Team Physicians: On your mark, get set….go!

The sidelines–where so many of us like to be.

It’s still full-on summer in North America. The temps can exceed 40 C (104 F) in some parts, and the geese haven’t flown anywhere…..but fall is in the air, as team sports are in the midst of two-a-days and the hitting has begun! My clinics have shown an uptick in patient numbers, as the injured are trickling in. I have yet to stand on a sideline, but will do so in two weeks. It’s a good time to review the Team Physician Consensus Statement (see below) published a couple of years ago.

From the challenges of making real-time, sideline decisions regarding our athletes to the development of emergency action plans, those of us in clinical sports medicine will find a lot to help us in this statement.  In CJSM we have published over the years several manuscripts of great importance to the team doc.  We have explored whether return to play decisions are the responsibility ultimately of the team physician to variation in physician practice in those return to play decisions to more.  On this blog, we’ve covered the spectrum with interviews of team physicians from the Ohio State Buckeyes (Jim Borchers) to the Michigan Wolverines (Bruce Miller)…….

The health and welfare of our athletes is our primary obligation; in keeping our eye on this ‘ball’ there are several others we need to juggle–the needs of the team, the decisions of coaches and managers, the desires of parents if we are taking care of youth athletes……As our seasons progress, be sure to follow us here on the blog and on twitter @cjsmonline. And stay tuned to cjsportmed.com for studies released ahead of print, our ever-growing body of podcasts. We will try to help you navigate this juggling act.  All the best!