When he fell during last year’s NCAA lacrosse semifinals, Caleb Commandant knew he was seriously injured.
“I felt it right away,” said Commandant, a defenseman on Rochester Institute of Technology’s team. “I slowly tried to get up, but that didn’t really work.”
Athletic staff scurried over to assess his injury and get the then-sophomore off the field. They quickly found the problem: a torn ACL.
It was the first major injury of his career, and it’s kept him on the sidelines since last May.
“My heart sank,” he said about hearing the results. “But it was good to have them know right away.”
Dr. Christine Blonski and her crew of sports medicine fellows provide sideline medical coverage for athletes like Commandant who compete in college sports that present the greatest risk for catastrophic injury, including soccer, hockey, wrestling, basketball and lacrosse.
“A good day for me is to be able to come out on the sideline and watch the game and not have to take care of anyone,” Blonski said, “But my training tells me, ‘Hey, I got to be ready to go when something does happen.’”
Blonski, the program director for Rochester Regional Health’s primary care sports medicine fellowship training program, said the role of sports medicine physicians has expanded over the past few decades, and the demand for this type of expertise has grown significantly.
“The job as a sports medicine physician isn't primarily to take care of that catastrophic injury. It's to be prepared to take care of that catastrophic injury,” she said.
When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a potentially life-threatening cardiac arrest Jan. 2 after tackling an opposing player, medical staff revived him on the field using CPR.
Hamlin’s injury and recovery were reported across the country, putting a new spotlight on the people who saved him.
“I think that the injury getting such national recognition certainly does highlight the value of a sports medicine physician,” Blonski said. “But I have felt valued in the role that I have in for as long as I have been practicing.”
Blonski said while it’s rare to see injuries as severe as Hamlin’s, those in the sports medicine world are trained to be ready for those moments.
“As athletics in general advances, our sports medicine field also advances with it,” said sports medicine fellow Kishi Patel. “And the level of care also advances along with the athletes.”
Patel, who trains under Blonski, noted that a team physician’s role can also include tending to the emotional and mental toll that major injuries can have on an athlete.
“For some athletes, playing sports is how they deal with life, it's therapeutic for them,” Patel said. “So you have to address all the components.”
This also includes the journey to recovery.
Commandant anticipates returning to the field in a few weeks.
From numerous physical therapy sessions to watching his teammates from the sidelines, he said the recovery process has been challenging, but the athletic staff is preparing him for the return.
“It’s all about confidence,” Commandant said. “My medical staff have been building back my confidence ... it feels good.”
