Rodeo doc helps show keep rolling

Riico Dotson

Dr. Riico Dotson of Red Bluff has worked in many areas in the field of sports medicine. From treating professional hockey, football, basketball players, he is now working with rodeo athletes. He is a member of the Justin Sports Medicine Team that’s responsible for caring for cowboys and cowgirls injured in the rodeo arena.

At each rodeo, he sees approximately 10 patients that may be hurt or are stopping by to have stitches removed from a previous accident.

The event with the highest injury rate is bull riding. Statistics, according to the Justin Sports Medicine Team, list bull riding with the highest injury rate at 49.77 percent. Following bull riding is bareback riding with 22.80 percent.

“The most common injuries are concussions, shoulder dislocation, ankle, wrist injuries and knee injuries that are common or complex in nature,” said Dotson.

Dotson began working with the Justin Sports Medicine Team in April of 2004, but he’ll go wherever needed to work with athletes in different sports, though rodeo is his favorite.

When he started with the Justin Sports Medicine Team, he worked under Dr. Robert Chase and Dr. Rick Foster.

There are three Justin Sports Medicine Mobile Units that are used around the United States.

Dotson chose to stick with working with rodeo athletes because it’s a sport where athletes are exposed to everything. They like to compete, are physical and healthy individuals, and they want to heal when they are hurt so they can get back on the road to compete at their highest level.

Dotson enjoys educating youth that are coming up the ranks so that he can help raise awareness while they are young.

Figuring out an injury mechanism can sometimes be difficult.

Most of the time Dotson will stay in the trailer and prepare for his next patient. Other times he will go out and watch the rough stock events a short distance away so he can observe what his athletes are going through in case they have to come in for treatment.

Dotson has been practicing medicine for the past 14 years. He attended medical school and completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Following that, he did his undergraduate studies at Stanford University and his Sports Medicine Fellowship at the University of Connecticut. While Dotson was completing his Fellowship at the University of Connecticut, he spent time at the West Point Military Academy taking care of soldiers and athletes.

Dotson is the Medical Director of Sports Medicine at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Red Bluff. Besides having an office out of Red Bluff where he treats patients, he also works out of Redding on athletes of all types.