of student athlete’s status.
- SJS Sports Medicine retains the right to withhold a student athlete with a suspected head injury from athletics participation until evaluated and cleared by a concussion management specialist or licensed medical provider.
- Head injury management will be based on recommendations and guidelines provided by a concussion management specialist and/or licensed medical provider. Return to learn, treatment, and return to sport protocols will be implemented based on concussion management specialist and/or licensed medical provider’s recommendations. All student athletes with a diagnosed concussion must complete a supervised return to play protocol and be cleared by a physician before returning to full sport participation.
- St. John’s School is compliant with The State of Texas House Bill 2038, 82(R).
Sports Medicine Contacts:
Jimmy Roton, Jr., MS, ATC/LAT, CES, PES
713-850-0222 ext. 416281-924-1316 (mobile)
jroton@sjs.org
Jimmy "J.J." Roton, Jr. has been the Director of Sports Medicine at St. John's School since 2016. Roton brings over 35 years of Sports Medicine experience to St. John's School, including 19 years as Associate Head Athletic Trainer at Rice University and three years as Director of Athletic Training at Houston Baptist University. Prior to St. John's School, he was the Head Athletic Trainer at The Kinkaid School for six years. Roton earned a B.A. in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sports Medicine from Rice University and an M.S. in Athletic Administration from The Ohio University. When he is not taking care of Maverick students, Roton can be found in the press box of NRG Stadium covering football games as an Athletic Trainer Spotter for the NFL. He has also been an Athletic Trainer Spotter for the SEC and the UFL.
Keri Strong, MS, ATC/LAT, CIDN
713-850-0222 ext. 378
940-367-6084 (mobile)
kstrong@sjs.org
Associate Athletic Trainer Keri Strong joined St. John's School in 2022. She has almost three decades of experience as a certified athletic trainer and in various settings in the sports medicine field. Prior to becoming a Maverick, she resided in the Dallas area where she was the head athletic trainer for two large high schools, spent 5 years gaining experience in Orthopedics working as a clinical assistant for Orthopedic surgeons and a Sports Medicine physician/ concussion specialist. She also served as an athletic trainer specializing in post-surgical return to play rehabilitation in a physical therapy clinic for two years. Prior to this, she spent 15 years working in the collegiate setting where she served as the Head Athletic Trainer and assistant professor at Houston Baptist University and as an assistant athletic trainer at Rice University, University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University. Keri earned her B.S. in Kinesiology with a minor in Health and is Texas teacher certified. She earned her M.S. in Kinesiology at the University of North Texas.
Assistant Athletic Trainer Alex Song joined the St. John's Sports Medicine team in 2023, and brings over eight years of experience taking care of student athletes. He began his career as a Graduate Assistant at McGregor ISD. Most recently, Alex served as the Head Athletic Trainer at Morton Ranch High School in Katy ISD for five years. He earned his B.S. in Athletic Training at Texas State University and an M.S. in Sports Pedagogy at Baylor University.
Important Concussion Facts to Know:
Advanced Treatment Techniques:
Nutrition & The Athlete's Plate
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