Heads Up, Part II: Independence
[ This is the second part of a three-part series on concussions. See Part I here . The final installment will run later this week. ] One of the absolutely essential areas to consider when assessing and treating athletic concussions is the independence of doctors and medical personnel. Generally, injuries are assessed by team medical staff, which is problematic. As in any industry, there are certainly good and bad team doctors out there, but the unique position of a team physician means any less-than-honest ones can cause a lot of harm. These doctors and trainers are paid by the teams, not by their patients, and teams' interests don't always coincide with their players' best interests. Sometimes, it's in the team's favour for a player to return more quickly than he probably should. The classic example of this is James Woods ' brilliant portrayal of Dr. Harvey Mandrake in Any Given Sunday , still one of the best sports movies of all time in my opinion. Here...