Dr. Marc Philippon Mentioned in Globe and Mail Feature On Diagnosing Sports Injuries

Every year, men and women trust the diagnosis and advice given to them by their doctors. It’s these words that are taken in with the belief that the injury or condition at hand will be treated and made to go away. While this statement describes most people’s interactions with doctors, it’s the sports medicine segment that oftentimes gets the brunt of the blame when the diagnosis proves to be wrong.

In a recent article that ran in the online version of the Globe and Mail, it states that sports medicine can be a messy and immensely complicated business. The feature highlights several athletes whose misdiagnosed injuries led to further injury and time on the bench, and forced one into early retirement. It also highlights comments from team managers and trainers who confirm that the long-term goal is in fact the long-term health of the players and that team doctors face pressures from many directions, including satisfying their employers, satisfying their patients, and knowing a mistake can end an athlete’s career. It goes on to state that while many professional hockey teams have an official medical provider, many athletes are choosing to get independent, second and third party advice in order to get the best medical care and diagnosis.

Dr. Marc Philippon, orthopedic hip surgeon with the Steadman Clinic in Vail is mentioned in the article as one such doctor being sought out for these particular types of special assessments.

NHL Penguins general manager Ray Shero, states, “Every plane ticket, every operation, it doesn’t matter. I’ll send guys for third opinions because we want to be right and I want the players to know they’re getting the best possible medical care.”

To read the full story:

Diagnosing sports injuries never an exact science