In late January I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a course put on by the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham, Ala. ASMI was started by Dr. James Andrews, M.D., in order to help with athletic injuries and sports medicine. Dr. Andrews is a famous orthopaedic surgeon who has worked with athletes such as Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Albert Pujols. ASMI currently conducts research involving evaluation, treatment and biomechanics of athletes. They also perform video analysis of athletes’ biomechanics and conduct continuing education for health care professionals who are involved in sports medicine.
- Dr. James and myself at American Sports Medicine Institute Conference in January 2012.
This course was a great opportunity to see the most current treatment approaches available as well as what other professionals are using to benefit patients throughout the entire United States. Topics ranged from orthopaedics, to biomechanics, to performance training and to rehabilitation of the injured athletes and even non-injured athletes.
One of my favorite parts was listening to the current surgical techniques being used on the shoulder and the orthopaedic evaluation of the shoulder itself (the shoulder is one of my favorite areas in the body!). It was very interesting to learn orthopaedics’ state of mind and thought process when looking at athletes, and more importantly, their thought process when it comes to conservative care and rehabilitation. I was really excited because what they do fits perfectly with what we do right here at HCC. This is so important for our patients who are under the care of both us and orthopaedic physicians, as we can ensure we are integrating for the best possible benefits of our patients.
Along the same lines, it was really neat to see the performance professionals and the biomechanists as well. Each is an expert in his or her own field and each sees things slightly differently. Personally, this is why I so strongly believe that an integrated approach serves our patients the best—you have to be able to use the best of everything. I also believe there needs to be cooperation and communication between the groups because then we don’t risk disagreement that results in pulling the patient in different directions.
Another thing I was very excited to see was that several sections were specifically dedicated to exposing practitioners to the concepts of Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS). As the only certified DNS practitioner in Nebraska, it’s great to see the integration of this important technique into MLB, NBA and NFL. It’s also gaining exposure and integration with many of the top orthopeadists and performance specialists in the country.
Lastly, I was really glad to make the trip without being snowed in at any point! Connecting in Chicago always makes me nervous, but I was lucky to miss the blizzard that hit just the week after.
