Current Concepts in Sports Medicine

News Media Tip Sheet, Hospital for Special Surgery

NEW YORK CITY—April 19, 2007 

From Professional Athletes to Weekend Warriors – What Every Sports Medicine Professional Needs to Know in an Ever-Changing Field

From treating on-field injuries to debates about steroid use and dietary supplements to proper training techniques, the field of sports medicine is an ever-changing environment. New trends and techniques require physicians and therapists to continuously update their knowledge base.   Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) will host a two-day, in-depth look at the issues, procedures and treatments for those involved in the world of sports medicine.

Designed for physicians, surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists and coaches, attendees will gain first-hand knowledge of today’s most important sports medicine issues from staff at HSS’s Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service – one of the largest, most active, most highly respected departments in athletic medicine today.  To complement the staff from Special Surgery, guest lecturers from other top institutes from across the country will join in various panel discussions and workshops. 

Below are select highlights from a broad schedule of presentations, workshops, panel discussions and live surgery demonstrations. To attend the event, interview a speaker or to develop news stories in advance of or after any of the presentations, contact Phyllis Fisher fisherp@hss.edu or Tracy Hickenbottom at hickenbottomt@hss.edu or call 212-606-1197.

Helping Athletes Throw, Swing, and Serve Better; Physicians Explore Ways to Treat Shoulder Instability both surgically and nonsurgically

Open or sub-deltoid arthroscopy; which is the right choice for a patient?  What is a SLAP Lesion, and how serious is this injury?  Scott Rodeo, M.D., co-chair of Current Concepts in Sports Medicine, along with several other top shoulder specialists in the world of sports medicine will answer these questions and discuss common shoulder ailments facing athletes.  Physicians and surgeons will explore new procedures to address certain shoulder injuries and identify when surgery is an appropriate step to help athletes get back in the game. 

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament– Why the letters ACL scare athletes

The United States Sports Academy reports that nearly 70,000 anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, injuries occur among athletes each year. A rising number of the injuries are suffered by female athletes.  Jo A. Hannifan, M.D., Attending Orthopedic Surgeon and Director of Orthopedic Research at Hospital for Special Surgery will explore the role gender plays in ACL related injuries. 

Special Surgery’s Sports Medicine Performance and Research Center Senior Physical Therapist and event co-chair John Cavanaugh, Med, PT, ATC, will discuss why ACL injuries, though painful, are not as “career ending” as they once were thanks to new techniques in rehabilitation. 

The often debated choice over whether to take tissue grafts from the patient or from a cadaver will be the focus of presentations by Dr. Rodeo and Anne M. Kelly, M.D., Assistant Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery who will debate the use of autografts versus allografts for ACL reconstruction surgery.  

Daniel Cooper, M.D., renowned orthopedic surgeon and head team physician for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, will share his “NFL Experience” on ACL injuries and how these injuries differ from those in other sports.

Live Surgeries – Knee Mosaicplasty and Shoulder Stabilization Surgery

Riley J. Williams, III, M.D., Director of the Institute for Cartilage Repair at Hospital for Special Surgery will perform knee mosaicplasty – a technique that replaces the weak or torn cartilage with healthy cartilage from the femur.   David W. Altchek, M.D., co-chief of the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at Hospital for Special Surgery and medical director for the New York Mets, will perform shoulder stabilization surgery. 

Steroids and Supplements, Seminar Tackles Controversial Issues in Sports Medicine

From when to send an athlete who suffers a concussion back into the game to dietary supplements to steroid use, Current Concepts in Sports Medicine will explore many of these issues that athletic professionals wrestle with on a daily basis. 

As Barry Bonds inches closer to Hank Aaron’s immortal 755 home run record, the issue of steroid use will be a hot topic.  Gary Wadler, M.D. clinical associate professor of New York University’s School of Medicine will discuss how steroids can damage bodies, not only the integrity of the sport and new techniques employed by those looking to break the rules.  On the “approved substances” side,  Jordan D. Metzl, M.D., medical director for the Sports Medicine Institute for Young Athletes at Hospital for Special Surgery will focus on the efficacy of sports supplements and if they maximize athletic performance. 

According to experts, stress fractures account for more than 10 percent of cases in a typical sports medicine practice.  Brian C. Halpern, M.D., assistant attending physician at Hospital for Special Surgery will talk about this condition, which many in the medical community find difficult to define.  Dr. Halpern will touch on how athletes develop stress fractures, where they are commonly found and how to prevent and manage the injury.

EVENT:	Hospital for Special Surgery to Host Symposium on Current Concepts in Sports Medicine
DATE:	Friday, April 27, 2007 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 28, 2007 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
PLACE:	Friday -- Weill Medical College of Cornell University – Uris Auditorium 1300 York Avenue (at 69th Street), New York Saturday -- Hospital for Special Surgery Richard L. Menschel Education Center – 2nd Floor 535 East 70th Street New York, NY 10021

For more details on the program, visit
 
https://www.hss.edu/shopping/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&
Store_Code=HSS&Product_Code=POSD+S2007&
Category_Code=S2007

About Hospital for Special Surgery
Founded in 1863, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a world leader in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. HSS is nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics, No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2007), and has received Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In the 2006 edition of HealthGrades' Hospital Quality in America Study, HSS received five-star ratings for clinical excellence in its specialties. A member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Medical College of Cornell University, HSS provides orthopedic and rheumatologic patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. All Hospital for Special Surgery medical staff are on the faculty of Weill Medical College of Cornell University. The hospital's research division is internationally recognized as a leader in the investigation of musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. Hospital for Special Surgery is located in New York City and online at www.hss.edu.