Mobile X-ray and Rodeo Sports Medicine
Article supporting Mobile X-Ray for Rodeo Contestants.

Recently, I was contacted by a young lady by the name of Alexandra Matchett. Alex as she is known is an X-ray tech student. She contacted me in regards to her term paper on x-ray and sports medicine. I was flattered that she thought of the Rodeo Attitude Sports Medicine team for part of her paper. Alex received a 145/150. CONGRATULATIONS.. Alex graciously offered us a copy of her term paper to use on the site. Thank you so much Alex. Your paper is very impressive. We were happy to have helped with it. Great Job!!!!

Rodeo contestants put themselves at unique risks by participating in the sport of rodeo. Due to the nature of the sport of rodeo, diagnostic medical care can be delayed. This delay can be attributed to many factors, most of which are unique to the sport itself. Rodeo sports medicine teams treat contestants free of charge, so contestants often refuse to visit hospitals when recommended because they would be charged out of pocket. Rodeo sports medicine teams may consider mobile x-ray units as a solution to this problem because of the nature of injuries rodeo contestants are at risk for.

Due to the unique characteristics of the sport of rodeo, contestants are at high risk for injuries. When compared to other athletic sports in the Journal of Sport Behavior “rodeo without question is one of the most dangerous and injurious contemporary sport forms in America.” The risks involved with the sport of rodeo are just as unique as the sport itself. Rodeo is different than other athletic sports in many ways.

The first difference is that the contestants are not competing against other teams for a score. The contestants are competing against animals, by riding or roping them. The danger in working with wild animals is that they are unpredictable. Also the animals are much larger than the competitor, for example a bull can weigh up to 2000+ pounds and is purposely aggravated for the ride. It is important to note that rough stock contestants, such as bull riders, are not safe from the dangers of the animal until they exit the arena. If a bull rider lands on the ground after a ride, he is at great risk of being stepped on by the bull. A fifteen-year study published in the Journal of Sport Behavior reported that 92 percent of the total injuries occurring in collegiate rodeo were in the rough stock and steer wrestling events. The study also stated that collegiate rodeo contestants face an 89 percent potential for injury every season, which is double the risk of collegiate football.

Another unique difference in the sport of rodeo is that the contestants have to ride and place to get a paycheck. If the contestant does not ride, or does not place, they go home with no money. This encourages contestants to compete on a full-time basis whether they have injuries or not. The fifteen-year study published in the Journal of Sport Behavior states that contestants may handle as many as 450 animals within a year of competing at rodeos, and that presents 450 chances of getting injured or killed.

Other factors that may add to the unique injury risks of rodeo contestants are the random drawing of stock animals, differences in arena sizes and set-ups, and fatigue caused by busy travel schedules (Haney & Pearson, 1999).

Due to the uniqueness of the sport of rodeo, injuries are countless. Matt Garner, bull rider of five years, Panola College full ride rodeo scholarship recipient, two time state champion Indian High School Rodeo Association, three time National High School Finals Rodeo qualifier, Longhorn Finals Rodeo qualifier, currently riding in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, International

Professional Rodeo Association, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Championship Bull Riders states he has had too many injuries to list. His injuries include having his ear ripped off twice, chin split open, elbow laid open, two broken vertebrae, torn ligament, tendons, tissues, etc. Garner says, “The bulls, thanks to the advances in science and technology, are getting better and better. Therefore the bull riders must do the same… Sports medicine is crucial. We are in top shape, but so are the animals. We can tear, rip, or break something very easily with as much force and weight that is involved.”(M. Garner, personal communication, April 5, 2008)

It was found in the fifteen-year study published by the Journal of Sport Behavior that the most commonly injured anatomical areas in rodeo contestants are the spine, knee and shoulder, in that order. Also among frequently injured anatomical parts were the head, face, thigh, groin, ankle, elbow, hand, fingers, wrist, chest, and ribs (Haney & Pearson, 1999). Dr. Mark Brandenburg stated in an article published by The Associated Press State and Local Wire that he sees numerous mid-face injuries. These injuries are called “kissing the bull” and are caused by the motion of the bull pulling his head down then quickly back up hitting the bull rider in the face (Murphy, 2008).

With the numerous injuries possible in the rodeo circuit the director of Rodeo Attitude Sport Medicine, Ann Brumback, is positive that mobile x-ray would help her team treat contestants with confidence and less hospital visits. Because the services provided by the rodeo sports medicine teams are free of charge to contestants, the contestants often do not want to make the visit to the hospital for x-rays (A. Brumback, personal communication, March 25, 2008). Garner states, “I have broken some vertebrae before and not known it. I had excruciating pain in my back, but I had another bull to get on, so I got on him. A mobile (x-ray) unit would have allowed me to see I had broken them, and I would have probably not gotten on the second bull to prevent further damage.”(M. Garner, personal communication, April 5, 2008).

If the rodeo contestants are able to see they do have an injury they are more likely to go to the hospital and images from the mobile x-ray unit would be sent with them. In the best case scenario the rodeo contestant would have no fracture and the sports medicine team could continue proper treatment. Brumback states that mobile x-ray may enable her team to better treat the contestants injuries on site, she says, “Mobile x-ray would allow us to have immediate films available. We could potentially keep contestants out of emergency rooms, treat more injuries and have a better idea of injuries that we may not have knowledge of until after a contestant returns from a facility.” Images A, B, and C, provided by Brumback, are examples of contestants that would be screened for possible fractures (A. Brumback, personal communication, April 7, 2008).

Image A is a rodeo contestant whose helmet was split in two by the force of a bull’s head slamming into his. Image B is a rodeo contestant whose who got hung up on a bull and the bull’s horn hit him in the face. Image C is a rodeo contestant who's leg got stepped on by a bull All three of these contestants refused hospital treatment (A. Brumback, personal communication, April 15, 2008).

Bruce Long, director of the Indiana University School of Medicine Radiology Sciences Programs agrees that there would be benefits to having mobile x-ray in rodeo sports medicine teams saying, “The main benefit would be rapid screening to determine extent of injuries and provide information to guide decisions regarding treatment options.”(B. Long, personal communication, April 1, 2008). These advantages would definitely be beneficial to the rodeo contestants because they could be screened for fractures and get a treatment plan from the rodeo sports medicine team without leaving the rodeo grounds. This is important to the contestants as they are often riding multiple events per weekend. Garner says, “The mobile x-ray unit would be quick, efficient, and cheap. I could see the extent of the damage, figure out what to do about it, and go rodeo.”(M. Garner, personal communication, April 5, 2008). That is essentially the goal of having a mobile x-ray unit traveling with rodeo sports medicine teams, to get better, quicker, more diagnostic care to the rodeo contestants.

Although there are clear benefits, there are also drawbacks to having mobile x-ray units travel with rodeo sports medicine teams. Long points out some disadvantages when he states, “Mobile radiographic units are not cheap and they can be heavy…Battery powered units are very mobile, but are heavy and not designed to be driven over uneven terrain.”(B. Long, personal communication, April 1, 2008). This may prove to be a problem as rodeos can be held in many locations. A possible solution to this problem is to house a mobile unit in a trailer, similar to the trailers some rodeo contestants travel in. Long also recommends a newer system, such as a DR mobile unit which would save space and not require extra equipment to process images (B. Long, personal communication, April 1, 2008). Canon and Siemens have made mobile DR x-ray units that would be suitable in military or field operations, which may be good options for a rodeo sports medicine team (“Showcases Its Line…”,2007). Image E shows an example of how a mobile x-ray unit could travel with a sports medicine team and also an image of a digital mobile imaging unit.

Another drawback to these units is that they can be expensive. A newer digital x-ray unit could cost $150,000 (B. Long, personal communication, April 1, 2008). Like any other sport rodeo makes money by having fans attend events and also in rodeo there are entry fees for contestants. Given an appropriate budget the funds could be raised to better the medical care contestants receive by purchasing a mobile x-ray unit. Garner says, “Rodeo has money now. It is a growing sport and growing everyday.” (M. Garner, personal communication, April 5, 2008). The price is a clear drawback, but if the funds were available the benefits would be worth the cost.

Haney, C. Allen, Pearson, Demetrius W. (1999). Rodeo Injuries: An Examination of Risk Factors. Journal of Sport Behavior, 22(4). Retrieved March 5, 2008 from EBSCOhost.

Murphy, Sean. (2008). Conference highlights prevention of rodeo injuries. The Associated Press State & Local Wire. Retrieved March 5, 2008 from LexisNexis.

Showcases Its Line of Portable and Digital Radiography Solutions at RSNA 2007 in Chicago Canon Demonstrates the Versatility and Usability of its DR Imaging. (2007). Associated Press Financial Wire. Retrieved March 5, 2008 from LexisNexis.