Plum medical team sets high standard

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, October 16, 2017 | 5:48 PM

When Plum running back Dakota Sunday barrels through the offensive line with a full head of steam in a short-yardage situation late in the game, there's a team on the sidelines that could care less if he picked up the first down. This collection of personnel's concerns run much deeper.

This group isn't the second team, or even the special teams. It's the Plum medical team that keeps a close watch on the players as they pick themselves up from the pile and make their way back to the huddle.

Made up of trainers, doctors, concussion specialists and orthopedic surgeons, the Plum medical team that walks the sidelines during a football game has most everything covered in the event of an injury.

“I think its been a great thing over the years,” said Plum head athletic trainer Ryan Kesterholt, regarding the types of care athletes receive on sidelines. “There's three doctors, three physical therapists and one to two trainers on the sidelines, and its great for the student-athletes. It helps move the process along.

“I'm watching how an athlete gets up from a play, walks back to the huddle, if they're doing their plays correctly and if a coach is yelling at players for not doing something correctly. We're always trying to stay one step ahead.”

Staying one step ahead is what John Bonaroti has been doing since he opened the doors to his East Suburban Sports Medicine Center 34 years ago. Ever since, Bonaroti, ESSMC and the Plum athletic department have nurtured a relationship that has blossomed into one of the most experienced and comprehensive medical staffs to walk the sidelines beneath the Friday night lights of Western Pennsylvania.

“The cool thing is that at any given time during the game there's a couple hundred years of staff experience there between trainers and doctors,” Bonaroti said. “We're spreading the word that Plum is taking the lead in sports medicine. People don't really realize how well their sons and daughters are being taken care of.”

Long-time athletic trainer, and ESSMC employee, Matt Gatesman has been a fixture at Plum sporting events for more than 30 years.

He said with the knowledge of injuries and the increase in the amount of students who participate in sports, medical care provided by the school has come a long way since he started at Plum in the mid-1980s.

“When I first started working, almost everything was natural grass and the turf was the old ‘Astroturf,' and mostly now that we're on the new turf I think it's better,” Gatesman said. “I think the newer surfaces are better, and ACL injuries are bad luck.”

Another hot-button issue is concussions. Once the scientific data started to come out regarding the truth behind brain injuries, the Plum sideline added one more physician — a concussion specialist. Dr. Brian Stone joined the staff this season as part of the AHN Primary Care Sports fellowship.

Stone not only paces the sidelines Friday nights but also holds office hours at the school every Tuesday to get caught up on head injuries and to run a player through protocol testing if need be. It's a service that saves parents from having to pay their insurance co-pay and also the stress of having to take time off work to run their child to a doctor's office for an appointment. Orthopedic surgeon Greg Purnell also is on hand during games to render care.

“It's great to have the personnel in place and being able to trust the trainers, and its an invaluable asset to the school, the athletes and to also have great communication with the parents,” Stone said. “The big thing is having a great staff and crew that we have.”

That staff and crew presides over 18 varsity sports, 11 junior varsity and three junior high teams, in addition to a few club programs, for a grand total of 564 student-athletes under the watchful eye of experienced medical professionals.

“It's due to more injury awareness and the number of kids participating in sports nowadays,” Gatesman said regarding the number of different specialists who are available. “It's just a better understanding. When I first started there, they thought trainers just taped ankles and handed out ice bags.”

In the end, it's all about addressing the needs of each athlete and the wide array of injuries common to each individual sport.

“It's made a huge difference in getting the athletes seen and made a huge difference in the cost to the athletes' parents,” Kesterholt said. “The standard of care that we've been providing over the years is top notch. We just try and provide the best care that we can, and I think that this is where athletic care is heading.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

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