Copy of Critical Reflection Essay - Piper Hook

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York University *

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1000

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Medicine

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Dec 6, 2023

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PIPER HOOK 219457985 A13 1 Working for the big leagues may come with many benefits, but it also comes with lots of challenges. Big league sports teams often have their own medical team including doctors, chiropractors, athletic trainers, and sports medicine physicians. A sports medicine physician treats musculoskeletal injuries that occur as a result of participation in sports. This may also include conditioning, injury prevention, treating chronic health conditions, suggesting diet plans and exercise programs, alongside planning treatment and rehabilitation for their patients. Sports medicine physicians coordinate with coaches, physical therapists, strength and conditioning coaches, dieticians and other personnel to create the best plan towards success for an athlete. One main role in a Sports medicine physician’s job is the rehabilitation and assessment of athletes’ injuries. They make the decision as to when a player is healed and ready to be back in the game, however, this decision is not made lightly and has many other sources impacting it. There are pressures from all areas for an athlete to be the best they can be when playing or performing. These pressures do not necessarily prioritize the athlete’s health, rather prioritizing winning or entertainment. This puts a dilemma on both the athlete and sports medicine physicians on what decision to make and where. The time it takes for athletes to return to the game after an injury, as well as the decisions made by sports medicine physicians, are heavily influenced by financial interests, media pressures, in addition to companies and/or coaches with superiority. Being an athlete comes with a great deal of benefits including a large salary, but an injured player may not make the same amount of money as an active one. While recovering from an injury, the amount of money a player receives depends on what was agreed upon in their contract (Alikpala 2021). Sports teams are run by wealthy people; athletes could be considered by the organization as non-performing assets or less profitable, and could possibly be dropped (Alikpala 2021). Being injured can pose a serious issue for players and their
PIPER HOOK 219457985 A13 2 financial needs. The financial gains associated with sports complicate the use of sports medicine because heavy financial rewards often compromise the ethical conduct of healthcare providers in the sports field (IvyPanda 2022). The financial attachment associated with sports affects both the wellbeing of the patient and the wellbeing of the organization (IvyPanda 2022). Athletes often face the decision of balancing between their long-term wellbeing but losing on long-term contracts that pay a lot of money (IvyPanda 2022). These financial impacts can affect the way the sports medicine physician does their work and could compromise their opinion on the athletes treatment. If a superior does not like the opinions of the sports medicine physician, the way they handle situations, or does not listen to the way the superiors want to handle the situations; they could possibly be fired and therefore lose their financial income. Bigger companies and superiors have an impact and say on the recovery of athletes and their salaries; a common example of hegemony. These superiors have influence and authority over the way athletes' health is handled and their payment while injured. These powerful decisions could make or break a player's life both physically and financially. This is also an example of the trickle-down effect; higher ups are paid a great deal of money and as you go down the ranks, they are paid less and less. Injured athletes, being less essential due to limited performance ability, can make significantly less money or no money at all. This is also an example of social determinants of health. There are economic and social factors influencing the health of the athletes. These factors can cause athletes and sports medicine physicians to make poor decisions and compromise their health because of it. Being a professional athlete comes with fame and a large media presence, but this comes with lots of pressure. The media influences both the decisions of the sports medicine physician and the athletes. These pressures could possibly devalue the trust created between society and the health care providers (Peer 2017). Media coverage poses another aspect of
PIPER HOOK 219457985 A13 3 decision-making in sports medicine. The physician’s care comes under more pressure possibly causing a positive or negative influence on the physician’s practice and therefore their career (Dunn 2017). The AMA Code of Medical Ethics discusses that it is the medical professional’s responsibility to protect the health and safety of athletes. They should not include the desires of the promoters or spectators in their decisions. It states the physician’s judgment should be made by medical considerations only (Dunn 2017). The media puts pressure on the sports medicine physician to return the athlete to the game as soon as possible even if their health is not ready for it. Similar pressure is put on the athlete to recover fast so they can play in the game once again. An example of this would be a recent article about former Pitt Panthers player Damar Hamlin. Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game and was in intensive care. Instead of focusing on Halin’s health condition, the article talks about his return to football and focuses on if he will ever play the game again (Tompson 2023). This shows how the media put pressure on athletes to recover quickly and return to the game instead of focusing on their wellbeing and full healthy recovery. As discussed in KINE - 1000, This is an example of media and representation in sports. The media portrays male athletes as strong and able to do anything. Therefore, they should be able to recover from an injury fast because they are strong and masculine. What is shared by the media is politically motivated to gain traction. An active player gains more activity and stories to share than an injured non playing athlete. This is also an example of structure versus agency. The media (structure) puts pressure on the athletes (agent) to return to the sport. This structure can affect the agent's life as they have no say in the way the media perceives sports and the pressures they put on athletes to play and win. The influences that the structure places on the agent can affect their physical health and their media presence. Athletes may be the face of sports, but it is the people above them which are running
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PIPER HOOK 219457985 A13 4 the show. Sports teams are influenced by many sources: health care professionals, the athletes themselves, and the team owner (Greenfield 2012). These various stakeholders often have different interests and goals. Therefore, health care professionals are frequently conflicted about the proper course of treatment for an injured athlete (Greenfield 2012). These superiors have a large influence on the decisions made by the athletes and physicians. Sports medicine physicians may have contractual and non-contractual obligations to third parties. These could take over their primary duties to help the athlete. They should never be convinced or persuaded into agreeing to the return to athletic competition of an athlete who is not ready to do so (McNamee 2014). Sports medicine physicians face the issues of balancing patient preferences with team priorities as well as medical risk with nonmedical benefit (Dunn 2017). Sports medicine physicians follow a code of ethics provided by professional boards. These physicians are still challenged by conflict of interest between care of the athletes and the decisions influenced by coaches and sponsors (Peer 2017). Not only do the sports medicine physicians make decisions influenced by stakeholders but athletes do as well. Athletes must balance external pressure from teammates, coaches, and agents (Dunn 2017). Athletes have personal drives for the game and pressures from other sources to get back to the game as soon as possible. Both these influences may compromise the athletes treatment. A recent example of this would be during the 2023 Super Bowl. With the superbowl being the biggest football game and one of the most watched events in the world, it comes with a lot of pressure. Patrick Mahomes, from the Kansas City Chiefs, refused treatment from the sports medicine doctor on an injured ankle during the game. He continued to play on his injured ankle for the rest of the game (Salvador 2023). This goes to show the pressures the stakeholders and superiors put on athletes and the importance of winning the game. Mahomes put his physical health at risk to win a game. This is an example of the course concepts reading the body and body as a machine.
PIPER HOOK 219457985 A13 5 The stakeholders do not see the athletes as people and souls but instead see them as a machine that plays sports to win and bring in money. These bodies are seen as machines to get things done for them. These superiors do not take into account these human feelings or pain. Stakeholders see these machines as just pieces in a game they can manipulate. These machines have real feelings and have real lives that are impacted by these decisions. The technological habitus explains how the body is seen as linear and used for something. Their bodies are taught how to play the game and are used for different types of gains for different people. In light of these problems, it is possible to apply the topics learned in KINE - 1000 to the future as a sports medicine physician. As discussed in lecture, the media has a large impact on sports and people in general. It influences the way decisions are made which could ultimately be harmful. Understanding the pressures the media places on athletes and making sure it does not affect one's work is a key factor in the practice as a sports medicine physician. Focusing solely on the patients health, what they need to get better, and giving them all the time they need for rest and recovery is important. The media wants athletes to recover fast and be back in the game as soon as possible, but that is not always possible. One needs to ignore the media and make sure the athletes health is number one priority. Another concept from KINE - 1000 to keep in mind is the body as a machine. Oftentimes the media, stakeholders, coaches, and other higher ups see these athletes not as people but as bodies that play sports. They are there solely there to play the sport, win the game, and make everyone money. The fact that they are actual people who feel emotion and pain are not often taken into consideration. It is important as a sports medicine physician to think of clients as a real person and not just a body/machine. Instead of the goal being to fix the body as soon as it can to get back to the sport, the goal should be to get the athlete feeling the best they can be. Not just for the game, but for their personal, physical, and mental health.
PIPER HOOK 219457985 A13 6 In general, KINE - 1000 expresses that there are always external influences that can affect one's life. It is important to understand where these opinions and biases come from and how to not let them influence the way you go about your life and career. Overall, as a sports medicine physician it is important to not let others' opinions, biases, or pressures influence the way the job is done and what is best for the patients and athletes. Overall, there are many external pressures placed on athletes and sports medicine physicians that might compromise their jobs. As a sports medicine physician, it is their job to help injured athletes' health and get them feeling better. As an athlete, it is their job to play the sport, entertain people, and win the game. But, other people's opinions might compromise both of these. Financial interests, media pressures, and companies and/or coaches with superiority all place pressure on the time it takes for athletes to return to the game after an injury as well as the decisions made by sports medicine physicians. A paradigm shift needs to take place in order to protect both athletes' health and sports medicine physicians jobs. The first step: realizing athletes' physical and mental health should take priority over a sports game. References Alikpala, G. (November 5th, 2021). Do NFL players get paid when they are injured?
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PIPER HOOK 219457985 A13 7 Who pays for the players’ medical bills? . Diario AS. https://en.as.com/en/2021/11/05/nfl/1636111487_338373.html Dunn WR, George MS, Churchill L, Spindler KP. (2017) Ethics in Sports Medicine . The American Journal of Sports Medicine. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0363546506295177 Greenfield BH, West CR. (2012). Ethical issues in sports medicine: a review and justification for ethical decision making and reasoning . Sports Health, 4(6), 475-479. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3497948/ IvyPanda. (2022, April 27). The Ethical Issues in the Sports Medicine . https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-ethical-issues-in-the-sports-medicine/ McNamee, M. (Ed.). (2014). Sport, Medicine, Ethics (1st ed.) . Routledge. https://doi- org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/10.4324/9781315885971 Peer, K. S. (2017). The Changing Context of Sport and Medicine’s Social Contract with Society: Implications for Sports Medicine Ethics. International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training, 22(1), 5-10. https://doi- org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/10.1123/ijatt.2016-0023 Salvador, J. (February 13, 2023). Patrick Mahomes Refused Treatment on Injured Ankle in Super Bowl. Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/02/13/chiefs-patrick- mahomes-refused-treatment-injured-ankle-super-bowl-57 Tompson, S. (January 5, 2023). Doctors Give Detailed Update on Former Pitt S Damar Hamlin’s Health . Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/college/pittsburgh/football/doctors-give-detailed-update-former-pitt- panthers-damar-hamlins-health