Why do athletes when they get injured travel around the world to go to see a specific doctor, aren’t all doctors able to study specialists to learn the best techniques?

Question

Always hear of athletes based in UK or US for example travelling to Spain or other countries to get surgery.

In: Other

Answer 1

Probably to get the best care from the most qualified or recommended person.

One analogy of this: You can get a computer from Best Buy, or you can hire a specialist who can build an exceptionally high powered machine that’s capable of running the most demanding processing power.

Another analogy: You can go pay and travel to see your favorite popular band in concert. Or, you can pay to watch a local cover band. They’re playing the right notes. But it’s not the same experience.

Another analogy: You’re eating sushi at a Michelin star restaurant vs the grocery store. Both are the same ingredients roughly. But one chef’s expertise is going to be worth the visit when your palette is that refined.

And another way to look at it. You ever work a job where someone assumes you can do everything else? “Oh, you work in IT? Can you install my home security system?” Doctors can specialize in very specific things and become experts in a specific field. Like you don’t want to trust a proctologist to do a plastic surgery. Sure, they may be capable of it. But wouldn’t you rather go to the guy who does it all day every day and has a body of work to prove their continued expertise?