Patrick Connor, MD, head team physician to the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Knights, as well as a sports medicine surgeon with OrthoCarolina, laid out 10 things to know about being a physician for a NFL team, according to an OrthoCarolina blog post.
Here are the 10 observations:
1. A team physician's primary focus is the health of the athletes, not wins or losses.
2. All team physicians are specialists in their subspecialty and in sports medicine.
3. There is a NFL Physicians' Society, where team physicians can share strategies and ideas.
4. Players are evaluated with physicals at the beginning and end of every year.
5. A team physician's season starts with the NFL's season.
6. Medical coverage of NFL teams is a team activity in itself — with physicians, athletic trainers and physician consultants all working together.
7. There is a NFL Injury Surveillance System, a database of all NFL injuries and outcomes.
8. Team physicians help create specific NFL recommendations, guidelines and protocols for treatment.
9. Team physicians are always on call.
10. NFL team physicians provide care for all members of the NFL organization.