Volume 17, No. 2, Spring 2009
By Larry Fox
Old trivia question: “Who’s the only person who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Knicks and New York Rangers?”
Answer: Organist Gladys Gooding.
Now, here in Massachusetts we can pose a similar question regarding who performs in a much more significant role for the New England Patriots, the New England Revolution and the Boston Celtics?
Answer: the Shields Health Care Group, which boasts the title of “official MRI provider to New England sports teams.”
Of course these are only the marquee clients in a single subset of the wide-ranging imaging spectrum. The sports injury field also includes so-called older “weekend warriors” and, of growing concern, an increasing number of youngsters out of the now highly pressurized scholastic and youth leagues.
Shields Health Group, a family organization, was founded in 1972 in Brockton. Today it has 28 facilities in the region including West Yarmouth. They recently established a working relationship with Cape Cod Healthcare to provide a specialized type of cancer imaging in Harwich.
A formal relationship with the jointly-owned Patriots and Revolution was established in 2000 and has just been renewed. And Shields signed a multi-year deal with the Celtics last season.
Shields officials say pro athletes generally are just as apprehensive about MRIs as the general public, but with an over-riding concern over how soon they can return to action. So are their employers. Plus one recent addition to the equation. According to Executive VP Tom Shields, ubiquitous player agents are seeking to get the MRI results even before anyone else.
Another new and even more disturbing development is that more and more student athletes are showing up at younger and younger ages with more and more severe sports-related injuries. This is the result of immature bodies being physically over-stressed.
Marketing director John Antaya points out, “It’s push, push, push with these student athletes. They all see the big bucks that are out there, or a free ride for college.”
And he knows from experience: “My fourth-grade son is in a youth football program and they’ve already got them lifting weights!
Dr. Steve Sweriduk has been medical director of Shields Health Care Group for 20 years.
Here are the injuries he sees most frequently in the different more popular sports:
FOOTBALL
In pro football, the injuries are usually more severe
Strains of all three knee ligaments and bone injuries
Concussions
Earlier arthritis, as players in their 30s often have arthritis you’d normally see in men in their 50s and 60s
BASKETBALL
Knees and a lot of ankles
BASEBALL
Mostly pitchers with strained cartilage and tendons in their shoulders due to their abnormal overhand throwing motion
SOCCER
Foot and ankle injuries and some knees
A lot of groin and pelvic injuries from the motions of kicking the ball
Muscle tears
Concussions
BOXING/ULTIMATE FIGHTING: Shields recently has been asked to start doing MRIs and CT scans early in fighters’ careers to get a base line and then to continue testing on a regular basis to determine whether recognizable brain damage is occurring.
Any differences in attitude between players in the various sports?
“They’re all pretty stoic. All they all want is to get back on the field. They all want to play. They’re all warriors.”