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Orthopedic surgeon treats U.S. Ski Team
Source:
Butler Eagle
Written by:
John Enrietto
Published:
February 24, 2010
ADAMS TWP — As a young skier, Josh Szabo had his eyes on the Olympics.
Now, he's a part of them, but not in the way he envisioned.
An orthopedic surgeon who practices at Tri Rivers Surgical Associates in Butler, Mars and North Hills, Szabo is an official physician to the United States Ski Team. However, he is not in Vancouver, British Columbia, with the squad as it competes in the Winter Olympics.
"We have 30 to 35 physicians at the games with more than 100 athletes competing in numerous skiing events," Szabo said. "I'm hoping to be one of the physicians at the 2014 Games in Russia."
If he is, he'll be paying his own way to get there and to stay there, just as the American physicians are doing in Vancouver right now.
"We don't get paid a dime for this," Szabo said. "There's no fund or pool of money that helps us out, nothing. We do this because we care about these athletes and want to contribute our services to them."
Szabo can identify with the skiers. An active skier today, he was a competitive skier as a teenager. A native of the South Hills, his competitive skiing was based out of Seven Springs.
As a 17-year-old in 1988, Szabo suffered a knee injury while practicing a downhill event. The injury required major reconstructive surgery and his competitive skiing days were over.
However, his passion for the sport continued.
"My injury is what piqued my interest in medicine. I became fascinated by the field after seeing the work done on my knee," Szabo said.
"I never intended to wind up working with and treating competitive skiers. My passion eventually steered me in that direction."
A Sewickley Academy graduate, Szabo received his medical degree from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia and his orthopedic training at Drexel University's College of Medicine.
He completed a sports medicine fellowship in Mississippi and now lectures nationally about arthroscopic shoulder surgery, knee ligament reconstructions and other topics.
It was during these travels Szabo was invited to join the U.S. ski team physicians.
"I didn't hesitate," he said. "We're blessed in this profession to be able to take care of people and help them. This is another way of doing that."
A physician with the U.S. ski team for two years, Szabo accompanied the team to France for the World Cup from Jan. 5 to 10 of this year.
Team physicians are selected to cover events "based on discussion and agreement of their colleagues," Szabo said.
He said there is no common injury among skiers at the Olympic level.
"They are so good at what they do, but the downhill, the jumping, the slalom, etc. ... These are risky events being done at incredible speeds. Just about any type of injury can occur and does occur," Szabo said.
"Physicians are positioned at different points on the mountain, depending on the event. The idea is to give a physician access to the skier within seconds of any injury occurrence.
"When we're traveling with the skiers, we're responsible for making sure they're feeling good. From diarrhea to a head cold, we're there to treat them," he added.
While Szabo is not in Vancouver, he is available for consultation from fellow physicians at the site.
"You don't expect a phone call, though," he said. "It would have to be an extenuating situation where they think my expertise about a certain element of the case would help."
When U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn injured her right shin before the Games, she wrapped topfen cheese curd around it in an attempt to ease the swelling. That is a common practice among Austrian skiers.
But Szabo knows nothing about it.
"Cheese therapy is not among my area of expertise," he joked.
For him, working with the U.S. skiers is no joke.
"It is a big commitment," he said. "I feel a kinship with that team because they know I was one of them at one point, and I have so much respect for what they do.
"It's a diverse group of people who cherish the sport. And I cherish them."
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