Local doctor talks sports medicine evolution – Cincinnati.com

Dr. Robert Burger of Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine sat down with the Enquirer to talk about his career and life as an athlete and sports parent. Phil Didion for The Enquirer

Dr. Rober Burger of Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine.(Photo: Phil Didion for The Enquirer)Buy Photo

Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine is the presenting sponor of the Cincinnati.com Sports Awards May 22 at The Aronoff Center.

Dr. Robert Burger is the head team physician and medical director for Xavier University and La Salle High School, among others. Burger played football at La Salle and the University of Notre Dame, and was a member of the Fighting Irishs 1977 national championship team. He sat down for an interview with The Enquirer to talk about sports medicine and his personal ties to athletics.

Jason Hoffman: Can you walk us through the role of the team medical director and what goes into that?

Dr. Robert Burger: Being a team medical director is a role similar to being a head coach. You have to surround yourself with a lot of quality professionals and each person needs to know their role and be accessible, available and accountable for what they do. A real key person in that team is the trainer. Thats the person whos on the front lines evaluating the athletes. They know the kids and take care of them throughout the season. They know how each individual is unique and which specific special needs they might have medically as well as what special conditions they might have that affect their ability to play. Along with that, there are the physical therapists and the office personnel who work along with the coaches, parents and athletic directors. It really is a coordinated network of people that care for our athletes.

JH: Can you walk me through some of the biggest changes youve seen in sports medicine?

RB: I have to go back even farther than 26 years to 40- to- 45 years back when I was in high school. Back then, the trainer was a student who was maybe interested in sports medicine who taped ankles. Treatment before a hot practice was you took salt tablets, and if somebody had heat problems it was usually because they didnt take enough salt tablets. We didnt have MRIs. Still, there were team doctors involved. Our team doctors, when I played high school football, were pediatricians who were willing to give their time and services. What we have today, and how thats evolved, is that teams are really taken care of by a team of individuals. Were fortunate now that most of the schools have qualified, licensed athletic trainers, and theyre the frontline person whos working every day with the athletes. Along with that, we have the team physicians, whos there and over time gets to know the parents, athletes and coaches. And now, after 26 years, its evolved to where Im taking care of the children of the athletes I used to take care of, which is neat but it also makes you feel like you have a couple gray hairs and youve aged a little bit. So, its been fun. Also, our understanding of issues like concussions is just light years different. Our ability with an MRI to diagnose quickly the injuries, where previously we didnt have that. So, really now, we have a team approach to taking care of athletes and its enhanced care and gives the athlete the chance to enjoy playing sports during that unique window of time they have.

JH: You were a high school and collegiate athlete as were your sons. From the position of having been an athlete yourself, being a team physician, and being a sports parent, whats that been like?

RB: Number one, its special. Its a really special time for an athlete and a really special time for a parent. Now, I feel like an old timer because I was blessed with four sons that played six or seven sports when they were in high school and they all played college sports. I greatly value what sports can do in terms of accountability, teamwork, self-confidence, discipline, the ability to improve at what you do, and that is something I treasure from my experience as an athlete. To be able to watch my sons has been some of the most enjoyable and memorable moments of my life. To be able to watch them grow and its something where they werent Gods gift to athletics where it was a foregone conclusion they were going to achieve success and theyve been challenged and experienced adversity, and theyve all been able to excel to a certain level, so it has been an absolute treat.

JH: Can you expand on what sports has given you and your family?

RB: I had a terrific education. I was blessed to attend La Salle High School and the University of Notre Dame as well as the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The toughest class I ever took in life was football at the University of Notre Dame. My sons played football at Ohio State and Notre Dame and both of them went through challenges. Did they have tough classes? Yes. And they received great educations. But the biggest challenge you have is learning to deal with the adversity, getting up after youve been knocked down, to push yourself to your limits, and to grow and to learn and mature as a person. To recognize the strengths that you have and to surround yourself with good people. Those are all great lessons weve learned through sports. Even though its been 40 years since I played college football, those are lessons I draw from every day of my life today.

For more of the conversation, including a video with Dr. Burger, visit cincinnati.com/sports.

For more information on the Cincinnati.com Sports Awards, visit sportsawards.cincinnati.com.

The rest is here:

Local doctor talks sports medicine evolution - Cincinnati.com