More Than Just a “Trainer”

Understanding the Value of Athletic Training and How It Supports Your Whole-Person Healing

For the Love of the Game

We’ve all been there. You’re watching your favorite team play, the game is on the line, when all of a sudden—your favorite player goes down with an injury. Maybe this happened on TV, or maybe it was at your best friend’s game. Maybe it was you.

Soon after, a whistle blows and someone is waved onto the field. You see a person sprint across the turf, equipped with everything they might need—gauze, tape, gloves, maybe just a water bottle, maybe the support to help someone off the field.

Those moments often shape how athletic trainers are seen—quick responders at a critical time.

But athletic training is so much more. As a licensed healthcare profession, it focuses on orthopedic evaluation, injury management, rehabilitation, injury prevention, and safely guiding people back to movement and performance. It’s a role grounded in trust, deep clinical knowledge, and continuity of care.

Our roots are in the game. We began on the sidelines, in locker rooms, on the road, and in training rooms—for the love of sport and performance, and out of loyalty to the people we care for. Athletic trainers walk beside you from before injury occurs, through every stage of recovery, and into performance and prevention. We support the physical recovery, yes—but we also show up for the emotional waves that come along with it.

Where Athletic Trainers Fit

Athletic trainers are often misunderstood. Some people assume we’re the same as personal trainers. Others think of us as fitness coaches, stretchers, or just the ones who tape ankles and hand out ice. While all three professions—athletic training, physical therapy, and personal training—play important roles in helping people move, heal, and thrive, they each have distinct training, scope, and areas of expertise.

Personal trainers work with healthy individuals to build strength, improve fitness, and reach performance goals. They're often your biggest motivator—your cheerleader in the gym—helping you push past limits and celebrate progress along the way.

Physical therapists primarily work in insurance-based settings and support rehabilitation for a wide range of conditions, including orthopedic, neurological, and chronic health issues. Their structured clinical environments bring consistency, oversight, and a high level of medical collaboration.

Athletic trainers, on the other hand, live in a unique space. We provide orthopedic rehabilitation, including post-surgical care, but are more commonly found in performance, sports medicine, and out-of-network environments. We respond in real time when injuries happen, manage care on site, create rehab plans, and follow the process through from start to finish.

We don’t just hand off care—we walk with you through it. We often collaborate with physicians, physical therapists, personal trainers, chiropractors, and other providers, sharing phases of care and building a bridge between systems.

This continuity, flexibility, and real-time support are what make athletic trainers such a vital part of any performance, wellness, or injury recovery team.

Rooted in Clinical Care, Evolving Toward Whole-Person Healing

Athletic training is where my career began, and it continues to shape everything I do. I’ve worked in high-performance environments—NBA and WNBA arenas, Cirque du Soleil stages, orthopedic clinics—where getting people back to movement quickly and safely was the goal.

I followed the protocols, hit the timelines, and measured outcomes. But behind the science, I started to see the deeper layers of healing that weren’t always being addressed. The person behind the pain. The mental and emotional strain that lingered. The quiet disconnection from self that stayed, even after the injury “healed.”

That’s what led me to shift how I practice.

Today, my work at Yamamoto Wellness in Las Vegas centers on manual therapy—a hands-on, nervous system-informed approach that helps the body unwind from stress, trauma, and chronic tension. This isn’t a departure from athletic training—it’s the natural extension of it.

I still use the same clinical lens. I assess movement patterns, recognize dysfunctions, and build treatment plans based on what the body needs. But I also listen more deeply. I create space for the stories held in the body—the ones that don’t show up on a scan or fit neatly into a protocol.

This integrative approach blends sports medicine, performance recovery, and holistic healing. It’s designed for athletes, performers, and anyone navigating pain, stress, or disconnection from their body.

Why I Don’t Bill Insurance

One of the most common questions I’m asked is, “Do you take insurance?”

The short answer is no—and that decision is intentional.

Athletic trainers are not reliably reimbursable by insurance providers. But more importantly, working outside the insurance model allows me to offer care that is flexible, personal, and not limited by billing codes or rushed appointments.

In traditional systems, sessions are often dictated by what gets covered or how many visits are allowed. That structure doesn’t always serve the pace or depth that real healing requires.

At Yamamoto Wellness, I provide out-of-network, cash-based care with transparent pricing and longer, more personalized sessions. You know exactly what you’re receiving, and you’re never rushed out the door.

We move at the speed your body needs. We choose care based on what helps—not just what gets reimbursed.

A Space Where You’re Seen

Pain, tension, and injury can feel invisible. You may have been told to rest, stretch, or push through, but still feel stuck. You may have gone through the appointments, done the “right” things, and yet something still feels off.

Yamamoto Wellness is a space where you are heard. Where care is grounded in both clinical expertise and deep presence. Where you’re supported not just through your pain, but through your reconnection to yourself.

If something in your body still feels unresolved—or if you’re simply looking for a different kind of care—I invite you to reach out.

Thank you for trusting me with your story.

With gratitude,

Alicia