DocTalk

It’s hard for me to watch medical shows without being too critical. I have to remind myself that the medicine takes a backseat to plotlines and character development and it’s alright that abdominal CTs get done in a couple of minutes instead of a couple of hours. The same is true in following the care given to pro athletes. Their reality is not the real world, where elective MRIs may be scheduled weeks down the road and not the same night. However, patience is often a virtue in medicine. And this from an ER doc?

More on the web.

www.MDdirect.org/blog

 

May I blame the missed Tuesday deadline on the snowstorm that shut down the Minneapolis airport and stranded me in Colorado? Well, this column is only a few hours late and it’s all about the stars. The idea started as I watched this week’s NBA all star game and realized that the game of basketball required teamwork to support the star cast that gets all the headlines. The same can be said for many walks of life but in medicine, if the surgeon is the star, then the strength of the supporting cast is critical to have a successful outcome for an operation.

More on the web at www.MDdirect.org/blog

Thanks for reading,.
Ben

 

Are Oscar winners always the best? People in the bowels of the Motion Picture Academy have the power to proclaim edicts but every viewer gets to decide whether or not they like the performance. The same is true for all the lists of “best” doctors. Best is in the eye of the beholder but how do you decide who might be the best doctor for you. More on the web.

Thanks for reading.

www.MDdirect.org/blog

 

Why is it that we expect perfection from people who exercise judgment in their daily job? Instant replay routinely calls into question the judgment of referees and umpires, allowing people the opportunity to spend weeks speculating on what might have been. Judgment is an integral part of medical care and instant replay doesn’t happen so quickly when errors occur. Often those mistakes go unnoticed and cause no harm and yet they can provide teaching moments. More about not being perfect in this week’s web entry.

www.MDdirect.org/blog

Thanks for reading.

Ben

 

A bad week for sudden death victims and perhaps it is fitting to be the topic for Ides of March. Is there more to say?

www.MDdirect.org/blog

 

Filling out a March Madness bracket for the office pool is part research, part gut feeling and part loyalty to an alma mater. Regardless, most people, including the experts get it wrong. How else can you explain why a lower seeded team can win. Ultimately, the game needs to be played to decide who was the better team on that particular night. Usually the odds are right except when they aren’t. The same philosophy exists in making a diagnosis and it’s not fair when the body keeps changing the rules.

More this week on the web.

www.MDdirect.org/blog

 

Who knew that a little tendon inflammation could stop a pro athlete in his tracks, but even mind over matter can’t make the body overcome patellar tendinitis. Chase Utley was in the World Series last fall but can’t get to opening day this year and the road to recovery can be a long and winding road. More in this week’s web entry. Thanks for reading.

www.MDdirect.org/blog

 

High tech medicine is expensive and new, high tech can really break the budget. How can a new breakthrough happen when money for medical care is limited? More on the website about the latest heart valve replacement procedures.

www.MDdirect.org/blog

 

Doc, somehow I've done something to my left shoulder. When I try to raise my elbow above my shoulder, there's a searing pain. When I try to fully extend my arm out straight in front of me, it's the same.

I'm self-diagnosing with tendonitis of my rotator cuff. Is there anything I should do between now and April 15 when my ortho specialist can see me? Ice, heat, a sling?

 

Sorry about the delay; work gets in the way.

There are many reasons to have shoulder pain and the rotator cuff is always one of the usual suspects. It will be important for your orthopod to know if there was an acute injury or whether symptoms developed over time. It will also be helpful to know what common activities you do to learn the stresses put on the shoulder joint. These are clues as to what might be going on. Physical exam should confirm the problem and hopefully get you on the road to recovery without the ugly word....surgery.

Ice and rest are reasonable. Wearing a sling for comfort in the short term is OK but longer use will cause the shoulder joint to stiffen and lose range of motion. It's always a balance. Avoiding things that hurt is one of those common sense things. Ibuprofen as an anti-inflammatory is also a first line treatment.

 

The Masters is the epitome of performance under pressure. More about adrenalin rush this week on the web.

www.MDdirect.org/blog

 

Does it seem that the sports pages report more on medicine and business than wins and losses? This week it’s Dwayne Wade’s migraine making him sit out a playoff game. More on headaches this week on the web.

www.MDdirect.org/blog