Aligned with our culture of collaboration through research and education, our team is actively participating in conversations on the safety and health of youth in sports. The 5th annual Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine (PRiSM) meeting is underway and we are leading conversations in these areas:

• Concussions
• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury
• Meniscal repair
• Hip injuries
• Osteochondritis dissecans of the elbow

This unique, three-day conference goes beyond informative presentations and is designed to facilitate collaborations and development of research projects to improve the care of our athletes. Assistant Chief of Staff and PRiSM Director at Large Philip L. Wilson, M.D. and his team find this opportunity particularly beneficial. “Unlike other meetings, the format of the program allows time for small working groups to connect, report on progress and develop action plans,” says Wilson. “So many of our questions in pediatric sports medicine demand teamwork so that we can look at very large groups of young athletes with seemingly rare conditions. Together we can make an impact on the future of prevention and treatment options for these adolescents.” 

This morning, staff orthopedist Henry B. Ellis, M.D. shared findings of our study on athletes after an ACL injury and their readiness to return to sports. In this review of 48 athletes, we found athletes have difficulty returning to sports due to the “other” leg. This generated a lot of discussion since rehabilitation protocols and return to sport decisions are based on the performance of the surgical leg. Scottish Rite Hospital psychologist Erica Force, Ph.D., C.C.A.A.S.P. will present more information tomorrow from this study that will begin to answer questions that are being discussed among attendees today.
 
Learn more about the research being conducted in the Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine.