MEDIA ALERT: March 8, 2010

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Getting Professional Athletes Back in the Game
Special guest James R. Andrews, MD, also introduces youth sports injury prevention campaign at media briefing

NEW ORLEANS—The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) at its 2010 Annual Meeting will host a media briefing providing new research on injury prevention and treatment for professional baseball and football players. The briefing, which will be held on Thursday, March 11, 2010, from 9:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. in Room 206 of the Morial Convention Center, will give reporters a chance to ask questions about new research on shoulder and back injuries.

“Orthopaedic surgeons are some of the top advocates for athletes,” said Darren L. Johnson, MD. “The intensity at which these professional athletes play increases the odds of injury. Therefore, it’s our responsibility to continue studying these players to find out how we can prevent more injuries and also what the best treatment options are for when injuries do occur. The studies discussed during this briefing do that.” Dr. Johnson is a professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Kentucky as well as Program Director of the accredited fellowship program in Sports Medicine.

The briefing participants include moderator Matthew Matava, MD, and panelists Robert Brophy, MD; Ian R. Byram, MD; Wellington Hsu, MD; and Joseph K. Weistroffer, MD.

Additionally, James R. Andrews, MD, founder of the American Sports Medicine Institute, will present an overview of STOP (Sports Trauma and Overuse Prevention) Sports Injuries, the new, national youth sports injury prevention campaign that actively engages parents, coaches, athletes and health care providers to learn more about youth sports injury prevention, treatment and long-term consequences.

Corresponding New Research from the Panelists

Predicting shoulder injury in professional baseball pitchers (Dr. Byram)

• Preseason shoulder weakness is associated with in-season throwing-related injury, resulting in surgery for professional baseball pitchers.
• Identifying players at risk for injury based on their pre-season shoulder strength and creating strengthening plans can prevent injury.
• Read the abstract.

Effect of shoulder stabilization on career length in NFL athletes (Dr. Brophy)

• A history of surgery to correct shoulder injuries prior to entering the NFL shortens the career of a professional football player.
• Linemen with a history of shoulder stabilization had a significantly shorter career compared to players in other positions.
• Read the abstract.

Best treatment option for a common back injury in NFL players (Dr. Hsu)

• NFL athletes who underwent operative treatment for cervical disc herniations (a slipped disc in the neck) successfully returned to play at a higher rate than those treated non-operatively.
• Seventy-two percent of players who underwent surgery successfully returned to play, on average, 29 games over a 2.8 year period, which was significantly longer than that of the non-operative group.
• Read the abstract.

Outcomes after back surgery for NFL linemen (Dr. Weistroffer)

• NFL linemen with disc herniations have a higher return to play rate when treated with surgery than with non-operative treatments.
• Forty-six percent of NFL players with disc herniation injuries were linemen. Of these linemen who were treated surgically, 81.6 percent returned to play.
• More than half of linemen treated surgically became starters.
• Read the abstract.

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