Orthopedic Surgeon/Sports Medicine
When orthopedic surgeon Barry Phillips stands on the sidelines watching the Memphis Tigers basketball players practice, he isn't admiring their hang time. He's too busy observing how the athletes move on the court. Phillips takes mental note of whether a player is favoring a knee or an elbow, since injuries sustained on the court can land a player on the bench for a game or season. Given the intensity of play, sports injuries are a common occurrence. And if such injuries aren't dealt with properly, they can present problems that linger long after a player hangs up his jersey.
As the University of Memphis’ team physician, Phillips plays a key role in keeping these college athletes healthy. Once practice is over, he often sees five or six players to follow-up on problems they might be experiencing or to learn whether recovery is going according to plan. If they're hurt during a game, it's Phillips job to assess the injury and come up with a treatment plan.
As an orthopedic surgeon with a specialty in sports medicine, Phillips’ roster is pretty full. In addition to working with the ball clubs at the University of Memphis’ athletics department, he’s also the team physician for Rhodes College, the Memphis Redbirds, and several AAA ball clubs and high schools. He treats a range of injuries, “I see a lot of orthopedic knee, shoulder, and elbow problems,” said Phillips, who works with fellow physician Tom Meriweather on the players’ medical issues.
Phillips is one of six orthopedic surgeons at Campbell Clinic who specialize in sports medicine. While the specialty is now common, when Phillips was earning his medical degree at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) during the early 1980s, sports medicine was still in its infancy. The primary physician organization, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, had only been founded in 1972 with just 100 members. The organization evolved as doctors around the nation discovered a need to share information about orthopedic injuries and the surgical techniques being used to treat patients.
Following his surgery residency at UTHSC, Phillips studied sports medicine in Birmingham, Ala. with James Andrews, MD, and later with David Sisk, MD. He also studied with Marcus Stewart, “who was one of the original sports medicine doctors,” noted Phillips. Today the ranks of sports medicine have swelled substantially, making it among the most popular subspecialties in orthopedics. Membership with AOSSM, which now boasts more than 2,000 members, reflects that change. Phillips said many of his colleagues played sports growing up, “and they got their start or interest because of an injury and are trying now to prevent them.”
Demand for services from physicians like Phillips has mushroomed in recent years, due to the march of aging boomers pushing to stay active, and the popularity of competitive sports among younger and younger kids. That growth prompted the AOSSM to launch a program to help coaches and parents deal with aches and pains of injury, noted Phillips. Called STOP (Sports Trauma and Overuse Prevention) Sports Injuries, this sports injury campaign aims to educate coaches and parents on ways to keep youngsters healthy and injury-free. Phillips says such education is definitely needed, since he sees many young players with injuries caused by overuse, an indication that coaches aren't having players rest fully when an injury has taken place.
The STOP campaign is creating growing awareness and has prompted some coaches to call Phillips to share their work out and exercise routines. Phillips said while they're in the minority, it's a step in the right direction.
One of the biggest changes Phillips has seen during his career has been the evolution of arthroscopic surgery. “It's made a tremendous difference,” he observed. Early knee surgeries were invasive and took months to heal. Now, the incisions are much smaller and rehab is more advanced. “When I first started doing knee ligament reconstruction, patients would be kept in a cast in the hospital for three days following the procedure. Now, we do it on an outpatient basis and the patient walks on the knee the same day. We've also learned more about the anatomy of the shoulder, its different injuries and how to treat it. We just know more than we did in the past.”
It is sports medicine doctors like Phillips who have also weighed in on the issue of concussions and the prevalence of second impact syndrome, catastrophic brain failure that, while rare, can leave players seriously impaired for life. “If a kid gets hit once and has a concussion, then gets hit again without the initial injury resolving, it can be dangerous,” said Phillips. “There can be brain injury, a loss of mental or motor skills earlier than expected, so that's prompting a longer recovery time.” To address the problem for high school players, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association adopted a policy this year requiring high school athletes with concussion symptoms to receive clearance from a doctor before returning to play.
“The bigger problem is with younger players,” noted Phillips. “It's uncommon, but if a young person has a concussion and a second hit, they're more likely to have permanent damage.” Phillips aims to make sure that never happens.
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