PICKING THE PERFECT TRIATHLON SPORTS DOC by John Post, MD

“Son can you play me a melody, I’m not really sure how it
goes. But it’s sad and it’s sweet and I knew it complete when I wore
a younger man’s clothes.” Billy Joel

So you didn’t used get injured and now you might need to seek
medical help? The cover of the Triathlete Magazine a couple years ago,
various internet posts, etc. and the title of this article. These sources
gave a number of good suggestions. But most are neither written nor edited
by a physician and maybe another perspective could help.

Triathletes are what’s known in MBA circles as early adopters.
They’ll try things, seemingly anything (anything? Compression
socks…Biestmilch…dimpled aero wheels) often with minimal
proof/history that the new product/technique is actually beneficial,
but it might be. On the Slowtwitch site for example, when
one forum poster complains of a musculoskeletal problem, invariably one of the
“expert” responders notes the obvious need for ART (Active Release). Well,
ART can be very helpful in the right setting but the nearest practitioner to
my house according to the ART website is an hour and a half away!

The two photos above are of Bill Vollmar, MD, seemingly “only” a Family
Practitioner from Lancaster, PA and some would say might have
trouble spelling triathlon. But he is whip-saw smart, takes care of
almost exclusively athletes, and since unlike me he’s not a surgeon, would
likely have a non-surgical solution to almost any injury if it’s feasible.
Only as a last resort would he considerinvolving someone who might want to cut
on you! And, he is so good that he could take care of me and my entire family.
And lord knows I’ve had more than my share
of musculoskeletal problems – compartment syndrome, plantar faciitis, achilles
tendonitis, rotator cuff tear, I could on. The take home point is that, at least
for many of us, we don’t have to drive hours to the Pro from Dover with the
treadmill for a good portion of our medical needs, we just need to know what’s
available locally. In fact, like many locations, the go to guy here for most
running induced issues is the owner of the running shoe store. With 27 years of
seeing runners problems he could take care of the Olympic team! And I’ll bet
there are examples of this in your community, say the kids swim coach who’s
been working on swim strokes for decades.

So, as pointed out in Triathlete, Active.com, Beginner Tri, etc.
don’t be embarrassed to ask around to see what’s available, who’s available,
for your specific problem. Help could be right around the corner…and his/her
name might be Bill Vollmar