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7/19/2016
Location
Woodland, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
11/3/2016 7:33am
Was reading the Nelson thread, and a few mentioned wondering where the best facilties are for serious injuries?
I've often wondered this myself.
For example, I know Ting, Murphy and a few other docs are good. But where do you go or call for something bad, like broken necks or backs, or really mangled body parts? Not the doctors who say you'll never use this again, but the ones who say they will make it work again.
Most "doctors" aren't qualified to put air in a tire as far as I'm concerned, so a medical directory like Vitals tracks by state forum might be useful. Instead of leaving your future in just some randoms hands.
I guess what I mean is, instead of having a mechanic at a car dealer work on your engine, you have the engineers at the OEM factory working on it like the guys who work on F1 engines. Those grease monkeys are dressed like surgeons and fix things right.
I've often wondered this myself.
For example, I know Ting, Murphy and a few other docs are good. But where do you go or call for something bad, like broken necks or backs, or really mangled body parts? Not the doctors who say you'll never use this again, but the ones who say they will make it work again.
Most "doctors" aren't qualified to put air in a tire as far as I'm concerned, so a medical directory like Vitals tracks by state forum might be useful. Instead of leaving your future in just some randoms hands.
I guess what I mean is, instead of having a mechanic at a car dealer work on your engine, you have the engineers at the OEM factory working on it like the guys who work on F1 engines. Those grease monkeys are dressed like surgeons and fix things right.
(-- Doc.
BTW, "Most 'doctors' aren't qualified to put air in a tire as far as I'm concerned, so a medical directory like Vitals tracks by state forum might be useful. Instead of leaving your future in just some randoms hands." may be the most condescending post I've seen on here in a while.
Have a plan for where to go and have that place on alert for the race weekend.
If the heli hospital is different than the ambulance hospital have both on ready.
I've been to hospitals that were worse than my doing the operating in my barn.
The Gainesville hospital near gatorback tops that list for assholies.
Interesting fact though: Most people who rave about their particular doctor, surgeon, house cleaner, mechanic, etc do it out of a personality match and not the amazing work that is actually done.
The Shop
Luckily today, with the net, bunk and under dosed or mislableled stuff gets outed fast.
Would you rather your kid take desoxyn or trailer house bathtub made meth for ADD? Its the same stuff.
Back on topic.
What Im talking about is a forum where say in State XXXX Doctor xxxxxxx is the one you want for a broken neck or back. Or if you need 20 pins and screws and 8 plates for your foot like Nico Izzi, you get a good doctor, not a quack that says "just cut it off"
In other words....do you want a doctor who has less medical know how than a gym meathead decide if you are ever going to walk again?
And to be honest, most gym meatheads are far more qualified about drugs because they use and have real world experience.
Afterall, youll never convince your family doctor to prescribe asthma meds for weight loss. Or cancer drugs for your gyno. Or womens drugs to turn your Nuts on.
My idea is when the tour comes to lick skillet raceway but lick skillet hospital is a lean too ,find the best 2 other options say ,or the best one reachable by heli quickly. Have a surgeon ,probably many out there that are moto fans or just like the living made off crazy people like us.
Have the emts on the same page at the track,go here if no weather,storming go here.
I'd like a heli on the grounds but that probably aint practical.
Just some ideas,not sure if some of that already happens.
A motocross rider is no different than a MVC accident, pedestrian vs MVC, fall, etc. Same bones, organs, injuries, etc. Large trauma centers see 80-150k patients/year. They can handle and appropriately treat nearly any injury that comes to them. Exceptions to the rule would be severe burns (>80% for most) or some of the super specialized pediatric trauma/neurocritical care services that are more frequently transferred to large university hospitals.
We generally don't take critical patients to a smaller facility unless it's for immediate stabilization and transfer out. We make decisions about air transport based on a number of factors (and don't think they're just going to keep a helicopter available because it's race day). A hospital isn't going to pay that surgeon to come in just because it's race day either. He's at the hospital or on call for anyone.
I know we all like to think our sport is some sort of special snowflake because it's something we love and enjoy and it's a small subsection of life. The reality is that bad things happen to people all the time. The appropriate contingencies are all in place already for when it happens to whoever, and whenever.
Have faith in our training, our experience and our decision making. Like anything, there's good and bad providers out there. Unfortunately in emergent situations you don't get to choose who treats you. But generally, we do a very good job considering the messes we are handed and expected to produce a positive outcome from.
Thats fine for the immediate time.
My point is a forum on here for who to call next before people start cutting and drilling.
Someone who really knows what to do for the best chance of fixing whatever it is thats F'ed up.. That has to be better than a guy in some hospital who just sees someone to cut on.
I mean stick and ball sports coaches and teams must know who the go to guys are for the really serious injuries?
Or do you want a doctor who says to fuse it or cut it off, he shouldnt be doing this (football Moto Sx etc )anyway?
Where you practice as a physician has nothing to do with how good you are or what you are an expert in. Many of the "top" hospitals in the country don't have the "top" providers in many of the specialties under their roof. Our healthcare system isn't full of quack doctors who practice outside the line of the standard of care.
With that said, I feel like I'm arguing with a wall here. Feel free to trust whoever you want. I'll keep providing quality care to my tier 1 athletes at my smaller shop, where we arguably have the best private orthopedics group in the world.
I can tell you having the Mayo Clinic 35min from Millville is pretty good.
I think there's little doubt that we would have lost Zanardi and Hinchcliffe if not for these guys.
I think you might get more passion and commitment from an MD that's a super fan instead of one that accuses you of riding a "meat grinder" whether it's conscious or not.
It's true that it's not so easy to implement and I don't know how Indycar gets their trauma people local access but it seems to happen.
I think most MDs can put air in a tire. But I've trained many and work with them every day in my lab, and they are no different than any other profession: some are great, some are good, and some are less talented and/or dedicated than others. That doesn't mean a great doctor can save anyone, it just means there's a statistically higher chance. And a lower chance that (s)he accidentally harm or kill you. It happens...no one is perfect.
Pit Row
I had 6 shoulder dislocations in about as many years, and my shoulder was trashed. The last time it came out was from a hard landing and I didn't even crash! Right then I knew I'd have to get it fixed. Dr. Hamner gave me a consultation or two, and basically he advised me that I'd probably lose some range of motion. Thankfully, that issue never arose and my shoulder is stronger than the "good" one now. 100% satisfied.
This is kinda what I mean. Now if you needed surgery in say New York...who is good? Who understands fixing it for say sports compared to fixing it for a secretary, you'd have no idea. You'd just be hoping.
In your case, all you could do is call your Doc and see if he could recommend someone good, or get on a plane back to San Diego.
If anyone on this board has chronic foot/ankle pain, I beg you to take a look at the foot and ankle institute in Valencia CA.
As I've stated before, I have chronic foot and ankle pain which led me to finally doing something about it.
I was fortunate enough to have my appointment with Dr. Tanler Vulkmann, and I can honestly say it was the best decision I have ever made in my life.
From the first appointment with him I was blown away. He immediately made me feel comfortable and that I wasn't wasting his time. My first appointment I was with him for almost two hours and he went over every single option for me. From braces, to fusions, and everything in between.
On the first day he gave me his personal cell number and told me to call him day or night if I had any questions at all.
While I am still in a cast after my fusion, I Could not feel anymore blessed that I got paired up with Dr. Vulkmann.
If you are on the west coast and are ready to be done with your ankles hurting everyday, give that man a call.
Cheers boys
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