Fall sports are in full swing in Birmingham, and UAB Sports and Exercise Medicine fellows Matthew Miesch, M.D., and Christian Muller, D.O., are in the middle of it all, whether courtside in Bartow Arena, on the sidelines at high school football games or at the ice rink with the Birmingham Bulls.
Miesch and Muller are in the first year of the two-year UAB-Cahaba Sports and Exercise Medicine Fellowship, which is supported by Cahaba Medical Care and the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine. Fellows receive comprehensive training in all areas of sports medicine, including sports cardiology, ultrasound, concussion management, exercise as medicine and more, while also completing a Master’s of Science in Exercise and Nutrition.
Joined by providers and faculty members, fellows provide sideline coverage at a huge range of sporting events all over Birmingham, including youth and high school sports, UAB varsity and club teams and professional teams such as Birmingham Legion soccer, Birmingham Bulls hockey and Vulcan Rugby. They will also be part of the UAB Sports and Exercise Medicine team providing medical coverage for both athletes and spectators at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham.
We caught up with Miesch and Muller ahead of UAB men’s basketball’s first home game on Monday to learn how the fellowship is going so far.
Q. What drew you both to sports medicine?
Muller: I swam for more than 14 years, including in college for the University of Buffalo. I love being in sports environments, dealing with athletes and coaches. Athletes typically have a special kind of drive. If they do get injured, they work very hard to get better and to come out stronger on the other side of the injury. They make for exciting patients and are just a lot of fun to work with.
Miesch: I was raised around a lot of sports – basketball, baseball, football, etc. – and played a few years of college baseball before going to medical school. I love that, as sports medicine providers, we get to be out in the community, on the sidelines, enjoying all sorts of matches and games. I wanted to choose a profession that would not feel like “work” every day because I enjoy it. For me, sports medicine offers that. The teams that we cover are a breath of fresh air, and we get to spend lots of time outside, at great events, with great teams and coaches. I love that environment and the sense of teamwork and camaraderie that comes with athletics.
Q. What sports are you covering right now?
Miesch: Along with professional teams like the Legion, Vulcan Rugby and the Bulls, we are working with a lot of UAB varsity athletics teams, including football, basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer and cross country, as well as UAB club sports. We just finished up a club lacrosse tournament, for example. We also cover high school football every Friday night, which is a lot of fun. Going every week, you really get to know the athletes and their families. At all of the high school and club events, Christian or I serve as the primary attending physician on the sidelines, which gives us really great experience in that leadership role.
Q. What have been some of your favorite parts of the fellowship so far?
Muller: I knew that I was going to have a great experience working with the current staff. Dr. [Ian] McKeag [assistant professor and fellowship director] was a big reason I came to UAB. I really enjoyed meeting him during our virtual interviews and he is a very easy person to work with. He creates a productive, friendly learning environment, where it is easy to discuss and ask questions. I love all of the hands-on work that we have been able to do, and the trust placed in us as they continue to let us step into leadership roles. We get to make a lot of calls and decisions, and are really able to make a difference.
Miesch: I agree with all Christian said, and I have also really enjoyed the procedures we have learned to do, particularly ultrasound procedures. Ultrasound is a huge aspect of the sports medicine fellowship and I think it is a big part of our niche as nonsurgical sports medicine physicians. We also gain experience reviewing hundreds of CT scans and MRIs, but ultrasound is fairly unique in its use in sports medicine and mastering that really increases our value when we step into practice.
Q. What types of ultrasound treatments or services are you able to provide?
Muller: One of the most common uses is for joint injections, injecting corticosteroids, hyaluronic acid or gel injections, or PRP [platelet-rich plasma] injections to promote healing and joint function. We can also use ultrasound to diagnose rotator cuff tears or muscle injuries and identify fluid collections or even fractures. It can be both therapeutic and diagnostic and can be done on site, so that the patient does not have to go to another clinic for an MRI or CT scan.
Q. UAB basketball is about to tip off. What are you looking forward to?
Muller: I have not worked with the team much yet, but I’ve heard a lot of good things. I am excited to experience the energy in Bartow – you can probably feel it on your skin when you are there with the crowd. I am looking forward to experiencing that and watching the team play.
Miesch: It’s just great to be right there on the sidelines, really getting to know these Division I athletes and understand how to treat them and help them be their best. I also enjoy being around Dr. [Heath] Hale and Dr. [Amit] Momaya and watching how they interact with the team and the coaches.