When the MVP is a Dr.

New game plan for injuries: Dr. Patrick McCulloch and others in BCM's sports medicine program are pioneering new techniques—such as cartilage transplants—to get athletes and non-athletes back in the game.

There are moments in football when everyone holds his or her breath: Watching whether or not the ball splits the goal posts in a game-winning field goal, the seconds its takes for the ball to zip through the air in a long "Hail Mary" pass, and when a player gets injured on the field. When an athlete goes down is when Dr. Patrick McCulloch becomes the team's most valuable player.

As an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and team physician for the Manvel High School Mavericks, McCulloch stands ready to care for athletes both on and off the field. McColloch is a member of BCM's sports medicine program, led by Dr. Walter Lowe. Doctors in the program serve as team physicians for Houston professional and collegiate teams, but it's perhaps the 100-plus area high schools that keep them busiest.

"You shouldn't go into sports medicine without truly loving to play and watch sports," McCulloch said. "During football season, I spend several nights a week and most of my weekends out on the field. It's my work, but it's also my hobby, so it's very rewarding."

McCulloch treats everything from lacerations to concussions to knee and ankle injuries for the Mavericks. And he doesn't just work with the football players, but with all of the school's athletes.

"This is a service that Dr. McCulloch and Baylor College of Medicine provide free of charge, but what we get is priceless," said Manvel's head trainer, Mark McMahon. "And as good of a doctor as he is, he's that good with parents, too. I've seen him seek out parents in the bleachers right after their child has been injured to explain what's going on."

It's impossible to have physicians at every high school game, so Baylor's sports medicine program also offers Saturday morning clinics during football season. Athletes can get an orthopedic evaluation, x-ray or MRI at the clinic instead of waiting for a doctor's appointment the following week. McCulloch and the other sports medicine doctors also see patients in their clinical offices throughout the week.

Injuries are on the rise among teenage athletes, who are bigger and stronger today and start competing at a younger age. These athletes often play year-round with little rest, so educational outreach is also a major component of sports medicine. Physicians talk to trainers, coaches, players and parents about ways to prevent injuries. For example, because women suffer anteriorcruiate ligament, or ACL, tear at a rate two to three times higher than men, they suggest female athletes implement a program of strength and balance training.

When injuries do occur, it's the goal of orthopedic surgeons to fix the problem in a minimally invasive way that doesn't require prolonged rehabilitation—often through arthroscopic surgery. "That applies just as well to someone who's a professional or collegiate football player as it does to your forty-year-old weekend warrior or a laborer who's suffered an injury," said McCulloch

Advances are constantly being made in orthopedics, and one of the newest techniques is cartilage restoration, an option available at Baylor's new Cartilage Repair Center, the only one in Houston. One process entails taking a biopsy of healthy cartilage cells, growing the cells in a lab, and then injecting them into the injured area where they promote repair of the damaged cartilage. "It's pretty amazing," McCulloch said, adding that cartilage cells also can be transplanted from a donor into an injured patient.

Doctors are exploring cartilage replacement in the hips and shoulders, but so far the procedure has mainly been done in knee joints that are frequently abused through sports and other activities. It's an especially viable option for patients younger than 40 who can't return to a high level of performance through traditional knee replacement surgery.

"If you have a knee replacement, you are compromising some level of performance and function to obtain stability and pain relief," McCulloch said. "If you were a tennis player, you may go back to playing, but it may be doubles instead of singles. And if you're under 45 when you have a knee replacement, it most likely will need to be replaced again."

McCulloch has had the privilege of working with famous athletes—he even served as team physician for the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox while he was doing a sports medicine fellowship at Chicago's Rush Medical Center. But the New England native, who played hockey growing up and lacrosse at Harvard, has had plenty of his own injuries and even surgery.

"When it comes to sports injuries, I can definitely empathize with my patients," he said.

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Volume 3, Issue 1, Spring 2007


	When the MVP is a Dr. by Dana Benson New game plan for injuries: Dr. Patrick McCulloch and others in BCM's sports medicine program are pioneering new techniques—such as cartilage transplants—to get athletes and non-athletes back in the game. There are moments in football when everyone holds his or her breath: Watching whether or not the ball splits the goal posts in a game-winning field goal, the seconds its takes for the ball to zip through the air in a long "Hail Mary" pass, and when a player gets injured on the field. When an athlete goes down is when Dr. Patrick McCulloch becomes the team's most valuable player. As an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and team physician for the Manvel High School Mavericks, McCulloch stands ready to care for athletes both on and off the field. McColloch is a member of BCM's sports medicine program, led by Dr. Walter Lowe. Doctors in the program serve as team physicians for Houston professional and collegiate teams, but it's perhaps the 100-plus area high schools that keep them busiest. "You shouldn't go into sports medicine without truly loving to play and watch sports," McCulloch said. "During football season, I spend several nights a week and most of my weekends out on the field. It's my work, but it's also my hobby, so it's very rewarding." McCulloch treats everything from lacerations to concussions to knee and ankle injuries for the Mavericks. And he doesn't just work with the football players, but with all of the school's athletes. "This is a service that Dr. McCulloch and Baylor College of Medicine provide free of charge, but what we get is priceless," said Manvel's head trainer, Mark McMahon. "And as good of a doctor as he is, he's that good with parents, too. I've seen him seek out parents in the bleachers right after their child has been injured to explain what's going on." It's impossible to have physicians at every high school game, so Baylor's sports medicine program also offers Saturday morning clinics during football season. Athletes can get an orthopedic evaluation, x-ray or MRI at the clinic instead of waiting for a doctor's appointment the following week. McCulloch and the other sports medicine doctors also see patients in their clinical offices throughout the week. Injuries are on the rise among teenage athletes, who are bigger and stronger today and start competing at a younger age. These athletes often play year-round with little rest, so educational outreach is also a major component of sports medicine. Physicians talk to trainers, coaches, players and parents about ways to prevent injuries. For example, because women suffer anteriorcruiate ligament, or ACL, tear at a rate two to three times higher than men, they suggest female athletes implement a program of strength and balance training. When injuries do occur, it's the goal of orthopedic surgeons to fix the problem in a minimally invasive way that doesn't require prolonged rehabilitation—often through arthroscopic surgery. "That applies just as well to someone who's a professional or collegiate football player as it does to your forty-year-old weekend warrior or a laborer who's suffered an injury," said McCulloch Advances are constantly being made in orthopedics, and one of the newest techniques is cartilage restoration, an option available at Baylor's new Cartilage Repair Center, the only one in Houston. One process entails taking a biopsy of healthy cartilage cells, growing the cells in a lab, and then injecting them into the injured area where they promote repair of the damaged cartilage. "It's pretty amazing," McCulloch said, adding that cartilage cells also can be transplanted from a donor into an injured patient. Doctors are exploring cartilage replacement in the hips and shoulders, but so far the procedure has mainly been done in knee joints that are frequently abused through sports and other activities. It's an especially viable option for patients younger than 40 who can't return to a high level of performance through traditional knee replacement surgery. "If you have a knee replacement, you are compromising some level of performance and function to obtain stability and pain relief," McCulloch said. "If you were a tennis player, you may go back to playing, but it may be doubles instead of singles. And if you're under 45 when you have a knee replacement, it most likely will need to be replaced again." McCulloch has had the privilege of working with famous athletes—he even served as team physician for the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox while he was doing a sports medicine fellowship at Chicago's Rush Medical Center. But the New England native, who played hockey growing up and lacrosse at Harvard, has had plenty of his own injuries and even surgery. "When it comes to sports injuries, I can definitely empathize with my patients," he said.		Search all issues: Patient Care Putting the Pieces Together: Megan's Story When Baby Heart Patients Grow Up Perfect Fit A Half Century of Love Saying Goodnight to Sleeping Pills Research A Cellular Passion From a Sister's Illness... A Cancer Crusade From Libretti to the Lab Education Leaping the Language Barrier Online Science Community Service Altruistic Art When the MVP is a Dr. A Neighborhood Need Alumni & Development BRASS Connections Help Students Soar If Walls Could Talk The Highest Honor The Ambassadors College News Physician Hall of Fame: College Receives One-of-a-Kind Signature Collection People Working Together to Achieve Greatness

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