I was operating the other day, and I noticed that I had a bad headache and my lower back was giving me a lot of pain. I actually thought about how that could possibly distract me from the task I had at hand, i.e. the arthroscopic procedure that I was performing.

However, I consciously fought through the pain in my back and the headache and was able to accomplish the goal as desired. After the day was done, I felt that I had performed three of the best surgeries I had ever done.

Patients often ask me if I “...ever have a bad day in the operating room.” Many times they also wish me “good luck” and/or remind me to “...get a good night sleep.”

Any surgeon, or anyone in any occupation, whoever tells you that they, “don't ever have a bad day” is obviously not telling the truth. We are all human beings, and we all have “bad days.” It is how you deal with those bad days and how you handle adversity that I think actually defines you better than how you do on your good days or during an “easy surgery.”

Great athletes, such as Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, are still more valuable at 80 percent than the average peer in their sport. Jordan had one of his best playoff performances while very sick with the flu. Woods just recently won a major championship, i.e. the U.S. Open with a torn ACL/unstable knee.

My point is that just because you are having a bad day or because you may not have your “A game” that particular day doesn't mean that you can't accomplish the task at hand and even do a great job. That is what defines a great athlete, a great surgeon, a great (insert occupation here). Sometimes a little adversity can make you concentrate even more and actually do your best job.

Another important quality in a surgeon is how they handle adversity or a complication if/when it occurs. Most surgeons can perform the types of surgeries they do when there are no complications or are straight- forward without any difficulty. Two of my mentors, Dr. Clancy and Dr. Andrews, who are world renowned sports medicine surgeons, often said that doing straight forward cases well is only one small area that defines you as a surgeon. It is how you handle the “tough” cases/“tough” situations that truly defines a great surgeon. Surgeons, athletes, military personnel and any other occupation, need to be able to handle adversity when it comes and know how to get themselves out of a tough situation.

In summary, I want to answer all of those patients who have asked me if I have “ever had a bad day in the operating room” with a “yes.”

However, I rely on my outstanding upbringing from my parents, my outstanding training, my experience, the help of other staff members in the OR and my own mental toughness to overcome those days as best I can.

Even on my “worst day in the OR” the patient never suffers and always receives more than 100 percent top-notch care. If I could not deliver the best care possible, then as a professional and an expert in my field, I would postpone the case until I could give it my best effort.

I have learned from other great orthopedics/sports medicine surgeons who have been my mentors, and I think this is a good lesson to pass along to anybody in any occupation. Navy SEAL training follows the motto that, “the only easy day was yesterday.” In some respects, we should all follow that guide to rise above any bad day to make it better than or even the best ever regardless of the line of work we are involved in.

Dr. Marc P. Pietropaoli is a board certified/fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon/sports medicine specialist and is president of Victory Sports Medicine & Orthopedics in Skaneateles