Orthopedics/Sports

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — September 19, 2012.  Mayo Clinic has assembled the nation's leading experts including professional sports league representatives to discuss the clinical and scientific aspects of concussions and the related growing public health concerns at the Symposium on Concussion in Sport, Sept. 28–29, at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. The symposium will be held at the Mayo Clinic campus in Scottsdale, 13400 East Shea Blvd., from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 29. Among the experts scheduled to present are concussion representatives from each of the major professional leagues: National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. The symposium is designed to help physicians recognize the signs and symptoms of a concussion, evaluate athletes, recognize when it is safe to return to play, and understand the short- and long-term neurological consequences of concussion. "Concussion is a major public health priority that transcends age, gender and sport," says David Dodick, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic and director of the symposium. "The underreporting and recognition of concussion and the potential for short-term catastrophic consequences and disabling long-term neurological impairment from repeated concussions have prompted the passage of legislation in many states that requires the immediate removal from play of an athlete suspected of having a concussion; mandatory concussion education of all those who intersect with an athlete; and return-to-play clearance by a qualified health care provider."

MEDIA ADVISORY:  Mayo Clinic Experts Available to Discuss Football, Fall Sports Injuries  Common football, soccer and other fall sports injuries include concussions, stingers, MCL and ACL sprains/tears, meniscus tears, hip pointers, hamstring pulls, muscle contusions and ankle sprains. As the new season gets underway, Mayo Clinic experts can discuss the full range of athletic injuries and are available for interviews.       For interviews with experts, contact: Bryan Anderson  507-284-5005 newsbureau@mayo.edu Read entire media advisory. Read more about sports injuries and experts who are available:

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 27, 2012.  With the fall sports season getting under way, Mayo Clinic experts are available to discuss the full range of athletic injuries. Common football, soccer and other falls sports injuries include concussions, stingers, MCL and ACL sprains/tears, meniscus tears, hip pointers, hamstring pulls, muscle contusions and ankle sprains. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Graphics and animation on common injuries available on the Mayo Clinic News Network. Mayo Clinic fall sports injury experts include, but are not limited to: Edward Laskowski, M.D., co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His specialties include sports medicine, fitness, and strength and stability training. Dr. Laskowski has served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the Chicago Marathon medical staff and the 2002 Winter Olympics medical staff at the Olympic Polyclinic in the Olympic Village. David Dodick, M.D., a neurologist with Mayo Clinic in Arizona and president of the American Headache Society. Dr. Dodick can discuss head injuries including concussions. Michael Stuart, M.D., vice chair of orthopedic surgery and co-director of the Sports Medicine Center. He can discuss arthroscopy, knee ligament reconstruction, partial knee replacement, concussions and doping. He was a team physician for the U.S. men's Olympic team in 2010. Richard Berger, M.D., Ph.D., an orthopedic surgeon specializing in the biomechanics and nerves of the hand and wrist, including injury and repair. He discovered and pioneered treatment of the wrist injury that nearly ended Major League Baseball player Jayson Werth's career. Diane Dahm, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with Mayo's Sports Medicine Center and Sports Performance Training Program in Minnesota who has served as an Olympic and professional sports team physician. She is an expert on ACL injuries, reconstruction and sports activities following knee arthroplasty and shoulder trauma. Jay Smith, M.D., of The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. is an expert on sports injuries including shoulder injuries and biomechanics. He has been a team trainer for the Minnesota Twins. Michael Joyner, M.D., is an anesthesiologist and specialist in exercise science with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Joyner is an expert on aging athletes, the relationship of environment to training, performance-enhancing drugs and how genetic variation and gender affect competition. Max Trenerry, Ph.D., specializes in sports psychology with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He can discuss the role of psychological factors in athletic performance and how to keep children interested in sports. Dr. Trenerry is also a soccer coach who routinely talks to parents and coaches about what is appropriate in coach-athlete relationships. Mary O'Connor, M.D., is chair of Orthopedic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Dr. O'Connor specializes in women's health, hip and knee replacement and bone damage and treatment. She was a member of the Olympic rowing team in 1980 when the United States boycotted the games.

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Current guidelines disqualify most people with long QT syndrome (LQTS) — a genetic abnormality in the heart’s electrical system — from every sport and continues to ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — July 24, 2012.  Participation in competitive sports by people with long QT syndrome — a genetic abnormality in the heart's electrical system — has been a matter of debate among physicians. Current guidelines disqualify most LQTS patients from almost every sport. In a first-of-its-kind study, Mayo Clinic's LQTS Clinic recently examined its own experience, determining the outcome of LQTS patients who chose to remain athletes against guideline recommendations. The study is published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Journalists: For multimedia resources, visit the Mayo Clinic News Network In the study, the records of 353 LQTS patients ages 6 to 40 who were evaluated at Mayo Clinic between July 2000 and November 2010 were reviewed to determine which patients chose to continue athletic participation after LQTS diagnosis and LQTS-related events. Of the 157 patients who were athletes at the time of their evaluation, 27 (17 percent) chose to disqualify themselves, "debunking the myth" that families would never choose to quit sports, says senior author Michael Ackerman, M.D., Ph.D., pediatric cardiologist and Director of Mayo's LQTS Clinic. More importantly, of the 130 patients who chose to remain an athlete, only one experienced a LQTS-triggered event during a sport; the athlete received an appropriate shock from his implantable cardioverter-defibrillator on two separate occasions. For the study, researchers defined a competitive athlete as a person who participated in organized competitive sports at the little league, middle or high school, collegiate or professional level. "About eight years ago after I started to see some of these lives ruined by the recommendation to discontinue sports, we decided to challenge the status quo," Dr. Ackerman says. "We adopted a philosophy that empowered patients and their families with the right to make an informed and difficult decision about continuing in competitive sports, a possible LQTS risk-taking behavior." Dr. Ackerman presented these findings Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland, at a pre-2012 Summer Olympics medical conference on sports, athletes and health. Olympic swimmer Dana Vollmer as a child was found to have signs of LQTS; her mother carried a portable defibrillator to her swim meets, but by college, Vollmer no longer showed symptoms, according to her official website. Vollmer, who is not a Mayo patient, will compete in London. In LQTS, which affects one in 2,000 people, the rapid heartbeats can trigger a sudden fainting spell, seizure or sudden death. Treatment can involve medication, medical devices or surgery. "We felt that although exercise, sports, and the thrill of victory and agony of defeat could potentially trigger a dangerous heart rhythm in these patients, that in a well-counseled, well-studied and well-treated patient, these may be manageable risks," Dr. Ackerman says. "Up until now, the current status quo has been to view these things as controllable risk factors which are controlled by kicking these patients out of most sports and telling them to not get their heart rate up and not get too excited." Two sets of guidelines have medical eligibility criteria for patients with cardiovascular abnormalities: the 36th Bethesda Conference guidelines and the European Society of Cardiology guidelines. The ESC guidelines are more restrictive, Dr. Ackerman says. Both sets of guidelines are based on expert opinions and rely on the "art of medicine" because there is little evidence about the real risk of sports participation, he says. As patients in Mayo Clinic's LQTS Clinic, all 353 initially evaluated for this study received a comprehensive two- to three-day clinical and genetic evaluation, including a one- to two-hour consultation with Dr. Ackerman, all of which is standard for LQTS Mayo patients. Patients who were already athletes and chose to continue athletics received counseling on athletic participation guidelines. If the patient chose to continue competitive athletics, the decision had to be agreed on by the physician, the patient, and both parents, depending on the patient's age. In addition to the patient's treatment, such as medications, each athlete obtained an automated external defibrillator, and the athlete's school officials and coaches were notified. Of the 130 patients who remained athletes, 20 had ICDs. Forty-nine (38 percent) participated in more than one sport. Thirty-two athletes competed in high school, and eight competed at the college, university or professional level.

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