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For more than two decades, Proliance doctors have volunteered their time and expertise to local high school football teams through our “Friday Night Lights” program. As concussion awareness and student athlete safety continue to be a top priority among school boards, the role of team physician is increasingly a critical one. As many of our doctors were once student athletes themselves, it is a role that Proliance physicians are extremely enthusiastic about.
Athletes On and Off the Field
Dr. Tyler Nathe is part of both Bellevue and Mt. Si High School’s football teams this year. Dr. Nathe is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon with a special focus on arthroscopic surgery and sport injuries here at Proliance. He finds great satisfaction in helping athletes of all types return to action, as he was a student athlete himself. With one season at Bellevue College and a spring season with the University of Washington, Dr. Nathe competed in collegiate soccer until sustaining a knee injury where he then transitioned his efforts on to cycling. At the University of Washington, Dr. Nathe competed in the collegiate road cycling national championships as well as several other mountain and cyclocross races. He can now be seen snowboarding, cycling, and rock climbing when he’s off the field.
Dr. Nathe is not the only celebrated athlete donating his time at our Friday Night Lights program, Dr. Mickelson also has a passion for sports and serving athletes. At Lehigh University, he was a four-year letter winner on the men’s basketball team, and played in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament his junior year. Additionally, Dr. Mickelson previously served as team physician for Duke University’s football, basketball, and lacrosse teams, as well as for North Carolina Central University’s football team. He is currently the team doctor for Redmond High School and Bellevue College.
Dr. Nathe and Dr. Mickelson are just two of five dedicated surgeons and sports medicine doctors from Proliance who give back to their community each fall. By volunteering over 50 hours to local football teams in just football game coverage alone, the physicians at Proliance are dedicated to serving and helping student athletes. Also participating this year are Dr. Cummings (Interlake and Issaquah High School), Dr. Komenda (Eastside Catholic and Eastlake), and Dr. Sailer (Skyline).
Making Health & Safety a Priority
While team physicians look out for hyperthermia, hypothermia, injured knees, twisted ankles and other immediate injuries on and off the field, Proliance physicians also play an important role in helping schools adhere to state regulations. Additionally, they maintain knowledge of any players with past injuries or treatments to help determine which players are cleared to enter each game. Not only do Proliance physicians provide game-day care, they also work with coaching staff and athletic trainers on education to help school athletes prevent injury and perform at their best.
On the Same Team
For Proliance Orthopaedics medical professionals, it’s not only about keeping the students safe, it’s about giving back to our community and becoming part of the team. Our care is essential to the athletes’ experience, which means it can be the difference between getting back on the field or, sometimes never playing again. It also means being there for students to help make those tough decisions and provide them with the care they need to move forward – the essence of why we do what we do here at Proliance Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine.