Medical time out: Physicians keep the teams playing

Behind great athletes (and amateurs) is a physician working to keep them healthy.

By Tanya Albert, AMNews staff. April 9, 2001.

Chicago -- The United Center erupts in cheers as the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers gather at center court for the tip-off. Camera flashes dot the stadium. Benny the Bull pumps up the crowd. And as the basketball smacks against the wood floor on the first dribble in the game, Jeffrey Lee Weinberg, MD, sits an arms length behind the Bulls bench.

They're seats any fan would love to sit in for just one night. Dr. Weinberg has been there for more than five years.

But the lifelong Bulls fan is a physician first tonight. His role as a fan takes a back seat to his responsibilities as the Bulls' team physician. The suburban Chicago internist works with team trainers, x-ray technicians, orthopedic surgeons and other specialists to keep the players healthy on and off the court.

"I am the luckiest doctor in the world," said Dr. Weinberg, who traveled with the team during some of its championship years. "To be right there, you can't even describe it."

Physicians who work with professional, college and high school athletic teams say the job is exciting and rewarding no matter the level of competition.

The patients are some of the best-conditioned people in the world. They are highly motivated to heal their injuries. And traveling with a team is fun, especially if it's to a championship game.

But team physicians also say the job isn't always glamorous. Media, fans and others are watching, and sometimes second-guessing, treatments. Examining a player in a noisy stadium is not the best of working conditions. The hours are long; doctors working as team physicians also run their own practices. [...]