Growing up in a family of jockeys, Matt McCarron spent most of his life around the horse racing track in roles that included steeplechase jockey, exercise rider and groom. Now as an assistant starter on the gate crew, McCarron escorts horses safely into the starter gate stalls, keeping them calm and quiet to ensure a fair and even start at the sound of the start bell. Once safely inside, assistant starters stand on an internal ledge called a pontoon.
On one such occasion, while awaiting the race start, McCarron's horse broke through the gate stall doors. With quick-thinking and fast reflexes to regain control, McCarron jumped off the pontoon and out of the gate, resulting in a knee injury that temporarily sidelined his 36-year career.
“The horse lunged forward when my feet landed,” McCarron recalls. “I felt my knee pop. It gave out and I went down."
Through a partnership with the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, the Maryland Jockey Club and MedStar Health, Kelly Ryan, MD, medical director of the Horsemen's Health Program, was onsite to immediately assist with the injury. The program places physicians, emergency medical technicians and physical therapists at local racetracks to rapidly respond to critical incidents such as concussions, fractures and other injuries frequent in racing.
Following an onsite assessment, Dr. Ryan sent McCarron to a MedStar Health Urgent Care location for X-rays.
“The X-rays did not identify any bone-related injuries, so Dr. Ryan provided a referral for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan and advised me not to return to work,” McCarron says.
Unfortunately, McCarron's workers’ compensation did not respond to multiple requests for MRI authorization, so he returned to work and reinjured his knee while jumping from the pontoon.
When Dr. Ryan learned of the difficulties experienced with reaching the workers’ compensation provider, she immediately acted and advocated on McCarron’s behalf to complete his MRI, uncovering a torn meniscus and ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
“If it weren’t for Dr. Ryan, I may not have completed the MRI or received a diagnosis that led to my recovery,” McCarron says.
McCarron’s path to healing continued with referrals to a MedStar Health surgeon who repaired the torn meniscus and replaced his ruptured ACL with a cadaver graft. With help from the MedStar Health physical therapy team, McCarron returned to work five months following surgery.
In addition to emergency care, the Horsemen’s Health Program provides free routine health screenings, vaccinations and preventive services like flu shots and blood pressure checks, for all racetrack workers. The program aims to provide high-value services in an industry where many workers lack health insurance or avoid medical intervention, fearing a diagnosis that may prevent them from working.
The close relationships the physicians build with the community break down barriers to care.
“They live in such a unique world,” Dr. Ryan says. “We understand the physical demands and stress they face. They know we try to get them back to work as soon as possible—safely. We have many resources across the system and good relationships to help them feel confident in their care.”
“When you're young and healthy, you don't think anything will happen to you, and you may not believe you need health insurance,” Dr. Ryan says. “We appreciate the opportunity to shift their focus on health and healthcare coverage.”
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