Varsity football players in the St. Charles School District could be diagnosed and treated for injuries quicker if a plan to have a doctor on the sidelines works out.
The Board of Education on Dec. 8 discussed the possibility of hiring a doctor to be at St. Charles West football games. Jeff Marion, the district's assistant superintendent of Human Resources, said the board reacted favorably to the idea.
"They (board members) wouldn't necessarily have to approve it," said Marion, who was named as the district's next superintendent in November to replace Randal Charles when Charles retires on July 1, 2012. "I have the go-ahead to do this if we can enter into some kind of arrangement with Washington University or other groups."
The overall goal is to also place a doctor on the St. Charles High sideline for football games, but that won't be decided until the district and Dr. Matthew Matava, a professor of orthopedic surgery and physical therapy at Washington University, determine how many doctors would be available for the games.
Matava is a St. Charles High graduate, and it was his idea to help the district by volunteering his services and those of other doctors from Washington University.
Matava and Marion said the doctors would work roughly three hours for each home game and would be paid a minimal sum of $50. The district now employs Excel Sports to provide a trainer for all St. Charles West Warrior home games.
Matava said he was concerned about the type of medical coverage players had and wanted to provide the district with experts in orthopedics and concussions. Matava's department at Washington University provides physicians for St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Rams games.
"It was an interest I had," Matava said. "We have a large group of doctors who are interested in those things. I would head it up and be there for some of the games. I would take ownership of it. We have five faculty members in our department at Washington University and 30 residents in orthopedics."
Many of the details have to be worked out before physicians start working games in the St. Charles School District. It is uncertain whether doctors would be provided for junior varsity football games or other sports at the two high schools, said St. Charles West athletic director Terry Oetting.
Oetting said he talked with his contacts at Excel Sports and they are in agreement that having a doctor on hand would make it safer for the athletes. Oetting said the safety of the district's student-athletes is always his primary concern.
"Especially when it comes down to concussions, which there's a lot of focus on right now," Oetting said. "I told Dr. Matava what our situation is. (Excel) was very supportive and would welcome a physician on the sideline."
Oetting said that since he's been the athletic director at West, a couple of football players each year at the school have received concussions. But they pop up in other sports, too. He said a girls volleyball player at West tried to dig out a ball and hit her head on the floor, which caused a concussion.
"You might not think of volleyball as a concussion sport," Oetting said. "I don't think we've seen a huge spike in concussions. There's much more precaution that goes on now."
More attention is being paid to concussions nationally, especially in the National Football League. In the Pittsburgh/Cleveland game on Dec. 8, Steelers linebacker James Harrison hit Browns quarterback Colt McCoy helmet to helmet, and McCoy briefly left the game with concussion-like symptoms. Team doctors cleared McCoy to re-enter the game and were later roundly criticized for letting McCoy go back in. The NFL suspended Harrison for one game.
According to the Washington University Orthopedics website, 3 million to 4 four million sports-related concussions occur each year. Concussions can occur from a direct blow to the head or a blow to somewhere else on the body that produces a jerking motion of the head. Most concussions do not result in being knocked out or losing consciousness.
Common symptoms of a concussion include headache, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, sensitivity to bright lights or loud sounds, difficulty with concentration or memory, feeling sick to the stomach and vomiting. If an athletes experiences one or more of these symptoms after a head injury, it should be assumed the athlete has had a concussion.
"There's already a plan in place on how to deal with concussions at the high school level, so we wouldn't have to make our own for St. Charles West," Matava said. "The NFL has many more strategies in place to deal with concussions, some of which are political."
Because the doctors that would be provided are experts in orthopedics, they would be able to deal with a wide range of injuries also germane to athletes.
"If an athlete suffers a fractured cervical spine, fracture to ankle or knee, we could provide that ability to treat right there on the sidelines," Matava said. "We have a vast array of specialists in other areas of medicine that could help take care of the entire athlete."
