Injury Challenges Addressed Before Soccer Combine

Fort Lauderdale, FL—January 4, 2011

Sports medicine professionals, athletic trainers and physical therapists will learn about the latest research in the treatment and prevention of soccer-related injuries at the Soccer Industry Medical Symposium, presented by Hospital for Special Surgery in conjunction with Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday, January 8, in Fort Lauderdale.

As soccer players descend upon the area for the 2011 adidas MLS Player Combine, the symposium will bring together some of the country’s foremost sports medicine professionals to discuss managing sports-related injuries.

“We’ve made great strides in the past few years in the ways that professional sports injuries are assessed and treated,” said Riley J. Williams, III, M.D., symposium director and orthopedic surgeon in the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. “This course is designed to help medical teams treating high school, collegiate and professional soccer players to better identify and prevent soccer-related injuries.”

Sessions at the January 8 symposium that will be of particular interest for physical therapists, soccer trainers and other members of the care team include:

• Common Foot and Ankle Injuries in the Soccer Athlete
  • David S. Levine, M.D., foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery
• Rehabilitation of Hip, Pelvis and Abdominal Wall Injuries in the Soccer Athlete
  • Peter Draovitch, P.T., M.S., ATC, CSCS, clinical rehabilitation director, Hospital for Special Surgery
• Platelet Rich Plasma: What Is It? What Does It Do? When and How Should It Be Used?
  • Brian C. Halpern, M.D., sports medicine physician, Hospital for Special Surgery
• Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Hip Joint
  • Bryan T. Kelly, M.D., co-director, Center for Hip Preservation, Hospital for Special Surgery
• Muscle and Tendon Problems of the Pelvis and Proximal Leg
  • Robert H. Brophy, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Brophy is also the head team physician for the St. Louis Athletica professional women’s soccer club and assistant team physician for the St. Louis Rams.
• Return to Play Criterion: Integrating the Doctor, Therapist, Trainer and Strength Coaches in Optimizing Player Performance Following an Injury
  • Riley J. Williams, III, M.D., sports medicine orthopedic surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery
  • Head Team Physician, New York Red Bulls Soccer Club
  • Head Team Physician, Nets Basketball

“Caring for injured athletes requires a long-term commitment by the players, physicians, coaches and trainers,” emphasized Dr. Williams, who is also head team physician for the New York Red Bulls. “New technological advances and improvements in clinical management arise all the time, but unless the athlete’s care team is working in close coordination, the full benefits of these improvements may be diluted.”

Team physicians and surgeons who treat athletes all over the country will participate in the symposium. “It’s clear that, while individual players and soccer teams possess unique qualities and traits, care teams confront similar injuries over and over,” Dr. Williams added. “Getting trainers and physicians all in a room together will allow them to identify the functional similarities and differences in the treatment and management of injuries.”

Additional guest faculty from around the country includes:

• L. Michael Brunt, M.D., professor, Washington University School of Medicine
  • Team surgeon, St. Louis Blues
  • Sports Hernia Specialist
• John Gallucci, Jr., P.T., M.S., ATC, DPT, president, JAG Physical Therapy
  • Medical coordinator, Major League Soccer
• Michael B. Gerhardt, M.D., Santa Monica Orthopedic Group
  • Team physician Chivas U.S.A.
• Eric Harrison, M.D., FIFA Consultant for Football Turf
• Bert R. Mandelbaum, M.D., DHL, assistant medical director, Santa Monica Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group and U.S. Soccer Men's National Team Physician since 1991

To review the full program, please follow the link: http://cmetracker.net/HSS/Files/Brochures/603795.pdf

Media interested in attending the event or speaking with Dr. Williams, please contact Tracy Hickenbottom, Public Relations at Hospital for Special Surgery, at (212) 606-1197, hickenbottomt@hss.edu.

About HSS | Hospital for Special Surgery
HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the ninth consecutive year) and No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S.News & World Report (2018-2019). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has one of the lowest infection rates in the country and was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State. In 2017 HSS provided care to 135,000 patients and performed more than 32,000 surgical procedures. People from all 50 U.S. states and 80 countries travelled to receive care at HSS. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Global Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The culture of innovation is accelerating at HSS as 130 new idea submissions were made to the Global Innovation Institute in 2017 (almost 3x the submissions in 2015). The HSS Education Institute is the world’s leading provider of education on the topic on musculoskeletal health, with its online learning platform offering more than 600 courses to more than 21,000 medical professional members worldwide. Through HSS Global Ventures, the institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally.