AANA19 Shoulder Access Pass-Cases_ Feature Presentations - Learn from the Legends-Dr. John D. Kelly, M.D.

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This panel discussion features four legendary sports medicine physicians sharing over 80 years of combined sideline experience managing athletic injuries in real time. They discuss injection protocols during games, highlighting the cautious use of steroid and anesthetic injections for joint injuries like AC joint separations, knees, hamstrings, and ankles, emphasizing player consent and safety. The physicians debate managing shoulder subluxations and first-time dislocations, weighing the risks of surgery versus bracing and rehab, with some advocating early surgical intervention to prevent long-term damage. The use and efficacy of braces are analyzed, noting that static braces often fail while elastic braces provide better support. Concussion management has evolved; they now rely on baseline cognitive and balance tests and prioritize player safety over competitive desire, contrasting past practices where concussed players sometimes returned too soon. They also discuss practical sideline decisions for common injuries such as MCL sprains, burners, and knee injuries, emphasizing functional testing to determine playability. The panel underscores the importance of decisiveness, player health priority, and clear communication among physicians, trainers, coaches, and players. Their collective advice to younger physicians is to place the athlete’s long-term well-being above all else, serving as the ultimate protector against external pressures. The session offers valuable insights into injury assessment, treatment, and ethical sideline decision-making in sports medicine.

Keywords

sports medicine

athletic injuries

injection protocols

shoulder subluxations

concussion management

bracing efficacy

sideline decision-making