Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Research, New Therapies Offer Hope Amid

Rising Tide of Sports-Related Injuries.

The term boomeritis was coined by a Philadelphia orthopaedic surgeon to describe increasingly common sports injuries among people roughly between the ages of 40 and 60. “Booneritis includes ligament and tendon ruptures but also injuries as varied as muscle soreness, sprains and strains, tendonitis and bursitis, arthritis, and fractures caused by trauma and overuse,” and Dr. Frederick Azar, a Campbell Clinic sports medicine specialist and Residency Program Director of the UT-Campbell Clinic Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

In addition to the growing number of injuries among adult athletes, Dr. Azar said there has also been a sharp rise in sports-related injuries among young people.

“We are seeing a lot more injuries in adolescents that can be attributed to overuse,” he said. “More young people are playing sports year-round, and repetitive use can lead to stress factures and other injuries.”

 

Facts About Sports Medicine Injuries

·        Sports injuries can result form accidents, from poor training practices, from lack of conditioning, and from insufficient warm-up and stretching before beginning exercise. ·        The most common types of sports injuries are muscle sprains and strains, tears of the ligaments that hold joints together, tears of the tendons that support joints and allow them to move, dislocated joints, and fractured bones, including vertebrae.

·        Adults age 25 and over sustained an extimated 2.3 million sports and recreational injuries annually from 1997 thorugh 1999. Recreational sports (including tennis, golf, bowling, and hiking) account for 370,000 injuries. ·        The knee is the most commonly injured joint. Each year, more that 5.5 million people visit orthopaedic surgeons for knee problems.   Sources: National Institutes of Health, National Health Interviews Survey.

 

A brighter outlook for athletes.

The outlook for injured athletes is more optimistic than in the past as a result of new surgical techniques, more aggressive rehabilitation protocols, development in tissue engineering, and promising research.

Finding hope in cartilage transplant.

Campbell Clinic surgeons specializing in sports medicine perform several types of cartilage restoration procedures, according to Dr. Azar. Dr. Azar and other Campbell Foundation researchers are currently engaged in studies using porcine cartilage constructs as they search for new ways to develop health human cartilage tissue for implantation.

“The cells attach themselves to the bone, multiply, and mature to form a cartilage repair,” Dr. Azar said. “The procedure is relatively new, and the longevity is unknown at this point. But the success rate is reported to be between 70% and 80%.

Tips for Preventing Sports Injuries More adults than ever are participating in sports, with a concurrent rise in injuries. Adults may not be as agile and resilient as they were when younger. Some injuries occur when a person tires to move from inactive to a more active lifestyle too quickly. Here are some tips to help prevent sports injuries among adults.

·   Don’t be a “weekend warrior,” packing a week’s worth of activity into a day or two. Try to maintain a moderate level of activity throughout the week. ·   Gradually increase your exercise level. ·   Accept your body’s limits. You may not be able to perform at the same level you did 10-20 years ago. Modify activities as necessary ·   Learn to do your sport right. Using proper form can reduce your risk of overuse injuries such

as tendonitis and stress fractures. ·   Use safety gear. Depending on the sport, this may mean a helmet, kneepads, or wrist pads. ·   Strive for a total body workout that includes cardiovascular activity, strength training, and flexibility exercises. Cross-training reduces injury while promoting total fitness.   Source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease

Smith & Nephew Backs Training, Research with New Sports

Fellowship

Smith & Nephew Endoscopy, a division of the global medical devices company Smith & Nephew, has made a generous commitment to The Campbell Foundation to sponsor establishment of the first Sports Medicine Fellowship at UT-Campbell Clinic.

Applications for this Fellowship will be selected on competitive basis and must have completed an ACGME accredited residency program in orthopaedic surgery, or an AOA accredited residency in osteopathic surgery. The Fellowship will usually be filled through a national matching program.

Smith & Nephew Endoscopy is the world leader in arthoscopy, the minimally invasive surgery for articulating joints. In addition to offering surgeons a complete range Nephew Endoscopy backs its products with education and support programs for surgeons.

Dr. Frederick Azar, Sports Medicine Fellowship Director for The Campbell Foundation, said, "We are grateful to Smith & Nephew for helping us create this new fellowship. We know that the fellowship will benefit our patients by enhancing our sports medicine research, and it will compliment our residency training program."