Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: Warm upWe surely need to apply the same stringent rules about informed consent to the postsurgery situation as we do for the preoperative scenario.A 'return to sport' consent form should be mandated for every patient who undergoes sport-related surgery, and the form should clearly identify all the short and long-term risks involved in this course of action.There is ample evidence from the past 5 years alone to highlight the long-term risks associated with meniscal damage and ACL injury.1-7 I have not recommended a return to sport for any elite athlete who has had an ACL injury in the past 10 years and this is clearly documented in the patient's notes.The fact that I have a low success rate, and that none of these patients has taken the slightest notice of my dire predictions (all of them returned to elite level sport), is hopefully a testament to the universally accepted 'play now-pay later' philosophy and not a refl ection on my poor counselling skills.However, in the same way that a packet of cigarettes should always carry a health warning, I should perhaps add a small caveat-'Any team physician who has a high success rate in this area is likely to lose their job.'
Author: Michael Turner
Institution: Lawn Tennis Association
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2272359467