Dr. David Simon Applauds Improvements in Sports Medicine

LAKE WORTH, FL, April 20, 2014

Dr. David Simon spent nineteen seasons in the big leagues. Eight of those years were spent with the old Montreal Expos, back before the franchise relocated to the United States and changed its name to the Washington Nationals. And eleven of those years were spent in the Marlins organization, some as a Florida Marlin and some as a Miami Marlin.

And yet only the most ardent baseball fans are likely to recognize the name of Dr. David Simon. That's because he was never a promising young slugger or a crafty left-hander with a wicked curveball, but a team physician.

The Major League Baseball season consists of 162 regular-season games. All that playing can put a lot of wear and tear on ballplayers' bodies, which is why every team has its own team of physicians to tend to players' aches and pains.

A team physician is often an orthopedic surgeon who serves as the leader of a group of MDs, D.O.s, and other team caregivers. They work with athletic trainers, physical therapists, nutritionists and other medical specialists, to maintain the health of team, and treat everything from the common cold to preventing injuries.

Being a team physician, Dr. David Simon learned, comes with many fringe benefits, but sitting in the team dugout during a game isn't one of them. Team trainers are the first-responders when a player is hurt on the field. Team doctors are allowed to have seats next to the dugout. Team physicians are responsible for players on both the home and visiting teams, as well as all their personnel, such as managers, coaches and umpires.

Team physicians these days are seeing fewer and fewer acute traumatic injuries, but are seeing more repetitive type of injuries such as rotator cuff, oblique strains, and meniscus tears. Players can hurt ligaments in their elbows when pitching.

As the team physician to a Major League Baseball club, Dr. David Simon was committed to providing the highest quality medical care and services aimed to the players on his team. This included securing and enhancing the safety of each player, as well as their health and well-being. Major League Baseball team physicians support this mission through continuing medical education and research relevant to the sport of baseball. They also support the analytical surveillance of injuries, and the development of injury prevention recommendations and policies.

With the start of a new baseball season this spring, the Major League Baseball Team Physicians Association is continuing its pursuit of improved diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of injuries in baseball. Dr. David Simon applauds these efforts and supports them, even though he is no longer active as a team physician. The MLBTPA Research Program has developed into a standard for elite sports research efforts. Its research group has continued its scientific pursuits directed at determining the high-risk types of injuries, player positions, and game situations, in order to decrease and ultimately prevent these injuries. These efforts are now carefully coordinated with the Players Association through their medical consultant.

Dr. David Simon has been a practicing osteopath for twenty-five years.

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