Meet the Doctor Behind Team USA Swimming

Welcome to “Medical Mavericks,” a series from MedPage Today featuring interviews with healthcare professionals working in unconventional fields of health and medicine.

Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, we connected with Katie M. Edenfield, MD — a primary care sports medicine physician, a clinical associate professor in the department of community health & family medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and a team physician for the University of Florida Athletic Association — about her work as a team physician with USA Swimming.

Edenfield has a background in swimming, having swam in college herself, and from the time she knew she wanted to be a sports medicine physician, she had a desire to work with swimmers.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

How did you get involved with USA Swimming?

Edenfield: Many of the coaches I worked with in swimming or knew from swimming, and athletes I was working with as a sports medicine physician, were involved on the national or international level with swimming. So, I reached out to USA Swimming early in my career about my interest in getting involved.

Which Olympics swimming competitions and events are you involved with?

Edenfield: From a USA Swimming perspective, I am currently part of their Sports Medicine and Science Committee. I have previously worked as a volunteer physician for several camps they have hosted, and also traveled with the team to the World Junior Aquatic Championships in 2017 and the Pan American Games in 2019. Then, for this shortened “Quad” (it is only 3 years instead of 4 due to the delayed Tokyo Games), I was invited to be their head team physician for the 2022 (Budapest, Hungary) and 2023 (Fukuoka, Japan) World Aquatic Championships (and training camps), and the 2024 Paris Olympics (and training camps).

Other than one camp where I worked open water, I’ve always been involved with just the pool events. Anytime I have traveled or worked as a team physician, it has always been both men and women’s teams together.

What does your role with USA Swimming look like day-to-day? Is it just you or a team of healthcare professionals?

Edenfield: We have an amazing team of healthcare professionals on these training camps and competitions. The medical team for this “Quad” is the same, which helps with continuity and teamwork. It also allows us to have previously worked with many of the athletes who end up making the current Olympic Team. The core medical team consists of another medical doctor, a chiropractor/athletic trainer, another athletic trainer, and three massage therapists. There is also interaction with mental health professionals and dietitians.

My day-to-day when I’m on a trip — which is my main role with USA Swimming — varies. But I do attend all practices and competitions. However, not all athletes compete or train at the same time so we have to coordinate and organize which parts of the team are where, so that there are healthcare professionals at all locations where the team might be. I function as a first responder; a resource for sound medical advice and reminders (i.e., sleep, fighting jet lag, illness prevention, hydration); to treat or coordinate treatment for any illness or injuries that arise; and also accompany athletes as their representative/advocate for doping control/drug testing, which typically involves a lot of time during the competition.

What types of injuries do you see most commonly in professional swimmers?

Edenfield: Shoulder pain is probably the most common, followed by back pain or strain actually.

Are most swimming injuries longer-term injuries that build up over time?

Edenfield: Yes, more overuse-type injuries, which is why we see so many shoulder problems. The amount of revolutions they use their shoulders in a week is astounding.

In general, what injury are swimmers most worried about during an Olympic swimming event?

Edenfield: I don’t think swimmers are terribly worried about getting injured during their race or competition. They’d be more worried about getting sick or injured in the lead up, which would affect their training and subsequent performance, or during the race, things like false starting, or getting disqualified for their turn or kick.

To outsiders, swimming may seem like a “safer” sport than high-contact sports like football or even gymnastics. Do you agree with that?

Edenfield: Having also spent a lot of time working with football, I can say it is definitely safer from an acute musculoskeletal/contact injury perspective. However, swimmers tend to get the “weird” or unusual conditions and are more prone to more overuse/chronic injuries.

Have you dealt with any uncommon swimming injuries or accidents during your career?

Edenfield: Yes! I have actually had a lot of very unusual conditions in swimmers. One that was unexpected was when a swimmer hit the wall so hard on their finish they dislocated several joints.

I also surprisingly see a lot of head injuries, primarily when working with the college team. Basically, we sometimes get collisions in the pool when swimmers get signals crossed if they are circle-swimming rather than splitting the lane, or if the backstroke flags were taken down and they didn’t realize. Things of that nature.

How do your health recommendations for professional swimmers change during the on- versus off-season?

Edenfield: Swimmers don’t really have an off-season. I will say they might take my recommendations more seriously leading into a major competition — like the Olympics.

What effort have you and the team made to support the mental health of your swimmers?

Edenfield: Personally, I am a primary care physician so I have a good amount of training and experience with mental health. I make sure to check in with my athletes and connect them to resources that can help with whatever needs they have. USA Swimming employs a clinician as manager of Mental Health and Emotional Wellness whom serves as a valued resource to all of the USA Swimming Junior National Team and National Team athletes.

Have you had to contend with misinformation on social media related to nutrition or training or anything else tied to the Olympics?

Edenfield: There is so much misinformation out there! I think it comes down to the relationship and trust I build with my athletes. If they feel good about that, they usually ask me about the things they see online and trust my take on it or counterargument against it.

Is this your first time attending the Olympic Games? What are you most excited for and nervous about?

Edenfield: Yes, this is my first! For sporting disciplines that participate, the Olympics are literally the pinnacle of sports and the best of the best. I think sports in general bring people together. There is hard work, teamwork, cheering for a common interest or background. The Olympics are the best of that. They bring the world together. Cheering for their team and athletes. Hearing some of the stories of perseverance and challenge that got people there. Watching incredible feats of athleticism.

I’m most nervous about the things out of my control!

Is there anything I haven’t asked about that you’d like to add?

Edenfield: One of the things I love most about sports is the way they bring people together. We cheer together, we celebrate together, we work together when we are involved with sports. There is teamwork, amazing feats of athleticism, sportsmanship. It brings out the best in us.

The Olympics are special because they bring the world together in these traits. At this point, the athletes have done all the hard work and accomplished so much to get here. Now they are just fine-tuning and locking in. I hope they are healthy and successful. I hope Team USA tops the podium more than anyone else, and we get to hear our national anthem on repeat. Go Team USA!

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