Post by QPR Report on Oct 11, 2009 7:49:20 GMT
The Times - October 10, 2009
‘Too many clubs don’t understand the whole issue of medical care’
Graham Spiers
One of Scotland’s leading sports surgeons spoke yesterday about the continuing instability in proper medical care for professional footballers, as well the current fad for “surgical tourism”, whereby Scottish players feel a need to go abroad for treatment rather than have the same procedure at home.
Professor Gordon Mackay, an orthopaedic surgeon and one-time Rangers player who specialises in reconstructive surgery on the knee, ankle and shoulder, said that football clubs in Scotland were being held back by their own “lack of appreciation” of proper medical support. In recent months players such as Kevin Thomson, of Rangers, and Shaun Maloney, of Celtic, have chosen to go abroad for advice or surgery, while only this week Kenny Miller, of Rangers, visited Germany to see Dr Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, the so-called “Svengali of Munich”, for a pelvic problem.
In Thomson’s case, the midfield player’s recent knee injury was the second time he had suffered such a setback in his career, and he chose to visit Dr Richard Steadman in the United States, despite his first cruciate ligament injury having been successfully cured in Scotland while playing for Hibernian.
Professor Mackay said yesterday that a strange kind of mythology had taken hold, whereby “going abroad” had become the panacea. In Britain, for instance, it has almost become de rigueur for footballers with anterior cruciate ligament injuries to go to Dr Steadman’s surgery in Colorado, despite the fact that identical expertise and treatment is available in Scotland.
“It is all about perception,” Mackay said. “It is perceived to be sexy, to be glamorous, to send players abroad for treatment. There is almost a bit of Hollywood about it — you know, it has glitter. But there is no treatment abroad that I know of for those types of injuries which cannot be had right here in Scotland. Our facilities and analysis are excellent.
“Football seems to be unique in this outlook. The world’s top skiers, judo players, tennis players, whatever, are happy to have treatment and surgery in Scotland. Our international rugby players by the score have had reconstruction operations here. Yet in football there is still this notion that ‘You have to go abroad for top treatment’, as if there is something mystical about it.
“Quite often an agent or a manager or even a well-meaning parent will say to a player, ‘Maybe you should go to the States to get that fixed’, and they go. It is a strange type of surgical tourism which is at work.”
Funnily enough, one footballer who didn’t go abroad for treatment — but who was foreign — was Henrik Larsson, the former Celtic player, who had his broken leg corrected and fixed in Glasgow in 1999 by Dr Bill Leach, another leading sports surgeon. Most Scottish footballers and their clubs, however, still believe that going abroad is the best option.
“It’s strange, because not only are our facilities excellent, but going abroad for treatment presumably involves more expense, and the follow-up care can be complicated as well,” Mackay said. “And from what I can see, the outcome of all these operations which take place in America or wherever — in terms of their success rate — look about average. I can say absolutely that nothing distinctive is offered abroad that you cannot find in Scotland.”
Miller has been dogged for over a year now by a problematic pelvic injury, which, despite his two goals for Rangers against Celtic last weekend, is described by the player himself as “killing my game”. On Tuesday, Miller went to Munich to see Dr Müller-Wohlfahrt, a man who, like Steadman, is hailed in the media for his miraculous methods.
“I don’t know Kenny Miller’s particular case, so I won’t comment on that specifically, but there should be no need for any Scottish footballer to have to go abroad for such things as muscular problems in the pelvic or lower-back areas,” Mackay said. “These types of problems have been routine among our rugby players and have been treated, so you’re left asking again: why do footballers feel the need to go abroad? The truth is, there is probably a bit of ignorance among football clubs in this whole area.”
Mackay believes that a general improvement in understanding of medical care — and the economic arguments that would come with that — is the answer for many SPL clubs. “Too many of our clubs don’t seem to understand the whole issue of medical care,” he said. “What is really needed is a willingness to have a stable medical support team around football clubs and their players. Apart from anything else, it makes economic sense.
“Good medical support for footballers means fewer injuries in the long-term and reduced costs for the clubs as a consequence. There is an injuries-success association which has to be reckoned with. But some of the clubs just don’t seem to grasp this.”
A further example of the erratic nature of health care at clubs is the way in which club doctors — once the pillars of a football club’s infrastructure — are now hired and fired on the whim of a new manager. Dr Derek McCormack has left his post at Celtic in recent weeks, while Ian McGuinness, the former Rangers doctor, was abruptly sacked when Walter Smith replaced Paul Le Guen as manager. McGuinness, through no fault of his own, has subsequently left Newcastle United due to political upheaval at the club.
“These types of scenarios are not ideal,” Mackay said. “It would obviously be better for the stability of health care at clubs if the comings and goings of doctors were not such an erratic business. It seems to me you dilute or undermine a club’s medical support facility if you have doctors being at the mercy of new managers like this.
“In Scotland I believe we still have a way to go in appreciating how to look after our footballers, and where the best treatment can be found.”
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article6868680.ece
‘Too many clubs don’t understand the whole issue of medical care’
Graham Spiers
One of Scotland’s leading sports surgeons spoke yesterday about the continuing instability in proper medical care for professional footballers, as well the current fad for “surgical tourism”, whereby Scottish players feel a need to go abroad for treatment rather than have the same procedure at home.
Professor Gordon Mackay, an orthopaedic surgeon and one-time Rangers player who specialises in reconstructive surgery on the knee, ankle and shoulder, said that football clubs in Scotland were being held back by their own “lack of appreciation” of proper medical support. In recent months players such as Kevin Thomson, of Rangers, and Shaun Maloney, of Celtic, have chosen to go abroad for advice or surgery, while only this week Kenny Miller, of Rangers, visited Germany to see Dr Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, the so-called “Svengali of Munich”, for a pelvic problem.
In Thomson’s case, the midfield player’s recent knee injury was the second time he had suffered such a setback in his career, and he chose to visit Dr Richard Steadman in the United States, despite his first cruciate ligament injury having been successfully cured in Scotland while playing for Hibernian.
Professor Mackay said yesterday that a strange kind of mythology had taken hold, whereby “going abroad” had become the panacea. In Britain, for instance, it has almost become de rigueur for footballers with anterior cruciate ligament injuries to go to Dr Steadman’s surgery in Colorado, despite the fact that identical expertise and treatment is available in Scotland.
“It is all about perception,” Mackay said. “It is perceived to be sexy, to be glamorous, to send players abroad for treatment. There is almost a bit of Hollywood about it — you know, it has glitter. But there is no treatment abroad that I know of for those types of injuries which cannot be had right here in Scotland. Our facilities and analysis are excellent.
“Football seems to be unique in this outlook. The world’s top skiers, judo players, tennis players, whatever, are happy to have treatment and surgery in Scotland. Our international rugby players by the score have had reconstruction operations here. Yet in football there is still this notion that ‘You have to go abroad for top treatment’, as if there is something mystical about it.
“Quite often an agent or a manager or even a well-meaning parent will say to a player, ‘Maybe you should go to the States to get that fixed’, and they go. It is a strange type of surgical tourism which is at work.”
Funnily enough, one footballer who didn’t go abroad for treatment — but who was foreign — was Henrik Larsson, the former Celtic player, who had his broken leg corrected and fixed in Glasgow in 1999 by Dr Bill Leach, another leading sports surgeon. Most Scottish footballers and their clubs, however, still believe that going abroad is the best option.
“It’s strange, because not only are our facilities excellent, but going abroad for treatment presumably involves more expense, and the follow-up care can be complicated as well,” Mackay said. “And from what I can see, the outcome of all these operations which take place in America or wherever — in terms of their success rate — look about average. I can say absolutely that nothing distinctive is offered abroad that you cannot find in Scotland.”
Miller has been dogged for over a year now by a problematic pelvic injury, which, despite his two goals for Rangers against Celtic last weekend, is described by the player himself as “killing my game”. On Tuesday, Miller went to Munich to see Dr Müller-Wohlfahrt, a man who, like Steadman, is hailed in the media for his miraculous methods.
“I don’t know Kenny Miller’s particular case, so I won’t comment on that specifically, but there should be no need for any Scottish footballer to have to go abroad for such things as muscular problems in the pelvic or lower-back areas,” Mackay said. “These types of problems have been routine among our rugby players and have been treated, so you’re left asking again: why do footballers feel the need to go abroad? The truth is, there is probably a bit of ignorance among football clubs in this whole area.”
Mackay believes that a general improvement in understanding of medical care — and the economic arguments that would come with that — is the answer for many SPL clubs. “Too many of our clubs don’t seem to understand the whole issue of medical care,” he said. “What is really needed is a willingness to have a stable medical support team around football clubs and their players. Apart from anything else, it makes economic sense.
“Good medical support for footballers means fewer injuries in the long-term and reduced costs for the clubs as a consequence. There is an injuries-success association which has to be reckoned with. But some of the clubs just don’t seem to grasp this.”
A further example of the erratic nature of health care at clubs is the way in which club doctors — once the pillars of a football club’s infrastructure — are now hired and fired on the whim of a new manager. Dr Derek McCormack has left his post at Celtic in recent weeks, while Ian McGuinness, the former Rangers doctor, was abruptly sacked when Walter Smith replaced Paul Le Guen as manager. McGuinness, through no fault of his own, has subsequently left Newcastle United due to political upheaval at the club.
“These types of scenarios are not ideal,” Mackay said. “It would obviously be better for the stability of health care at clubs if the comings and goings of doctors were not such an erratic business. It seems to me you dilute or undermine a club’s medical support facility if you have doctors being at the mercy of new managers like this.
“In Scotland I believe we still have a way to go in appreciating how to look after our footballers, and where the best treatment can be found.”
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article6868680.ece