This document outlines various techniques for transporting injured athletes as an athletic trainer. It describes moves that can be done by one person including shoulder drags, clothes drags, blanket drags, and fireman's carries. It also outlines two-person moves like hammock carries and extremity lifts that require coordination between two or more trainers. The document provides step-by-step instructions for how to properly execute each type of move or transport.

1. Transportation and Ambulatory
Techniques

2. Chapter Outcomes
1. Identify the proper mechanics for lifting and
transporting an athlete.
2. Recognize when situations arise that require
an athlete to be moved or transported.
3. Explain moves and transports to be done by
one athletic trainer and by two or more
athletic trainers.
4. Identify standard and fabricated equipment
used to transport or move athletes.

3. 5. Identify moves using the athlete’s torso or
limbs.
6. Explain the various water rescues with or
without emergency equipment.
7. Describe ambulatory aids and transport
techniques for athletes with a lower extremity
injury.

4. Nomenclature
Ambulate: to walk, having only one foot leave
the ground with each step
Axilla: armpit
Greater trochanter: the large eminence located
approximately 1 cm lower than the head of
the femur and a little to the side and back of
the upper femur

5. Popliteal fossa: the space behind the knee joint
Power grip: also known as the supinated grip or
under hand grip, palms facing up and knuckles
facing down
Tandem: together, as in a group of persons
working together, not necessarily in line.

6. Deciding to move an injured athlete
The athletic trainer should provide immediate
care and call emergency medical services
(EMS)
If the injured athlete must be moved and is
potential in having a spinal injury, fractures, or
life threatening conditions there must be an
appropriate measures for stabilization and
proper ambulatory methods to use.
The decision-making process should take place
based upon assessment of the scene and the
condition of the athlete.

7. Proper body mechanics in lifting an
injured athlete
• When a decision has been made that an
athlete must be moved to another location for
follow up emergency services, proper body
mechanics must be followed in order to limit
the potential of injury to the athletic trainer.

8. One-person moves
• It is critical to determine the proper lifting or
moving techniques and when an injured
athlete should be moved. In most instances
the trainer can ambulate the athlete with
simple one-person moves.

9. Type of move Indications
Shoulder drag
Spinal Support,
conscious/unconsciousClothes drag
Blanket drag
Sheet drag
Moving short distance, no
spinal injury, when victim
has no shirt
Ankle drag Moving short distance, no
spinal injury
Piggyback carry
Conscious, lower extremity
pathology, weight bearing is
limited

10. Packstrap carry
conscious/unconscious,
victim has no clothing and
equipment available to
drag, no spinal injury
Cradle carry
Child or light weight victim,
conscious/unconscious, no
spinal injury, carry over
longer distance
Fireman’s carry
Moving over rough terrain,
no spinal or extremity
fractures
Walking assist
Injury to one side of lower
extremity

11. Shoulder drag can be used if you suspect a
spinal injury, the athlete is unconscious,
and you are moving the athlete only in a
short distance.

12. 1. Position yourself at the athlete’s head.
2. Kneel, placing one leg at a 90-degree angle,
and rest on the knee of the opposite leg.
3. Place your hands underneath the athlete’s
armpits.

13. 4. Cup your hands around the front of the
athlete’s shoulder with your fingers facing
upward.
5. Pull the athlete up slightly, resting the
athlete’s head against your chest for support.
6. After supporting the athlete’s head, slowly
move backward keeping your knees slightly
bent, and pull the athlete to a safe place
where care can be rendered.

14. *If you suspect a spinal injury, be careful not to
flex the athlete’s head too far forward.

15. Clothes drag is similar the shoulder drag except
that you move the athlete by his/her clothing
at the shoulder/trapezius area.

16. 1. Position yourself at the athlete’s head.
2. Kneel, placing one leg at a 90-degree angle,
and rest on the knee of the opposite leg.
3. Place you hands beside the athlete’s neck
and grab the clothing at the shoulder region.

17. 4. Pull the athlete up slightly, resting the
athlete’s head between your forearms.
5. Keeping your leg and waist bent, slowly move
backward to a safe place where care can be
rendered.

18. *If you suspect a spinal injury, be careful not to
flex the athlete’s head too far forward.
*The athlete’s head should be cradled between
your forearms.

19. Blanket drag is useful when an athlete must be
moved a greater distance than with the
shoulder or clothing drag. This method can
also support the athlete’s spine if you suspect
a spinal injury. The only drawback is that you
must have some type of blanket or sheet
available to use for this purpose.

20. 1. Place a blanket beside the athlete, with
approximately 1 to 2 ft extending beyond
his/her head and feet. If the blanket is not
long enough to extend that far, make sure
that the blanket extends beyond the head
only.
2. On the opposite side of the athlete, pull him
or her toward you at the shoulders.

21. 3. Grab the blanket and slide it as far as possible
underneath the athlete, usually about half the
body width can be covered.
4. Repeat the procedure on the opposite side.
The blanket should extend 2 to 3 ft on either
side.

22. 5. Fold the blanket up at the athlete’s feet. Fold
one side then the other, if possible ticking it in
around the body.
6. Grab the extended portion of the blanket at
the athlete’s head, pull tight, and then move
the athlete.

23. Sheet drag is similar to the shoulder and
clothing drags except that a sheet or other
material is wrapped around the torso and
shoulders and the athlete is pulled backward.
Again, this manoeuvre is best used when the
athlete’s clothing is not suitable for putting, no
spinal injury suspected, and you are dragging
for only a short distance.

24. 1. Position yourself at the athlete’s head.
2. Roll or fold the sheet until it is only about 3
to 5 in. in diameter
3. Place the sheet across the athlete’s chest just
above the nipple and below the clavicle. Take
both ends and fold them under the armpits,
pulling the excess toward the athlete’s head.

25. 4. Grab both ends of the sheet and twist it at the
athlete’s head to form a triangle.
5. Pull up the on the sheet, keeping your
forearms and those of the athlete close
together.

26. 6. Pull the athlete up slightly, resting the
athlete’s head between your forearms.
7. Keeping your legs and waist bent, slowly
move backward to a safe place where care can
be rendered. Be careful not to flex the
athlete’s head too forward.

27. Ankle drag is useful for moving the athlete a
short distance over smooth terrain if you do
not suspect a spinal injury.

28. 1. Arrange the athlete’s arm over his/her head.
2. Place the athlete’s legs and feet together.
3. Grab the athlete’s ankle or lower leg area
with both hands.
4. Keeping your knees and waist slightly bent,
pull the athlete toward you as you walk
backward.

29. Piggyback carry is used when you have a fully
conscious person, usually with a lower
extremity injury, where full or partial weight
bearing is limited and distance to be travelled
is relatively short. This carry is not
recommended for athletes whose weight is
significantly greater than the trainer.

30. 1. Have the athlete face your back
2. Slightly bend your knees and waist
3. Have the athlete wrap his or her arms around
your shoulders.

31. 4. Lift up using your knees
5. Reach back and grab the
athlete’s thighs so that
his/her legs can rest on
your hips
6. Keeping your knees and
waist slightly bent, pull the
athlete toward you as you
walk.

32. Packstrap carry is used to carry an unconscious
person when a drag cannot be initiated. This
can only be use for short distances.

33. 1. The athlete should be face
up on the ground with arms
above his/her head.
2. Bend your knees and waist
and grab the athlete’s arms
between the elbows and
wrist joints.
3. Pull the athlete up to a
sitting position.
4. Holding onto the athlete’s
arms, rotate your body to
face away from the athlete.

34. 5. Place the athlete’s arms
over your shoulders.
6. With your knees bent,
slowly stand up without
extending your back.
7. Once the athlete is up,
bend slightly forward at
the waist to bring the
athlete’s feet off the
ground.

35. Cradle carry is used to carry or move a child or
lightweight athlete. The athlete may be
conscious/unconscious, athlete should not
have any suspected spinal injuries.

36. 1. Place the athlete on the
ground in a supine position
2. Bend at the knees and
waist, placing one of arm at
the athlete’s torso level and
the other at his/her
popliteal fissa area
3. Reach underneath these
areas, hooking your hands
to the opposite side of the
athlete’s body
4. With your knees bent ,
slowly stand up without
extending your back

37. 5. The athlete, if
conscious, may then
place his/her hands
around your neck

38. A fireman's carry or fireman's lift is a technique
allowing one person to carry another person
without assistance, by placing the carried
person across the shoulders of the carrier.

39. 1. Place the athlete in a supine position
2. Place the athlete’s hands several inches from
his/her butt, with the knees bent and facing
upward. The athlete’s arms should be at the
sides.

40. 3. Bend at the waist and knees and
grab the dorsal side of the
athlete’s wrists.
4. Place your feet on the athlete’s
toes.
5. Leaning backward, pull the
athlete’s arms toward you.
6. When the athlete is near in the
standing position, crouch toward
the athlete, placing one of your
knees at a 90 degrees angle and
the other leg behind your back.

41. 7. Put the athlete over one of
your shoulders with one of
the athlete’s arms at the side
of your head.
8. While holding the athlete’s
arm at the side of your head,
reach underneath the athlete
and grab the athlete’s leg
adjacent to your head.
9. Slowly rise up from the
crouching position,
maintaining contact with the
athlete’s arm and leg.

42. 10. Once fully erect, take
the arm that you are
holding and bring it to
the hand holding the
athlete’s leg.
11. With the hand
holding the athlete’s
leg, grab the athlete’s
wrist and hold both
together, freeing up
your other arm.

43. Walking assist is used to move an athlete who
may have a lower extremity injury on one side
only. The athletic trainer, acts like a crutch
supporting the athlete’s body and injured
extremity. This technique is often used to
escort athlete who suffered from ankle or
knee injury.

44. 1. Place yourself at the side of
the athlete’s injured leg.
2. Take the athlete’s arm closest
to you around your shoulder
and grab it with your opposite
hand.
3. Place your arm that is closest
to the athlete his/her waist.
Your leg closest to the athlete
will act like a crutch.
4. In transporting your “crutch”
leg and the athlete’s injured
leg should move in tandem.

45. Moves with two or more athletic
trainers
Two-person moves are used when the athlete is
unconscious, has injury, and if the athlete is
larger than the trainers.

46. Type of move Indications
Two-handed carry
Moving short distances and over
rough terrain, lifting athlete on
elevated surface, lower extremity
injury
Hammock carry Conscious/unconscious athlete, no
spinal injury
Two-person extremity lift
No spinal injuries,
conscious/unconscious, must support
weight of athlete
Two-person chair litter
Chair must be able to support the
athlete’s weight, athlete is conscious
and can sit
Three-rescuer flat lift and carry
Conscious/unconscious athlete, no
other equipment available,
coordination of athletic trainers

47. Two-handed seat carry is a good for moving an
athlete in a short distance, especially over
unstable terrain.

48. 1. Begin by determining who
will be the lead athletic
trainer.
2. The athletic trainers then
place themselves on
either side of the athlete,
facing each other.
3. The athlete is in a seated
position with the athletic
trainers standing with
their knees bent and apart
for stabilization.

49. 4. Each athletic trainer then
places his/her arm closest to
the back of the athlete around
the athlete’s back at the
scapula level with the
remaining hand placed on the
other athletic trainer’s
shoulder.
5. The athletic trainers then slide
their arms under the athlete’s
thighs and interlock their
hands.
6. The athlete places his or her
arms over the shoulders of the
athletic trainers.
7. The athletic trainers slowly
stand up in tandem.

50. Hammock carry is used when an athlete is
unconscious and not suspected of having a
spinal or severe extremity injury. This carry is
done by at least 3 persons but can
accommodate up to 6, depending on the size
and weight of the athlete.

51. 1. Place the athlete supine with arms folded across
the waist
2. The lead athletic determines where to position
the other athletic trainers based on the athlete’s
size.
3. All three athletic
trainers kneel.
4. The trainers place
their arms
underneath the
athlete, reaching to
the other side.

52. 5. In unison, the athletic trainers slowly raise the
athlete off the ground.
6. Once the athlete is stabilized, the athletic
trainers must transport him/her in a
synchronous fashion, moving lengthwise to
maintain good support.

53. Two-person extremity lift can be utilized when
there is no spinal injuries. Athlete is
unconscious/conscious.

54. 1. The athlete should be placed in a supine position.
2. One athletic trainer is positioned at the athlete’s
head and the other at the feet.
3. Kneeling, the athletic trainer at the head reaches
under the athlete’s shoulders and grabs the
athlete’s wrists, pulling the wrists toward his or her
chest.

55. 4. The second athletic trainer, facing toward the
athlete’s feet, grasps underneath the knees of
the athlete.
5. In tandem, both athletic trainers stand,
pulling the athlete up the ground.

56. Two-person chair litter utilizes a chair to lift the
athlete for transport. The athlete is conscious.

57. 1. To begin, have the
athlete sit in the chair.
2. One trainer stands
behind the chair and
the other kneels in
front of it.
3. The trainer at the back
grabs the sides of the
chair while the athletic
trainer in front, facing
forward, reaches back
and grabs the chair’s
front legs.

58. 4. Raise the athlete in a
controlled manner; the
front trainer must lift up
while the trainer at the
rear slowly tilts the chair
backward.
5.When both athletic trainers
are fully erect, the athlete
should slightly reclined,
with his/her back
supported by the back of
the chair.

59. Three-person flat lift and carry may be useful
when no other equipment available. This
technique requires coordination of moves and
some skill, trainers must move in unison.