A behind-the-scenes look at the sports medicine facility

With 11 Division I sports and more than 300 student-athletes, the sports medicine department focuses on the prevention and treatment of athlete's aches and pains. The facility offers multiple benefits that keep an athlete healthy and ready for game day.

Sports are a form of exercise and entertainment, but many overlook the proper care that goes into an athlete's body to keep them competing. Here at the University of Colorado at Boulder, NCAA Division I sports is no joke.

As part of the Big 12 Conference, CU athletics have excelled producing olympians and professional athletes on a regular basis. Inside the Dal Ward Athletic Center, seven athletic trainers assist every student-athlete's needs on and off the field. Along with the athletic trainers, 25 student interns assist the athletes as they get hands-on experience in sports medicine and integrative physiology.

The facility offers treatment, education, prevention, rehabilitation and a comfortable environment for athletes to hangout.

"But the most important aspect of the department is 'pre-hab,'" said Miguel Rueda, head athletic trainer.

Pre-hab consists of the treatment of injury-prone areas before an injury occurs. This is achieved through taping, stretching and hydration. On a daily basis, football athletes come in before practice to get their ankles taped because one bad sprain can leave them on the sidelines for weeks.

The trainers have an integral part in the success of CU athletics and are always ready on the sidelines for any emergency. Whether it's full contact or a cross country race, trainer's pay constant attention to the athletes to ensure a long season without injuries.