Mihir Patel, MD, of Indianapolis-based OrthoIndy, discusses the latest opportunities in sports medicine services as well as offers advice to new surgeons entering the field.
Question: What are some of the most exciting new opportunities in sports medicine?
Dr. Mihir Patel: The most important opportunities in sports medicine involve the advancement of biologic materials to help the patient heal their injury. Biologic materials are being used throughout multiple applications from primary fixation to adjunctive repair. Synthetic materials that help promote natural healing and then become incorporated into primary tissue give us the tools to help the patient get back to their activities.
Q: What has been the most challenging aspect of your career?
MP: The most challenging aspect of taking care of any patient or athlete is providing realistic expectations of return from injuries. The entire medical team helps to provide this guidance to the patient or player as they heal. From the trainers to X-ray technicians to the physicians in the locker room and the physical and occupational therapists, the educational process on the biology of recovery continues throughout the treatment course. This truly is a team effort from beginning to the end.
Q: What advice do you have for sports medicine physicians at the start of their careers?
MP: Be available, respectful and conscientious. Irrespective of the profession, one should remember every professional has spent countless hours and years preparing to become the expert in their respective field. As a physician, patients and players seek us out because we have done that and are the experts for their injury. Enjoy the interactions as they happen. At the end of the day, our careers are a marathon on the road of developing a lifetime of fabulous memories.
Learn more from Dr. Patel at the 15th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference + The Future of Spine in June 2017! Click here for more information.