After a freak collision left New England Patriots' QB Tom Brady with a gash on his hand requiring stitches, luck and a bit of fast thinking from Neal ElAttrache, MD, saved the game for the New England Patriots, The Washington Post reports.
Here's what you should know:
1. Mr. Brady cut his hand at practice, requiring stitches to stop the bleeding. His gametime status was a mystery, before an intervention by Dr. ElAttrache allowed the QB to suit up and play in the championship game.
2. Dr. ElAttrache was chairing the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainer Society conference, Jan. 12 to Jan. 14 in Phoenix, when he wandered through the conference hall, discovering a booth for popular kinesiology tape, KT tape.
3. After trying out the tape on his own hand and having his medical assistant take some pictures, Dr. ElAttrache asked the booth manager for some product for a "New England Patriots player who needed tape to cover his thumb while allowing him to flex his hand."
4. The tape was sent to the Patriots' training facility and on Jan. 20, Mr. Brady was out on the field, KT tape on hand, leading the Patriots through a dramatic fourth quarter comeback to take the team to the Super Bowl.
5. Dr. ElAttrache was happy to see it worked, his assistant said.
6. Dr. ElAttrache, a renowned orthopedic surgeon, is the chairman of the board and program director for Los Angeles-based Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic's fellowship.