Physicians Provide Sports Medicine
Services To High School Athletes
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The play ended on the 37-yard line, and it was obvious the running back was injured. After the team trainer attended to his injury, would the teenager be able to finish out the game?

It all depends, according to Dr. Jeffrey Guy, an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “There are a lot of factors that contribute to an appropriate decision to return an athlete to the field. Many injuries can be made worse by sending someone back on the field too soon,” Dr. Guy said.

"We're setting up pathways for athletes to get funneled into the health care system, to get seen sooner as opposed to later."                                        -– Jeffrey Guy, M.D.

It’s inevitable for athletes to get hurt when participating in high school sports. With a high-risk sport like football, the likelihood of injuries increases. The South Carolina S.M.A.R.T. program (Sports Medicine for Athletes and Recreational Teams) was established to increase the level of medical care available to South Carolina high school athletes, especially those involved in high-risk contact sports. It will also provide an umbrella of support for the training staff and coaches. The program is a combined effort between the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and the University of South Carolina’s Athletic Training Department.

The goal for the S.M.A.R.T. program’s first year is to work with 6 to 10 high school football teams in Richland and Lexington Counties. As schools get involved in the program, physicians look to start doing pre-participation physicals for players in the spring.

Once football season begins, physician “on the field” coverage will be provided for participating schools. “A lot of the decisions about when someone can return to play are being made by the trainer and/or the coach. Most do a great job, but we’re trying to increase the level of medical expertise on the field,” said Dr. Guy.

For injuries that occur on the field, S.M.A.R.T. will add another resource to the EMS personnel that are usually in attendance at games. An orthopaedic physician will be available at Palmetto Health Richland for athletes needing urgent evaluation. In addition, athletes that do not require an emergency room visit will have access to care at an injury clinic the day after the game. Those needing rehabilitation will also receive next-day attention through a special arrangement with HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital. “We’re setting up pathways for athletes to get funneled into the health care system, to get seen sooner as opposed to later,” said Dr. Guy.

“The most exciting part of this whole system is that we are setting up an internal network for communication,” Dr. Guy added. Each school’s trainer will be provided with a cell phone for immediate access to emergency personnel, the orthopaedic surgeon at Palmetto Health Richland, and the S.M.A.R.T. athletic trainer, who is the newest addition to the USC Sports Medicine Center staff. Using this communications network, team trainers can also schedule clinic appointments for players before they leave the field after the game. “The school trainers are critical to the whole system. They are there with the students, providing front line medical care on a daily basis,” Dr. Guy said.

Reprinted from Connections newsletter, March 2002

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