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Jefferson Sports Medicine Specialist Named Team Physician for U.S. Olympics Gymnastics Teams Competing in 2004 International
Olympic Games in Greece
The United States Olympic Committee has named sports medicine specialist Robert W. Frederick, MD, of the Rothman Institute
at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, as head physician for the U.S. men’s and women’s artistic and women’s
rhythmic gymnastics teams competing in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Dr. Frederick, Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, is 1 of
only 8 physicians in the United States, and the only one from the state of Pennsylvania, selected to provide medical care
to approximately 540 American athletes taking part in the games this August.
“This is a once-in-a–lifetime opportunity,” Dr. Frederick says. “These athletes have dedicated the last four years of their
lives towards the goal of competing in Greece and bringing home the gold. Our goal as their physicians is to minimize the
impact of any injury or illness on their achieving this lifelong dream.
“Our positions are entirely voluntary and will require a four-week commitment in Greece – away from our wives, children and,
of course, our jobs at home,” he adds.
In addition to the gymnastics teams, Dr. Frederick will provide medical services to the acrobatic and trampoline athletes,
as well as to some of the smaller teams that do not have a physician dedicated to their participants.
In all, there will be 40 personnel in the Olympics medical team, including physicians, physical therapists and athletic trainers.
Preparing for the Games
Dr. Frederick will leave for Athens on July 31, nearly two weeks before the Games begin, so that he and his colleagues can
familiarize themselves not only with on-site facilities but also local hospitals and physicians, which should help ensure
a good working rapport.
Dr. Frederick and the other team physicians will be on site at 97 different venues around Athens during competitions, as well
as at the Olympic Village, where the teams will be housed during the Games. They will evaluate and attend to the needs of
athletes before and after practice as well as during the Games themselves.
"We're going to be going 24/7, no time for sightseeing," Dr Frederick says of his work schedule.
In artistic gymnastics, men and women compete separately on different apparatus. Men compete in floor exercises, pommel horse,
rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar. Women compete in four events: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercises.
Rhythmic gymnastics is performed exclusively by women and is a combination of gymnastics and dance. The gymnasts perform choreographed
movements with musical accompaniment using hand apparatus such as a rope, hoop, ball, clubs and a ribbon.
Dr. Frederick says common injuries among gymnasts include not only the less traumatic overuse injuries such as stress fractures,
bursitis and tendonitis but also more significant ligamentous tears (such as the knee anterior cruciate ligament or ACL and
the Achilles tendon) and joint dislocations such as with the shoulder. “The gymnast exposes his or her body to incredible
forces with every skill they perform,” he notes. “Even the slightest alteration in one of these skills (such as a back flip
on the balance beam or a missed release move on the high bar) could lead to devastating injury and an end to their dream.
“Fortunately, athletes will have an opportunity to practice on the actual apparatus and terrain on which they will compete
during the Games. They can familiarize themselves with the precise height of the equipment and the tension of the surface,
which helps to avoid mishaps as well maximize performance,” Dr. Frederick adds. “Also, well-trained athletes of this caliber
know how to fall so they can reduce the potential for catastrophic injury, unlike people on Rollerblades or extreme sports
enthusiasts who sometimes attempt dangerous feats at which they may not be particularly well skilled.”
Past Experience
Dr. Frederick was selected because of his past experience in the Olympic Games. During the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta
(where he was Director of Sports Medicine and Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine
and provided orthopedic and medical care at numerous area sporting events), he served as Director of Athlete Care for Gymnastics.
He cared for, among others, Kerry Strug, who won a gold medal for herself and her team, despite suffering a severe ankle injury.
Since the Atlanta games, Dr. Frederick has been chosen as Chief Orthopedic Consultant for the U.S. Women’s Artistic Gymnastics
Team and was named Head Physician for the U.S. Women’s Rhythmic Team. In 2001, he was Director of Care for the USA National
Gymnastic Championships held in Philadelphia, and provided medical and orthopedic care at subsequent National Championships
in other cities. This year, he was selected as the head United States Olympic Committee Physician for the USA Gymnastic Olympic
Trials in Anaheim, California.
Dr. Frederick came to Jefferson in 1999. Currently, in addition to his work with gymnasts, he is Assistant Team Physician
to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Philadelphia Soul Arena Football team and St. Joseph’s University. He also helps provide
medical coverage for many of the elite track and field events and distance runs in Philadelphia. Other professional sports
teams whose care he has assisted in include the New England Patriots and the Boston Bruins.
