About Mike Hopper

About Me

Michael Hopper, ATC is a Certified Athletic Trainer currently working for Monroe Physical Therapy&Sports Medicine. Outside of the PT clinic, Hopper is an outreach athletic trainer at Freeburg Community High School. During the day, he works with patients in the clinic alongside the physical therapist and physical therapy assistant. Also, he works on the fitness staff in the fitness center throughout the week.

Mike in the Grizzlies Dugout

As a Certified Athletic Trainer, Hopper is responsible for the healthcare of the student-athlete. This can encompass a wide variety of a tasks depending on the sport, position, age, and gender of the student-athlete. At FCHS, Hopper is responsible for the prevention of injury through taping and bracing along with helping with flexibility through stretching and dynamic movements. Also, he is tasked with the acute assessment and evaluation of athletic injuries and the evaluation of chronic injuries as well. Hopper responds to emergencies on the field and manages the injury throughout the entire process.

In addition, rehabilitation is a requirement of the job. Athletic Trainers are skilled in rehabilitation of athletic injuries including things as minor as muscle strains all the way through post-operative conditions such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Athletic Trainers utilize a variety of modalities including therapeutic exercise, therapeutic modalities such as electrical stimulation and ultrasound, and manual therapy.

Hopper is a Level-1 Graston Technique practitioner. The Graston Technique utilizes stainless steel instruments to assist the clinician in assessing the soft tissue and mobilizing it by breaking up scar tissue and adhesions. Combined with stretching and exercise, the Graston Technique is very successful in alleviating pain and dysfunction.

Things to Know about Mike Hopper, ATC

Graduate of Southeast Missouri State University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Management: Athletic Training
Certified by the Board of Certification for Athletic Trainers (national certification)
Licensed Athletic Trainer in the state of Illinois
CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer through the American Heart Association
Member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers’ Association, and the Illinois Athletic Trainers’ Association
Level-1 Graston Technique clinician

Clinical Experience

Division One experience at Southeast Missouri State University in football, women’s soccer, women’s gymnastics, and men’s and women’s track and field
Youth Sports experience at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater working a variety of summer sports camps
High School experience at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau, MO and at Waterloo High School in Waterloo, IL as a student
High School experience at Freeburg Community High School
Physical Therapy Clinic experience at Monroe Physical Therapy&Sports Medicine and at Premier Rehab in Cape Girardeau, MO
Professional Baseball experience with the Gateway Grizzlies Professional Baseball Organization of the independent Frontier League

Athletic Training and Fitness