During the fall of 2018, Eric Kastrup became an athletic trainer for Saint Joseph High School. As athletic trainer, he serves to keep our sports team healthy and be able to play at their best. Kastrup has been thrilled to fulfill his duty here at Saint Joe for the past two years.

Kastrup, a certified athletic trainer through the Saint Joseph Health System, explains that his job here is to help prevent, treat, and diagnose injuries that athletes may have in their sports. He arrives near the end of the school day, covering all sports group through fall to spring. The training room offers a variety of special recovery equipment for athletes to use, and Kastrup helps to teach athletes how to prevent any future incoming injuries as well as how to use those resources.

The most popular piece of equipment is the NormaTec. Resembling a long snow pant, it compresses the leg from feet to the upper thigh and then releases the compression.  This process helps flush out soreness and tightness from intense workouts, and it can be used to help reduce swelling as well. Priced over $1000, this is a device that Kastrup makes certain athletes are careful with.

Another favorite with athletes is the HyperVolt – a percussion massage gun that can help loosen tightness and soreness in the muscles. This device is versatile due to its three levels of speed with 5 different attachments head which allow it to treat various levels of muscle fatigue.

Cupping sets also treat pain in the muscles. Putting red suction cups onto a specific area of pain helps bring blood flow back to that specific area in order to repair the muscle.

Lastly, rollers, rolling sticks, stretch bands, and lacrosse balls are all available to help with rehab and recovery. The rollers, rolling sticks, and lacrosse balls can help break down soft tissues to alleviate tightness in the future. Stretch bands help stretch and strengthen muscles.

Athletes are encouraged to visit Kastrup in the training room after school. It is located in the hallway behind the weight room, next to the boy’s locker room. The room is full of health posters and is a place where Kastrup can often be seen taking shots towards the trash bin with discarded tape after taping an ankle.