Jun 8, 2017Trust Gained
During the first two years of Midwest Orthopedic Sports Medicine’s (MOSM) partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools’ (MPS) athletics, there were many instances where coaches, parents, and athletes learned the hard way that listening to an athletic trainer was in their best interest. This particular example stood out to me.
MPS always has a basketball showcase over Thanksgiving weekend. One year, a coach brought one of his players to me so I could look at his knee. The player had been having problems with it, and the coach wanted to know what I could do. Following an examination, I recommended the athlete seek orthopedic evaluation to rule out a meniscal tear. I provided the coach and athlete my contact information and that of one of MOSM’s physicians.
A couple of weeks later, the athlete complained of more knee pain. I talked to his parent and discovered he never scheduled an appointment to see a doctor.
Later, it was brought to my attention that the athlete didn’t originally go to the doctor because people were telling him to “tough it out.” But by toughing it out, his injury became worse.
I didn’t hear much more from the athlete about his knee until one of the last regular season games. At this point, he had a significant amount of swelling and an obvious limp. However, he insisted he was okay.
Following the game, the athlete was clearly in a lot of pain, so I spoke with one of his relatives to again suggest that he see a physician. Instead, the athlete decided to go to an urgent care facility, where he was told he had water on his knee but could continue playing.
During a playoff game, the athlete turned wrong and took a hit, making the knee much worse. That’s when I finally took the bull by the horns and spoke to his mother about getting him in to see a physician right away. As a result, the athlete was evaluated and had an MRI completed within 48 hours. His diagnosis was a torn meniscus, so his season was over.
Later, it was brought to my attention that the athlete didn’t originally go to the doctor because people were telling him to “tough it out.” But by toughing it out, his injury became worse.
Despite everything that happened, this story does have a happy ending. Now, the athlete is doing great, trusts me, and comes to me just to talk. This situation — though challenging — helped me win over the athlete and his family, coaches, and many others within MPS.
