TOC’s Dr. David J. Oberste Talks Sports Medicine

Dr. David J. Oberste, an orthopedic surgeon at TOC who specializes in sports medicine and total joint reconstruction recently appeared on Real Talk 93.3 to discuss team sport injuries on October 23, 2023.

Dr. Oberste explained that TOC covers high school sports just about every night of the week in addition to collegiate sports. Currently, Dr. Oberste works around 10 to 15 hours a week doing unpaid game watching and noted it feels like a fun hobby for him. When discussing FSU’s previous football game, he explained there were several physicians on the sidelines including two orthopedics, two sports medicine specialists, one concussion specialist and an airway specialist.

Dr. Oberste described what it’s like covering the FSU football games and noted the importance of getting to know the players. He stated, “We aren’t just there on Saturday — we’re there in the spring, we’re there during spring practices, we’re there on Saturday morning when they’ve got a tweak. And they know us.” He continued, “I can’t overemphasize how important it is to have a relationship with the athlete before the athlete gets hurt. Because they can really get tight if they don’t trust you.”

When asked about the types of injuries that frequent the TOC Clinic, Dr. Oberste said that the vast majority of sports injuries that come into the clinic are not serious injuries. However, he noted that if you don’t know how to properly treat the injury, it can become a source of anxiety. He also discussed why the weather effects joint injuries, explaining that inflammation is what causes pain and the weather controls the barometric pressure. He stated, “If the barometric pressure is low that swelling in your shoulder is expanding.”