Unfortunately, in the sport of motocross injuries do happen. There is nothing worse than going to the doctor's office and sitting in a white-walled, depressing waiting room to see a doctor who's going to tell you that riding motorcycles is dangerous and that you should quit. A few months ago I was riding with a good friend of mine who recently had a major ankle injury. It was his first ride back on a motocross bike, and he was so excited that the minute we got off the track he called his doctor to thank him for fixing him up and allowing him to continue his passion for motorcycles. That doctor is Arthur Ting, a world-renowned sports doctor who has worked with legends in ball sports, hockey and motorsports and is currently team physician for the NHL's San Jose Sharks. What makes Dr. Ting unique is that he deals with superstars at the highest level of competition as well as everyday people. What's so great about that, you ask? When you step into Dr. Ting's office, your eyes become glued to the walls covered with pictures of all the athletic heroes who have been treated by Dr. Ting for serious injuries and have gone on to achieve much more success in their sport. That alone makes you feel better. The office is filled with paraphernalia from all kinds of sports legends. As if that weren't enough, the waiting room is well- stocked with Cycle News and other sports-related literature. We recently visited Dr. Ting's first-class facility and picked his brain about his life as an orthopedic doctor.
MXR: Who was the first motorcycle racer you worked on?
Dr. Ting: I think it was Kenny Roberts Sr. or Kevin Magee, another road racer, back in 1985 or 1986.
Were you into motorcycle racing before you started working with racers?
No, not at all. I had to be educated about the sport and how big it was. When I first started working on motorcycle guys, I was working with the 49ers and was told to treat the racers the same way I would treat Joe Montana. I really enjoy going to the races now. I just went to the San Francisco Supercross, and those guys are awesome to watch!
Why do you feel that so many athletes come to you and depend on you?
That question comes up a lot and I think one of the reasons is that they feel secure. More importantly, we treat them the way they are used to being treated. We have our system divided up with division one standing for college or professional athletes. We make the time to see these patients right away. The minute they arrive at my office they are brought straight to a room, as opposed to sitting in the waiting room. Everyone at my office tries to service them as best we can.
Do you also see normal people who require your expertise?
Yes we do, we try not to let them know that we deal with the athletes the way we do but the two divisions never interfere with each other. One of the problems is that you don't get trained for this in medical school. Say for instance you had an ulcer, I would have to send you to a gastroenterologist. If I called him up and asked him to see you right away, he would think I'm out of my mind. My point is that some people don't understand that part of it and we do. I don't see a problem treating athletes the way we do.
Why have you set up your practice the way you have, seeing professional athletes as well as seeing the average Joe off the street?
I do it because it provides me with the greatest challenges, not so much because these guys are celebrities but more importantly, these guys are at the highest level of what they do, and if I can return them back functionally after injury, it's a big accomplishment. It's just a greater challenge than it is with a leisure rider. I'm just really passionate about what I do.
Who are the strongest athletes you work with?
Motorcycle racers have the highest pain threshold. It's a genetic pain threshold, and I really think that comes from racing. I have talked to a lot of pain doctors and they think it's related to a biochemical increase in the pain receptors. The doctors feel that genetically, professional athletes have a higher pain threshold than the general population, and I think that allows them to survive the sport.
Do you feel that athletes in motorsports want to come back sooner from injury than athletes in other sports?
What do you think of the arm pump surgery some of the racers are getting?
I did one last week. I think the surgery is very unique, I've seen it in one baseball player and I recently performed it on a football player who had an interesting presentation. It's very unusual, but I have performed it on a lot of racers and they all have gotten better. There is no other activity, except maybe working a jackhammer, that also can cause arm pump. We call it functional chronic compartment syndrome.
Do you feel that the surgery really works?
Yes, absolutely, I know it works!
Usually when you walk into a doctor's office, you get quite a depressing vibe. Your office is the exact opposite--it's very upbeat and has a real positive vibe. What is it about your office that makes patients feel at home?
We just want to make it a comfortable environment for people. Most of my patients are involved in sports, so it's really depressing when they have an injury. Hopefully they see all the people who have fully recovered and get a positive message--that's what I hope for. I also try not to be absolute with restriction in terms of activity because it's my feeling that there are too many people who aren't active. So when you get somebody who wants to be active and yet has a bad extremity that may worsen with impact activities, the easy thing to say would be 'you can't run or jump,' but we try to improvise and have the person cross train or do something else.
Do you feel in motocross racing that riders often need to get a second opinion when they get hurt? It's pretty common to hear stories of people getting surgery when they didn't need it or getting told to do something that may result in a longer recovery.
I think that there are two issues with that. One is that there is always some kind of a negative connotation with doctors who aren't familiar with racing or motocross, which I think is bad. Second, because they are athletes, there is very little room for error. Doctors need to be as meticulous and as perfect as they can to try to get that person back in shape. So unless you have that mentality as the treating doctor, I think the athlete is being mistreated. I think that racers need to get into an environment where they are treated for what they are and what they are doing. That's a great question. If you want to continue to race, you should seek out someone who is going to give you the highest level of understanding and treatment--someone who is going to try and accelerate the rehab and understand what it is the athlete does.
What is the gnarliest surgery you ever had to perform?
That's a hard one to pinpoint. I guess a few of the road racers have definitely had some surgeries. Mick Doohan's was a tough one. Jason Pridmore's ankle was shattered and required three plates and 23 screws, and he still managed to win some races not too long afterward.