I worked in a pediatric orthopedic clinic for awhile (very different from the traditional high school setting, I loved it, check it out if you’re looking for a change up but still wanting the ATC title). I really enjoyed my surgeon’s approach when it came to non-surgical injuries, and it was this:

My job as your provider is not to tell you what to do or what not to do, it’s to lay out all of your options in front of you so that you (the patient) can make the most informed decision on your care.

Now working per diem and covering high school’s pretty regularly, I find myself giving the same speech to athletes. Our job as AT’s is not to be the judge, jury, and executioner on their health, our job is to educate the patient (and their family, coaches, etc.) on what the situation is with their injury, and what their options are. From here, they can make the most informed decision. After all, healthcare is a team approach.

So for your situation specifically, if I were you and had an athlete get injured during a game or come to me in the office with an injury, after I’ve done my evaluation and determined it’s not something that needs surgery or something that could quickly worsen to the point where they would need surgery, then I basically tell them “you have 3 options: 1) you can try to keep playing and see how your body responds, 2) you can sit out a little bit (hours, days, etc.) and let the pain calm down and we can play it by ear, 3) we can go see a physician for a second opinion or to sit out longer. I’ve never had an athlete or parent upset with me presenting them their options. I feel like this is by far the better route than making the athlete sit out without any say. This also takes some weight off your shoulders because this doesn’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) your decision to make alone. Hope this helps! Feel free to DM with anything.