Anyone with a nagging injury, or in present need of surgery, or surgery imminent -

Our bodies are all we have - this is it. We only get one. And obviously we are here because it's important to us to exercise, bodybuild, powerlift, and weight-lift, so we clearly respect our bodies and NEED THEM PERFORMING AT THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL.

So, a great thing to do is to contact the athletic director of your nearest and best collegiate football / baseball / wrestling program, ideally the best if there are several - and ask them what Orthopedists, external Physical Therapists, etc. that they refer their players to - they will be happy to give you the names and numbers of the top surgeons and Exercise Phys pros once you assure them you are NOT affiliated with any of their competitors.

For instance, let's say I am in the Pacific Southwest. I have USC, UCLA, The Dodgers, The Angels, The Padres, San Diego State, Arizona State, The Lakers, The Clippers, The Kings, any number of athletic programs that regularly send their players out for surgeries and treatments. From experience I will tell you that when you call someone and get past the receptionist, and tell the guy on the other line you are a recreational athlete who NEEDS THEIR HELP AND A QUICK MINUTE OF THEIR TIME, I have had more of these guys help me then I have had tell me to fuck off. What's the worst that can happen? They say no or don't take your call. So call the next team on the list. Get it?

We have to remember, even as recreational weightlifters, that our bodies are THE ONLY ONES WE HAVE. So we MUST be AGGRESSIVE in seeking out the ABSOLUTE BEST treatment options - not everything can be fixed with a shot or a pill, and in fact that mindset will dig us into a deeper hole.

These teams and coaches know better than anyone that their athletes are literally goldmines to their respective programs, and as such, they have access to the best Orthos in their area to send their players to in order to get them back on the field AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

So look into that. It all takes work; don't get discouraged - why not seek referrals from the top of the food chain with regards to people whose bodies performance are 100% of their careers and prospective incomes. Going to your local Family Doctor or ER is a crap-shoot at best - why risk a bungled procedure that could potentially ruin your favorite past-time, or in the case of bodybuilders, your careers?

Think outside the box - most of the time, these top Doctors are by no means "exclusive" - meaning they treat all comers.

It's best to take a SMART approach; a multi-faceted treatment program tapping into the absolute best solutions.

Anybody have any questions, feel free to contact me.

It is bizarre that by and large we have been programmed to automatically accept referrals to the first surgeon whoever is staffing the ER that night happens to recommend. Remember, this is AMERICA. We as consumers have the absolute right to INTERVIEW our Doctors, and ASK THEM THEIR SUCCESS RATE ON THE PROCEDURE YOU NEED DONE: HOW MANY HAVE YOU DONE, AND WHAT IS YOUR SUCCESS RATE? HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOURSELF COMPARED TO THE BEST IN YOUR ORTHOPEDIC SPECIALTY? ARE YOU THE BEST DOCTOR FOR ME?

Don't be intimidated. Put yourself back in charge. I'm assuming most of us are on steroids, meaning we are willing to do just about ANYTHING to get our bodies looking and working the way we ideally envision them to be one day.

Select the best, research them, interview them, and be SMART. Ask the people who have already done all this research (athletic directors, coaches, etc) for referrals.

It's worth it.