New California doctor has ringside experience and sports medicine background

Dr. Michael Roach
Dr. Michael Roach

Michael Roach is California's newest doctor. He'll be practicing in town on Fridays at the Capital Region Medical Clinic.

While it's likely that the average local patient Roach treats won't be stopping in for injuries sustained in the MMA or boxing ring, Californians are getting a family practitioner with such experience in Roach.

"I've covered fights in Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. For the most part of it, I've been covering professional fights," he said. "Just getting back into Jefferson City, I'm just now trying to get back into the swing of it. If there's a professional fight and the Missouri Boxing Commission needs a fight doctor, I'm there."

Roach got into working fights during a combined manipulations sports medicine fellowship in medical school at Kansas City University. He started doing amateur and semipro fights in Missouri and Kansas.

At his residency at the Medical Center of Southeast Oklahoma, a colleague of Roach's was the co-founder of the National Ringside Boxing Commission. Through him, Roach saw time working some big professional fights in Texas and Oklahoma.

Roach was previously based in Polar Bluff, which made it difficult for him to cover more than three or four fights per year, considering the bigger professional fights he works typically take place in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia or Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"It's like being on vacation and having the best seat in the house," he said. "It's not about the pay. The pay is OK, but it's something I like to do and something I like to watch. I do it more because I love to watch the fights."

It's something that the average viewer of boxing or MMA may not even notice, but the show can't go on without the fight doctor. For Roach, a close relationship between the official in the ring is crucial.

"A doctor has criteria to stop a match," he said. "For the most part, it's a lot of faith and trust in your officials. The officials in the ring are watching it just as closely as you are. If they've got a question, they're going to call timeout and ask me."

Being a fan has also helped Roach diagnose injuries in the ring. By knowing the techniques with things like knockouts, he's often able to get a head start on treating the fighters.

"I look at what submitted or knocked a guy out," he said. "That way if there's an injury, at least I saw and know the mechanism of injury so that I can know as soon as possible how to fix it.

"It all depends on types of blows or cuts or if someone's out a little longer than anticipated. The minute the official says timeout, I'm in the ring checking on both the opponents."

While Roach has seen his share of gruesome breaks and dislocations in the ring, for him, the coolest thing is often witnessing the technique and skill of the fighters.

"The neatest thing about being a ringside physician is watching the camaraderie," he said. "People see two opponents in the ring beating the tar out of each other. In all actuality, these guys are probably friends. They have to get worked up before the fight, but they're going to go out and have dinner or have a beer after the fight."

Despite the widespread popularity increase of MMA over the past decade, Roach says that boxing still presents more challenges. More direct punches to the head is the biggest reason, but boxing's 10-count is also a part of the equation.

With boxers allowed a full 10 seconds to recover after getting knocked down, the likelihood for concussions and post-concussive injuries is way up. Boxing also has more total rounds, which leads to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.

"In MMA you've got a lot more to watch," Roach said. "The ring is smaller and there's so many more components and its a faster pace. But honestly, I've seen more injuries in boxing. I see more sewing, concussions and medical problems in boxing or kickboxing than I do in MMA"

Roach will be mainly practicing in Jefferson City and it's his third stint living in the area. Having last lived in Jefferson City 10 years ago, it's a great central location for family, hobbies and ringside work, he said.

"I've always loved the Jefferson City area," he said. "It kind of feels like I'm coming home again. I've got hunting land that's close and the lake is 20-30 minutes down the road. There's plenty of hunting, fishing and I'm right in the middle for all the boxing and MMA that happens in Missouri."

With the sports medicine background, Roach figures to treat his share of athletes. From his experience, the most common injuries with high school athletes have to do with lack of stretching.

"You can't emphasize stretching enough," he said. "Calisthenics and stretching are going to the wayside, but most of the injuries I see in high school and even college sports are due to lack of preparation before a game."

Stretching before and after games can help reduce the risk of things like tendentious, soft tissue injuries and other muscular and skeletal injuries.

But athlete or not, Roach is here to treat local patients for their problems. It's that simple.

"I consider myself an old-fashioned family practice doctor," he said. "I don't do surgeries or deliver babies anymore, but if you've got a problem, we want to fix it here. We try not to refer out."

Though he'll only be in California one day a week, Roach says there's no need for potential patients to hesitate to come on in.

"Walk-ins are welcome," he said. "I'd rather patients come in and ask something than sit at home and question themselves. If they need something, I'm here."