Read on to relate to the athletes whom have days on the road competing, and the medical staff following a match one day with another the day after.
Day 3 in France and Match day 2, against the Welsh team Whitchurch got off to a much smoother start then yesterday. The previous night my room/clinic was buzzing with activity, with myself treating the players until about midnight, whilst the coaching staff viewed and tagged key events in the Whitchurch vs Arminem game which the Austrians had won 1-0.
This information would be analysed and presented to the players at the pre-game meeting. What was very evident was the slow pace of the game, with the video speeded up-to 160% of normal pace appearing like normal match pace. This information suited Kelburne who play a high paced style of game. There were no major player fitness concerns other than the hamstring injury yesterday, but the pre-tournament fitness plan meant we intended to rest a number of players or use them sparingly if possible. This meant we were operating with an effective squad of 13 including the substitute goal keeper, though we had an actual bench of 15 players.
The match started well with Kelburne taking an early lead through a Alan Forsythe penalty which he had won himself, after being uncermoniously floored in the D. Shortly after there was a head knock to one of the Whitchurch players which sparked a second confrontation with tournament offiicials in two days.
Not having a physio available I was shouted onto the pitch by the umpire to assist the Whitchurch player, only to be told by the officials that medical staff were not allowed treatment bags on the pitch unless it was a serious medical emergency. I inquired in plain Scottish as to how I was supposed to know how serious an injury a player had sustained prior to assessing him. To be fair the official agreed with me but was merely following the instruction given to him by the tournament director.
This sparked a short debate which concluded with me telling the official, and him agreeing, that I would continue to use my medical bag for the remainder of the game and we'd discuss the situation later.
As the game continued Kelburne went into the break 2-1 up courtesy of a second goal by Alan forsythe. The second half went well for the Scottish club and Kelburne ran out 5-2 winners with Johnny Christie, Willie Marshall and Mark Ralph adding to the score sheet, the last two from penalty corners.
Immediately after the game the medical-legal debate regarding medical treatment of players on the pitch raged on, with the match officials asking me to present my point of view to the Tournament Director in person, and later a second official of unknown standing. Both officials were adamant that neither I nor any other medical official were allowed a treatment bag on the field of play.
His rationale was the rules he was given by the European governing body for Hockey, and not what I felt was common sense. His interpretation of the rules were that I was to run on the pitch and assess the player, and then run off the pitch again to collect my equipment if the injury was serious enough. This in my opinion was less than satisfactory and could have potentially catastrophic or fatal consequences in certain situations.
The Fabrice Muamba situation was fresh in my mind as were my own personal experiences with Phil O'Donnell. My argument was that I should have the right to assess and determine how serious an injury was, and not a non-medically trained umpire. Not having the bag with me, and running off the pitch again left a potentially seriously injured/unconscious athlete unattended possibly with an unstable neck injury/fracture/airway, and potentially delayed important treatment.
This whole scenario was eventually resolved after a very heated debate about the rules and the wording/interpretation of them. Diplomacy is never my strong point, especially with an emotional official with a latin temperament, but in the words of the great Brian Clough, "We talked for about it for about twenty minutes, and then decided I was right". The result of this disagreement was that all medical officials would be allowed to carry their equipment onto the field of play when summoned by the umpire.
About an hour after the discussions I was approached and thanked for challenging the Tournament Director on this point by the second official present in the debate, who then informed me that as a result of our exchanges, the rules had been changed for the remainder of the tournament. He also informed me that an official report would be written and submitted to the governing body.
Their recommendation would be that I had identified a serious loop hole in the rules regarding player safety, and that this needed urgent review. I was pretty pleased with this result because as a physio, ultimately player safety is paramount and is our responsibility no matter which team they play for. If a prolonged heated exchange in France helped improve player welfare for the remainder of the tournament or hopefully in the future in European hockey then I feel that I've made a positive contribution.
Returning back from the match my 2-3 hour post match treatment clinic opened, and the players were treated and patched up prior to dinner. No doubt after dinner I will have a series of visitors wanting further attention.
The match started well with Kelburne taking an early lead through a Alan Forsythe penalty which he had won himself, after being uncermoniously floored in the D. Shortly after there was a head knock to one of the Whitchurch players which sparked a second confrontation with tournament offiicials in two days.
Not having a physio available I was shouted onto the pitch by the umpire to assist the Whitchurch player, only to be told by the officials that medical staff were not allowed treatment bags on the pitch unless it was a serious medical emergency. I inquired in plain Scottish as to how I was supposed to know how serious an injury a player had sustained prior to assessing him. To be fair the official agreed with me but was merely following the instruction given to him by the tournament director.
This sparked a short debate which concluded with me telling the official, and him agreeing, that I would continue to use my medical bag for the remainder of the game and we'd discuss the situation later.
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| GOAL for Kelburne! |
Immediately after the game the medical-legal debate regarding medical treatment of players on the pitch raged on, with the match officials asking me to present my point of view to the Tournament Director in person, and later a second official of unknown standing. Both officials were adamant that neither I nor any other medical official were allowed a treatment bag on the field of play.
His rationale was the rules he was given by the European governing body for Hockey, and not what I felt was common sense. His interpretation of the rules were that I was to run on the pitch and assess the player, and then run off the pitch again to collect my equipment if the injury was serious enough. This in my opinion was less than satisfactory and could have potentially catastrophic or fatal consequences in certain situations.
The Fabrice Muamba situation was fresh in my mind as were my own personal experiences with Phil O'Donnell. My argument was that I should have the right to assess and determine how serious an injury was, and not a non-medically trained umpire. Not having the bag with me, and running off the pitch again left a potentially seriously injured/unconscious athlete unattended possibly with an unstable neck injury/fracture/airway, and potentially delayed important treatment.
This whole scenario was eventually resolved after a very heated debate about the rules and the wording/interpretation of them. Diplomacy is never my strong point, especially with an emotional official with a latin temperament, but in the words of the great Brian Clough, "We talked for about it for about twenty minutes, and then decided I was right". The result of this disagreement was that all medical officials would be allowed to carry their equipment onto the field of play when summoned by the umpire.
About an hour after the discussions I was approached and thanked for challenging the Tournament Director on this point by the second official present in the debate, who then informed me that as a result of our exchanges, the rules had been changed for the remainder of the tournament. He also informed me that an official report would be written and submitted to the governing body.
Their recommendation would be that I had identified a serious loop hole in the rules regarding player safety, and that this needed urgent review. I was pretty pleased with this result because as a physio, ultimately player safety is paramount and is our responsibility no matter which team they play for. If a prolonged heated exchange in France helped improve player welfare for the remainder of the tournament or hopefully in the future in European hockey then I feel that I've made a positive contribution.
Returning back from the match my 2-3 hour post match treatment clinic opened, and the players were treated and patched up prior to dinner. No doubt after dinner I will have a series of visitors wanting further attention.
Another Day, Another Match! More to come...check out the SPACE blog!
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