SAN MARCOS ---- A swollen ankle will no longer be a big pain in the neck for student athletes at Cal State San Marcos as the campus gets set to develop a fully equipped sports medicine room that would offer treatment of minor injuries and soothe weary bones.

The sports medicine room is being made possible by a nearly $100,000 grant from a local orthopedics company, announced recently by the university. The money will pay part of the salary of a part-time athletic trainer as well as buy equipment such as whirlpool therapy tubs, treatment and massage tables, stools and utility carts, and rehabilitation and exam equipment.

"It's huge," CSUSM golf coach Fred Hanover said of the gift Tuesday, as he was leaving the university's M. Gordon Clarke Field House en route to serve as a referee at a high school girls basketball game. "It really is huge. And as we add sports, it's going to be wonderful for the athletes not to have to go off campus to get treated."

Hanover said the room will allow the university to provide the type of training room that athletes at most every other college and university can find on their campuses.

Cal State San Marcos fields golf, track and cross-country teams that take part in intercollegiate competition. The more than 100 students who participate now go off campus for training-related services from a variety of private practitioners.

The donation, by dj Orthopedics Inc. of Vista, will also go toward stocking the sports medicine room with a supply of gauze, tape, wraps, towels and ultrasound gel, and is among several that have helped support sports at CSUSM.

A 550-square-foot room at the field house, which opened in September, has been set aside for a sports medicine room but so far has only been modestly equipped. The $7.4 million field house itself was helped along by a $1.2 million gift from Helene Clarke of Oceanside. Clarke, who died in 2000, also left $2.6 million for scholarships for student athletes.

University spokesman Rick Moore said more funding for the sports medicine room is likely to be sought from Associated Students Inc., the student government body, because the facility would serve not only athletes who compete in intercollegiate sports, but those who play in club and intramural competitions and those who play sports just for the fun of it.

It's not clear now how soon the facility could open, Moore said.

In a news release, cross country and track coach and former Olympian Steve Scott said the new facility will help prevent injuries as well.

"A sports medicine facility will do wonders for my programs," he said. "Injuries are a big concern in the sports I coach. With a properly equipped and staffed facility, we can do a lot to prevent injuries, and treat them more aggressively when they do occur. This means I will have athletes who can train harder and longer, and who can perform at their peak."

The facility is to be named the dj Ortho Sports Medicine Room, after the Vista-based manufacturer of orthopedic sports medicine products.

Chief Executive Officer Les Cross said the gift furthers dj Orthopedics' mission of helping athletes of all ages and abilities maintain active lifestyles.

"By helping Cal State San Marcos open their sports medicine room, we've found a new way to fulfill our mission while also making a difference in the lives of young athletes in our community," he said.

The company has made contributions to several organizations in the region, including the Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad, the North San Diego County NAACP, the Vista Community Clinic and the Vista Townsite Community Partnership.

Traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DJO, dj Orthopedics designs, manufactures and markets products such as knee braces, cold-therapy and pain-management systems and devices that stimulate bone growth. It's the official supplier of such braces to the U.S. ski and snowboard teams.