THE 'WRIGHT' JOB: INJURIES JUST PART OF ROUTINE

Dr. Rick Wright talked about his work with the St. Louis Rams at their training facility in Earth City. He is a team doctor for all three professional sports teams in St. Louis: the Rams, Cardinals and Blues.

Injuries come with the job in Rick Wright's line of work.

The 36-year-old former Sikeston resident is one of the team doctors for St. Louis' three major professional sports teams: the Blues, Cardinals and Rams.

Wright, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine, is on the staff at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and an instructor in orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine.

"I have an incredible job," Wright said, who admits to being a sports fan. "I am the luckiest guy in the world."

Wright was born in Louisiana, Mo., but grew up in Sikeston. He was salutatorian for his graduating class at Sikeston High School in 1980.

"I wasn't much of a jock," Wright said of his high school days.

He went on to college at the University of Missouri-Columbia where he graduated from medical school in 1988.

He has served as team doctor for the Rams since the team moved to St. Louis in 1995 and has worked as a team doctor for the Blues since 1997. Last year, he added the Cardinals to his sports medicine duties.

In addition to his regular duties with St. Louis' professional sports teams, he volunteers his time as team doctor for a St. Louis area high school.

"The majority of my practice is weekend warriors," he said.

Wright said his wife, Lana, refers to his team duties with the Blues, Rams and Cardinals as his "hobby."

Wright is one of four orthopedic surgeons working with the professional athletes.

"Three of us work with the Rams; two of us work with the Blues and two with the Cardinals," he said.

Wright works with all three teams, which can make for a busy schedule.

On Thursday, he spent several hours at the Rams' practice facility at Earth City where he saw injured players.

Evening had arrived by the time he left Rams Park and headed to the Kiel Center for the Blues game with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Wright didn't see the Blues take the ice for the start of the game. He was in the locker room checking out Blues enforcer Tony Twist's badly cut finger.

The finger, which has kept Twist out of the lineup, is healing, but Twist still can't close his right fist without pain.

"Until I close it, I can't fight," Twist told Wright. Twist regularly mixes it up with opposing players on the ice.

Wright's wife, 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son regularly attend the hockey games, as well as the football and baseball games.

At the hockey games, he often sits in the seats with his family although he always returns to the locker room between periods to check on the condition of Blues players.

At football games, he stands on the sidelines.

At Cardinal baseball games, he can be found in the locker room or in the stands.

Wright goes to all the home football games and half the away games or 18 games a year, counting preseason contests. He also attends Rams practices.

He attends all of the Blues home games, more than 40 a year and the playoff games.

Wright also goes to about 30 of the Cardinal home games. He goes to Florida for spring training where the players receive physicals.

While he regularly attends to the medical needs of St. Louis' professional athletes, he and the other doctors don't try to be their buddies.

"We don't do a lot of high-five-ing, fan-type activities," he said after the football team's practice Thursday. "It's more of a professional relationship."

As a team doctor, he treats players whose injuries are well publicized.

"It's kind of medicine in a fishbowl," he said.

Rams quarterback Tony Banks' season-ending knee injury was dissected in the sports pages.

Football is a tough sport. Injuries are common.

During the football season, it is common for the team to have one significant injury and four or five minor injuries a week, Wright said.

Hockey has its share of injuries, too. The Blues have had a number of players injured so far this season, including left winger Geoff Courtnall who is out with a concussion and center Pierre Turgeon who suffered a broken hand.

Nagging injuries are more of a problem in baseball because of the large number of games played in a season, Wright said.

Team doctors, he said, depend heavily on the assistance of the team trainers.

The trainers are involved in much of the rehabilitation efforts that help athletes recover from their injuries, he said.

Keeping the players in the game takes long hours of hard work, but Wright isn't keeping score. For him, it's the right job.