Sports Enthusiast Understands Medical Needs of Athletes

He’s an orthopaedic surgeon. He’s also a sports enthusiast. The two go hand in hand for Dr. Angus McBryde, one of the four physicians who staff the USC Sports Medicine Center.

“Most people who go into sports medicine have had an interest in sports ever since they were young,” said Dr. McBryde, who’s an avid golfer and competitive runner. In the 50's he competed for Davidson College, not unlike the young men he now treats on the South Carolina State Bulldog teams.

Along with Dr. Jeffrey Guy, Dr. McBryde provides sports medicine services to male and female athletes at South Carolina State. The range of services furnished through the USC Sports Medicine Center includes pre-season orthopaedic physicals, onsite medical coverage at games and weekly practice scrimmages, and a weekly clinic in the training room in Orangeburg to follow up on injured players.

Football season becomes hectic for the two physicians, who cover away games as well as those in Orangeburg at Oliver Dawson Stadium. Yet they are committed to the role they play for the Bulldogs. “Our function is to back up the team trainer for injuries that are clearly not minor or clearly need orthopaedic attention,” Dr. McBryde said. “The benefit to the athletes is immediate access to care,” he said, comparing a football player injured in a game to a motorist hurt in a wreck on the highway. “It’s rare to have that immediate access except on the sports field, where it’s become the standard of care,” he said.

Dr. McBryde enjoys the challenges and tough decisions that come with athletics. “You have to decide whether or not to operate, how to rehabilitate, and when to return someone to play,” he said. He added that the treatment of sports injuries could impact much more than an individual’s physical status. “When you’re looking at a collegiate player with a potential career ahead of him, injuries can be a crucial factor in his future,” he said.

In addition to working in collegiate sports, Dr. McBryde has treated athletes on various levels of play, from Olympians in Seoul and Atlanta to individual players on professional football teams. It’s not unusual for a professional athlete to travel to Columbia for surgery by Dr. McBryde, who has particular expertise in sports injuries to the foot and ankle. How do athletes from around the country end up in his office? “There is a network of sports medicine professionals who know each other, call on each other, and use each other as a resource,” he said.

Reprinted from Connections newsletter, March 2002

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