Sports Medicine and Osteopathy

[FamilyDO2BE]

I am wondering if anyone else is thinking of going into sports medicine. I was wondering iof any one knew of any professional team docs that are DO's. I was also wondering if anyone knew of any good fellowships on the east coast. II have more questions but i will wait and see if anyone is interested in sports medicine........THanks

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[UHS03]

I know that the team physician for the Phoenix Suns is a DO. His name is Dr. Craig Phelps.

 

[Teufelhunden]

I forget his name, but the Cleveland Indians team doc is a DO -- an OUCOM grad.

 

[R. Dale Jackson]

The Team Physician for the San Antonio Spurs is a D.O.

When you say sports medicine are you talking the primary care route or the orthopedic route....you can start here for more information: http://www.physsportsmed.com/fellows.htm http://opportunities.aoa-net.org/Opportunities/residencies/ResidencySearchResults.asp

Do a search on google, there is tons of stuff that will pop up.

I believe sports medicine has also been a sub-specialty of Emergency medicine since the early 90's. Check into that as well.

 

[turtleboard]

Professional teams usually have more than one "team doctor." The guy who runs out into the field may be a sports medicine guy or an orthopod. Many professional teams have DO sports medicine specialists. I know, for example, one of the team doctors for the New York Rangers and I believe the New York Jets is a DO, Gerard Varlotta of NYU-Rusk.

 

[pyoj]

The team doc for Notre Dame is a DO, he came out of UHS.

I was told you complete at least one year of residency in internal medicine or some other primary care residency and then follow up with 3 or 4 years of physical/rehab medicine. now that i think of it, sports medicine groups a lot of different specialties under this catagory...orthopedic sugery, physical medicine, etc.

 

[DocHahn]

The Philadelphia 76ers orthopod is a DO and does presentations for the Sports Medicine Club at PCOM.

 

[ewagner]

pyoj,
Before you start a fellowship you MUST complete a residency...ie FP for 3 then SM for a 1 year fellowship. Also, the guy who runs out on the field is often the ATC, or the student ATC. The Doc will follow soon after, probably walking.
PM&R is typically internship then residency. Then you can have an emphasis in later in your residency...but a fellowship is still necessary to be an official "sports med doc". Don't get me wrong, ortho residents often work games to they get some trauma experience...plus it is good marketing for the hospital.
THought I would shed some light.

 

[sean]

Like the last post said, its the Athletic trainer of Student Athletic trainer that you see run out on the field. highly recommend getting a position as a student athletic trainer during undergrad if you are considering sports-med. Its excellent experience.

 

[Sunlyght]

Yep! I agree with the last post. I'm a student trainer at USC and I have so much fun. Now I'm even thinking about sports medicine!

 

[PhillyGirl]

Originally posted by DocHahn:
•The Philadelphia 76ers orthopod is a DO and does presentations for the Sports Medicine Club at PCOM.•

DocHahn--

Can you tell me his name? I am starting there in August and I want to meet him, as I am interested in sports med (I am currently a personal trainer/fitness instructor/aerobics instructor)

thanks!
BostonGirl

 

[bowsplash]

One of the Seattle Mariners' two team physicians is a DO. Now that's a job--traveling around the country, watching baseball, and reading MRIs.

 

[doc227]

Kind of a dumb question; What exactly does a student athletic trainer do, and how would you go about getting this positon? Would you have to be an athletic training major?

 

[EMDrMoe]

A student athletic trainer, as of Fall 2001, must be enrolled in a NATA curriculum program (a major, but accredited by the NATA). There is no internship route to become an ATC (Athletic Trainer, Certified) any more. If you want more info, please email me

 

[Sunlyght]

What AC2TD said is just if you want to be a certified student trainer. Actually, if you want to be a student trainer all you need to do is contact your schools athletic department to find the head trainer so you can tell him/her you want to be a trainer. As a trainer, you help the student atheletes with muscular problems by giving them treatment i.e. massage, ice, stimulation, P&F. We also tape anything that can or needs to be taped. I've actually learned a lot about how the body works and the types of injuries atheletes can have. I've also had the chance to shadow our doctors that come in and I have the chance to view surgeries. It's pretty cool. Networking and learning is the way to go!

 

[EMDrMoe]

Be careful, though, with the new regulations in athletic training education programs. Some will still have work study programs, and volunteers, but someone has to take the liability for your treatments. Also, some states with licensure, like Ohio, will only consider you a student athletic trainer if you are enrolled into a program leading to ATC. These are definitely going to diminish with the new regulations. I would definitely, like Sun above, recommend contacting your school's ATC(s) to see what you can do. Any experience you can get is worthwhile!!!! (I went through a now-passe internship program in undergrad.) PS - FYI it's PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) and it is a very cool thing. I did senior and grad school projects on it

 

[ewagner]

Many times the student A.T. will work with PT's on rehab as well. And to ATC2MD, strangely enough, PNF is also used in DO curriculum under the name Muscle Energy. Same theory...except for the typical PNF patterns used for stroke rehab, UEP1 and UEP2 etc.

 

[drusso]

You can also get into sports medicine via physical medicine and rehab (PM&R). Another interesting field is performing arts medicine. For what it's worth, the performing arts physician for the Los Angeles Ballet Company is a D.O.

 

[melancholy]

Sun and the rest of the folks are right. I ended up becoming a student ATC my senior year in college (Wish I had done it earlier!) and it was really one of the more rewarding experiences of college for me. It especially helps if you are interested in any sports because you gain a different perspective on athletes and sports.. especially since you see it every day at work. My school didn't have an athletic training degree, but we often had AT majors from other schools who were aspiring ATCs do "rotations" in our training room. There can be quite a bit of grunt work at times, but it is a great environment to get your feet wet with health care in a slightly less formal environment. The earlier you start the better... one year's time was not enough for me to learn as much as I would've liked to about topics like injuries, taping, rehabilitation modalities, even nutrition. There is certainly a LOT of practical experience to be gained as a student ATC.. and perhaps it will give someone more insight as to becoming a doctor or perhaps a sports physician in the future.

 

[DocHahn]

Bostongirl--

The Sixers orthopod is John McPhilemy, DO. He's on faculty at PCOM as part of the surgery department too.

DocHahn

 

[EMDrMoe]

ewagner, we learned a bit of muscle energy also. My husband, also an ATC, knows more than I do and uses it a lot with SI joint dysfunction, etc. I love all of the positive feedback about athletic training. It's nice to be among those who know it's not a "personal trainer." Thanks

 

[drchrislareau]

I find all of these posts very interesting. As an editor of a DO web site I would very much like to get an article that lists all the DO's on pro teams. Any takers?

 

[sean]

Just to add to the ATC thread, anyone thinking of getteing their ATC via interniship ie. 1500 hours plus class work and qualifying test must have all this completed by Jan 1 2004. After that you must enroll in a two year ATC program which would be difficult for pre-med students. I highly recommend becoming involved as a student trainer even if you don't plan to take the test. There is far more freedom to play doc (supervised) than in any other program I have been involved in because ATC's are the student athletes first stop in the medical chain of command. I have been involved at CAL Berkeley for a while and it has been a very positive experience.

 

[One-Zero]

I read somewhere that the head physician for the WWF is a DO.

 

[melancholy]

Thanks for reviving this thread. I was wondering why it seemed familiar.. and then I was wondering how come I had posted in it previously.

 

[njdocDO]

The American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine's website <a href="http://www.aoasm.org/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.aoasm.org/index.html</a> should answer alot of questions.

Also, their annual conference is April 10-14th in Washington DC, the same weekend as Student DO day on the Hill, for anyone interested. Students can go for $150.

 

[drchrislareau]

This is a topic that really fascinates me, especially the potential for improving athletic performance. Take a look at all the pro teams that now have D.O.s on staff -- people are really catching on to this. See also an article about the Olympics I just posted on my web site at http://www.dohealthnet.com (Not sure if this link will work. If it doesn't, just use the link in my signature line)