58 / 64
camera, which transmits images of the injured area to a TV
screen the surgeon can see. The main benefit of this procedure
is that it gives the doctor detailed information about the injury
without performing major surgery. If he sees a repair is needed,
the surgeon makes additional small cuts to insert surgical tools.
The small cuts mean the patient recovers faster.
For someone like Dr. Terry, who sees patients in a hospital
in addition to his work for the Blackhawks, one of the benefits
of the job is seeing a wide range of patients and injuries. He told
a Northwestern University news site, “I find myself doing hip
surgery on a sixty-year-old one day and a knee procedure on a
teenager the next.” But once the patient is on the table, he said, it
doesn’t matter if he or she is a weekend warrior or a star player for
the Blackhawks. The focus is on treating the joint in front of him.
Getting the Mental Edge
When working with athletes, sports psychologists have several
useful techniques. They teach them to the athletes so they can
use the techniques on their own during training and competition.
One of the most important tools is imagery or visualization. The
psychologists teach the athletes to imagine every aspect of what
a game or event might be like. For a skier, for example, that
58
C
areers
O
ff
T
he
F
ield
•
Health Careers in Sports