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Elective Performance Enhancement Surgery for Athletes: Should It Be Resisted?

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Elective Performance Enhancement Surgery for Athletes: Should It Be Resisted? Acta Univ. Palacki. Olomuc., Gymn. 2006, vol. 36, no. 2 39 ELECTIVE PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT SURGERY FOR ATHLETES: SHOULD IT BE RESISTED? Mark Hamilton Ashland University, Ashland, USA Submitted in September, 2005 The following article describes some surgeries used to enhance athletic performance along with discussion of possible ones that could be used in the upcoming years for this purpose. Elective eye surgery is used by numerous athletes in sports where sight is an essential aspect of success. This raises the ethical question of whether it is morally acceptable to perform enhancement surgery for the purpose of developing capabilities that are superior to normal, such as 20/10 vision. Criteria to determine the morality of these actions is necessary, especially when the surgery is optional and is motivated not by therapeutic needs but to enhance performance and to create an ability above and beyond the norm. It is one thing to have corrective surgery for convenience’s sake or to slow down deterioration, but it is quite another to do it to create superior vision, such as 20/10. With the acceptance of this rather benign eye surgery and due to the advances in minimally invasive surgical tech- niques, the crackdown on steroid usage, and the growing financial incentives for athletes, it is only a matter of time before this evolves into athletes having elective surgeries to become bigger, stronger, or faster. Elective surgery will expand in its usage to enhance performance. This raises a plethora of moral issues, therefore there must be serious pursuit of criteria to evaluate the morality of this type of elective surgery and encouragement of athletic institutions to be proactive in policy making. Finally, there is discussion on whether a solution can begin to be found in transhuman- ism, in a pragmatic approach or in returning to an essentialist view of human nature. Keywords: Athletic performance enhancement, ergogenic aids, elective surgery, doping. INTRODUCTION The most common form of surgical performance enhancement is LASIK eye surgery. Its results have Sport history reveals that athletes will use any means been very convenient for professional baseball players possible to get an edge. Five different types of these ergo- or golfers who no longer need to wear glasses or con- genic aids have been elaborated on in the Journal of the tacts; some have even claimed it has made them more Philosophy of Sport (Holowchak, 2002). Many of these effective players. The Tommy John surgery 1 on the arm methods are acceptable (better training, equipment, or or UCL (ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction) has diet) while others, such as using pharmaceutical tech- been done on many professional baseball pitchers with nologies to improve skills, are generally not tolerated. over 90% returning to pre-injury form. As this procedure Genetic engineering is advancing upon us and will cre- has been refined it has also become common knowledge ate massive ethical complications in the performance that some pitchers are actually increasing their pitch- enhancement debate. Meanwhile another performance ing speed after the surgery. Traditionally Tommy John enhancing practice generally neglected as part of the surgery was done for therapeutic reasons to repair an discussion has been around for over decade with new injury just as LASIK has been done to be rid of the forms of it being rapidly advanced, elective perform- inconvenience of contact lenses or to correct a vision ance enhancement surgery. Surgical procedures are be- defect. But now there are those who do not need glasses ing employed to enhance general human performance having elective surgery to improve vision beyond per- in memory, concentration, vision, strength; it is naive fect. The uncritical acceptance of this rather benign eye to ignore these advances in sports competition. Ethical surgery, along with the advances in surgical techniques considerations of these procedures should be pursued. (especially micro surgeries or scoping) and the lessen- 1 Named after Tommy John, a major league baseball pitcher, who in 1974 was diagnosed with a career-threatening torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and who first had this experimental surgery. Dr. Frank Jobe took a tendon from John’s non-pitching arm and used it to replace the torn ligament on his pitching arm by threading the healthy tendon through holes drilled into the bone above and below the elbow. John went on to pitch many years after this procedure. It has become a very common procedure with over 10% of all major league pitchers having had it done. 40 Acta Univ. Palacki. Olomuc., Gymn. 2006, vol. 36, no. 2 ing of recovery times opens the door to the possibility well, if not better, after the operation and have stronger of athletes having elective surgeries to enhance their arms, with radar gun readings to match.” Chicago Cubs senses or to become bigger, stronger, or faster. Someone pitcher Kerry Wood declared: “I hit my top speed (in will soon choose to have advanced surgery to enhance pitch velocity) after the surgery… I am throwing harder performance, such as electively having the Tommy John consistently.” 3 One other pitcher jokingly remarked: “It (UCL) surgery with the hope of throwing a baseball felt so good when I came back, I recommend it to eve- harder afterwards. The possibilities of elective surgery rybody… regardless of what your ligament looks like.” 3 seem endless. Liposuction could become a convenient Knowing the mentality of doing anything to “make it”, means of weight loss for wrestlers. The distance of athletes will obviously consider this type of surgery to a golfer’s drive could be bettered through elective liga- enhance performance to achieve the highest levels pos- ment elbow surgery. It seems inevitable power lifters sible. This is particularly true as the financial incentives who use ergogenic means such as tight fitting suits and skyrocket, the steroids become more widely tested for, wraps will someday have metal knee joints implanted. and new surgical procedures become less invasive. It is not inconceivable for an athlete to consider elective tendon surgery to become faster. Sports organizations need to be proactive and prepared to face the possi- LASIK EYE SURGERY bility of these procedures by establishing moral policy. This paper will explore some of the ramifications of Maybe it has already begun. “Scores of pro-athletes elective performance enhancement surgery as a type of have had laser eye surgery, known as LASIK (Laser sport technology and present some possible guidelines. Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis). Many, like Tiger Quite obviously further philosophical discussion will be Woods, have upgraded their vision to 20/15 or better. needed. Golfers Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, and Mike Weir have hit the 20/15 mark.” So have numerous professional baseball players. Professional basketball players Amare THE SURGICAL OPTION Stoudemire and Rip Hamilton have had it done, along with some very successful professional football players. Picture this scenario: You are a twenty seven year “These are just some of the athletes who have disclosed old professional minor league athlete or high level ama- their results.” There are numerous examples of athletes teur. You have been knocking on the door to become who have upgraded their performance after the surgery a true professional in your sport and to make a very and this should be no surprise to us since vision plays substantial income. Your options are beginning to run a central role in most sporting competition. For exam- out and the end of your professional dreams is nearing. ple, professional golfer Tom Kite had LASIK in 1998 You ask management for an explanation. They tell you and won six events on the Champions Tour over the they like your mental approach to your sport, it’s just next five years. And just a few months after his surgery, that you lack a little ability to really become successful. Hale Irwin captured the Senior Professional Golfers’ As- If you were a baseball pitcher and threw several miles sociation Tour Nationwide Championship. The surgery an hour more there would be a place for you on a big assists one in judging distances. Tiki Barber, an Ameri- league roster. You could make the professional golfers’ can professional football running back 4 had “LASIK tour if you could drive the ball a little farther. A career Diamond Vision to correct his slight nearsightedness, in track awaits you if you could just cut a few hundredths and could see 20/15 the next day”. If better than perfect of a second. You are shattered. You’ve already overa- vision is a realistic, attainable goal, then we are looking chieved. What options are left now? What about surgery at the possible development of creating surgically en- on a tendon or ligament to increase driving distance or hanced laboratory athletes who exceed the capabilities foot speed? What about optional Tommy John surgery of normal humans with perfect vision. LASIK is now to increase pitch speed? being done on those needing slight corrections to gain These surgeries have little risk and there would actu- more than perfect vision for those already with good ally be the chance of coming out of it in a year or two vision. a faster runner or with a stronger than ever arm. 2 Con- The use of what is called wavefront technology, cus- cerning Tommy John surgery, Mike Dodd from USA To- tomized individualized treatment, can occur, which can day has written that: “These players typically perform as improve vision even further. Where will the quest for im- 2 Top level professional major league baseball pitchers such as Mariano Rivera, Matt Morris, and Kerry Wood have successfully returned from this Tommy John surgery. 3 Ibid., p. 2.
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