Rodeo competitors know it’s not a question of if you’ll get hurt, but rather a question of when and how badly. Cowboys and cowgirls simply accept injuries as part of their sport.

Luckily, competitors of the 2009 Reno Rodeo have a team of medical professionals to see to their injuries if they get hurt during competition.

Trainers from Justin Sports Medicine provide the bulk of services for competitors while REMSA provides emergency transport for both competitors and fans. School of Medicine physicians and students along with medical volunteers from the Reno Rodeo Association will provide medical assistance and expertise as needed to both competitors and spectators at the June 18-27 event.

“This is an educational opportunity for our students to learn how to interact with emergency medical teams and what is potentially involved with medical help in a large crowd setting,” said Daniel Spogen, M.D., chair of the School of Medicine’s family and community medicine department in Reno.

The Reno Rodeo medical team embodies a wide variety of medical expertise and backgrounds—from physical therapists and sports trainers to physicians and emergency medical technicians. The team also treats a wide variety of injuries ranging from competitors’ sprained ankles and broken fingers to broken jaws and torn skin. Injuries in the grandstands and carnival range from heat exhaustion and cardiac arrest to broken bones.

In addition to Spogen, sports medicine fellow Todd Lorenc, M.D., and Carol Scott, M.D., assistant director of the University Student Health Center, also provide medical assistance at the rodeo as well as work with student volunteers.

“When you treat competitors at the rodeo, you’re treating their injuries but also helping them prepare to go back into the arena. They are some of the most physically and mentally tough athletes we treat,” said Scott.