What Otolaryngologists Can Learn from Athletes

Dr. Palmer also uses mindfulness and meditation to strengthen his focus, though he admits his practice isn’t consistent. “I’ve gone on kicks where I meditate a lot and also had times where I’m not as good about it,” he said. “When I am good about it, I notice a pretty incredible boost in my ability to stay levelheaded, manage emotions, and remain even-keeled throughout the day.”

The ability to manage stress and stay levelheaded is crucial to surgical success.

Dr. Natalie Krane is a former collegiate soccer player.

“Surgeries are not like building cars in a manufacturing plant. They don’t all go the same way every single time,” said Natalie Krane, MD, an assistant professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery in the division of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.

No two patients’ sinuses are the same, and despite pre-surgical imaging, you may encounter unexpected obstacles and challenges intra-operatively. Surgeons’ stress levels tend to rise at that time—and although rising adrenaline levels are a good, helpful response designed to sharpen focus so you can respond quickly and accurately, an unchecked stress response can also lead to shaky hands and scattered focus.

A 2025 systematic review of literature examining the impacts of stress on surgical performance found that acute stress consistently leads to impairment in both technical and non-technical skills, including diminished instrument handling, higher procedural error rates, and impaired communication (Surg Endosc. doi: 10.1007/s00464-024-11389- 3). “Pushing through” stress—continuing work without attempting to lower stress levels—may be harmful for both healthcare providers and patients.

Deliberately pausing and resetting your nervous system can help you think more clearly and work more effectively.

Dr. Krane, a former collegiate soccer player, routinely uses breathing techniques to calm herself during surgery or challenging clinical encounters.

“Restorative breath practices switch us from a sympathetic to a parasympathetic state; they take us from fight-or-flight to a sense of calm and spatial awareness,” she said. “Breath is the quickest way back to the present moment.”

Athletes use—and sports and performance psychologists teach—a variety of breathing techniques, including box breathing (inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four), frequency breathing (slow, deep, rhythmic breathing), and belly (or diaphragmatic) breathing. The specific technique doesn’t matter as much as finding a practice that works for you and using it deliberately to pause, reset, and refocus.