Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/792366
t m c » p u l s e | m a r c h 2 0 1 7 19 "Unlike other contact sports, bull riding is one of those where it's a 2,000-pound animal versus a 150- to 200-pound person," Brown said. "To me, what is amaz- ing is how few injuries there are. As a physician who is watching it, I think, how is it that everybody doesn't get hurt? Coming back from a physical injury takes mental stamina. "After my first injury, just getting back, knowing that I wasn't a piece of glass that would shatter if I fell, that was tough," Teel said. "The mental side was the biggest thing for me, more than the physical toll it took on me." In March 2013 at the Houston rodeo, Teel pulled up on the neck of a bull. He was struck in the head, knocked from the bull and then hit the ground, unconscious. "When Cody was injured in Houston, it was some- thing you could see from the arena—we all saw his arm go backwards," Brown said. "Most of the injuries aren't so readily visible or apparent on TV. Most of the guys can limp or walk off and then we can patch them up back in the training room, but that wasn't possible." After the fall, Teel was taken to Houston Methodist Hospital to repair his left elbow, which was dislocated and shattered. During surgery, doctors fitted 10 screws and two plates in his elbow. Each year, Houston Methodist sends approxi- mately 80 rotating health care professionals to the Houston rodeo, including EMTs, athletic trainers, physical therapists, massage therapists, orthopedic surgeons, ER doctors, primary care doctors, chiroprac- tors and nurses. "I always say that if you're going to get hurt, Houston is a good place to do it," Teel said. "They can do a lot of sports medicine and X-rays right there at the rodeo, but if you need something else, you can be at the hospital in five minutes. It's very helpful when you are in a bad situation." (continued) Cody Teel during a bull riding competition at the Calgary Stampede in 2016. Credit: Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images