cryptor
Brownlow Medallist
- May 11, 2008
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- AFL Club
- Hawthorn
I totally agree that a professional (medical or otherwise) is always going to view a problem through the lense of their particular skillset. That includes surgeons thinking of surgical solutions.There's an old saying - to a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. A lot of medical professionals do get blinders when it comes to what they're good at, surgeons are no exception. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're wrong, but it's the reality. It's precisely how people with chronic injuries that could be solved with a few visits to a physio end up on painkillers for the rest of their life.
That said - there's definitely a lot more that goes into treatment planning for athletic professionals, they'd be getting input from more than just the surgeons. I'd be confident that if a course of action has been decided on it's not simply off the back of the surgeon's recommendations alone.
What I'm arguing against is the ignorant idea that the only reason Will Day is getting surgery on his foot is because one surgeon has unilaterally decided it to be so because all he wants to do is perform some surgery for the sake of performing surgery.
Yes, perhaps this injury would heal itself without surgery at the expense of an extra couple months. The surgeon would still have to present that as an option to Will and the club doctors. And maybe he does want to perform the surgery, but he still has to explain and give an accurate assessment of the risks and downsides involved. The surgeon has to obtain informed consent from the patient before any surgery can be performed. And Will has the added bonus over the average person of having club medical staff available to help better evaluate the options presented.