Estill County
High School
Kirsten West,
MS, ATC
Hello, my name is Kirsten West, and I am the athletic trainer at Estill County High School. I am an Estill County Alumni. I obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Kentucky, a Bachelor's Degree in Athletic Training from Eastern Kentucky University, and a Master's Degree in Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport: Facility and Event Management from Western Kentucky University. I love being the Athletic Trainer at Estill County High School because I have a deep rooted love and appreciation for the community here. I have spent most of my life in Estill County and value the opportunity to help the future generations of our great town. (Go 'Neers!)
Connect
With Your Athletic Trainer
The athletic trainer at Estill County high school can be found at different places depending on what sporting events are occurring on a specific day. She will arrive at the school approximately one (1) hour before game time. She will arrive at Hoover Niece Field approximately two (2) hours before varsity football games.
Kirsten West, MS, ATC can be contacted via email - kirsten.west@bluegrassortho.com
What the Athletic Trainer
Can Do for You
The athletic trainer at Estill County high school performs many different functions, some that you may not know about. Their biggest job is to keep the student-athletes safe and as healthy as they can. They do this through these different areas:
Timely Referral to an Orthopaedic Specialist
Athletic trainers have close relationships with the orthopedics physicians and physician assistants at Bluegrass Orthopaedics. These relationships allow for appointments to be made the day or the day after an injury that needs advance imaging or evaluation, saving your family time and money compared to going to an emergency room, and then getting referred to a specialist to receive higher level care.
Injury Prevention
The athletic trainers help student-athletes be in the best state possible condition to compete well while minimizing the risk for injury. This is done by teaching proper body maintenance through proper stretching, efficient warm-up and cool-down exercises, and recovery techniques.
Injury Evaluation
If an injury does occur, athletic trainers have the skill set to evaluate the injury and make the decision on what is the best step for that athlete, whether rest, rehabilitation, or a more advanced diagnosis and imaging to discover the severity of the issue.
Injury Rehabilitation
After an injury occurs, student-athletes can spend time doing rehabilitation with the athletic trainers to help them return to their sports not only faster, but with less risk of injury if they did not do any therapy.
Emergency Preparation
In case of emergencies, the athletic trainers are trained to handle these situations. They have the skills and expertise to handle any emergency, while also helping emergency service personnel get to the scene as soon as possible if necessary.