Vail, Colorado, Aug. 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After a noteworthy three-day convening of renowned orthopaedic specialists and researchers in May at the Four Seasons Resort in Vail, Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) have booked the dates and begun planning for the third annual Injury Prevention Symposium, an event that has quickly earned “must-attend” status on the annual calendar for top doctors, clinicians and researchers in the field of sports medicine and rehabilitation.
With the attendees of the May 2018 event still buzzing over the inspirational keynote address from Olympic skiing champion Julia Mancuso, organizers have secured May 2‒4, 2019 for the 3rd Injury Prevention Symposium in Vail.
“At Steadman Philippon Research Institute, we believe prevention is the cure,” said Dan Drawbaugh, CEO of SPRI and The Steadman Clinic. “The Injury Prevention Symposium enables SPRI to share its world-class research and injury prevention practices, which are advancing every day. As we move forward with groundbreaking injury prevention technology that combines neurological and physical medicine, these symposia give our doctors, scientists and researchers the opportunity to meet and present with some of the world’s top specialists in injury prevention and collaborate with our friends and colleagues at the USOC.”
While the majority of sports medicine and scientific summits deal with modern breakthroughs and newly discovered methods to treat and repair injuries, be it surgically or through physical rehabilitation, this gathering focuses on the prevention of injuries and how to keep young—and not so young—athletes out of surgery and rehabilitation and on the playing fields or ski slopes.
Dr. Marc Philippon, SPRI co-chair and managing partner of The Steadman Clinic, spoke directly to the Injury Prevention Symposium’s mission.
“The goal is to prevent injuries before they happen,” said Dr. Philippon. “As much as I love being a surgeon, when I have a young athlete and I see a large cartilage defect, I truly feel that we should have intervened sooner. But, if they are asymptomatic, how can we? That’s why prevention is so important.”
“My colleagues and I are known in our field as thought leaders and innovators in orthopaedic research,” continued Dr. Philippon. “Through the continuous efforts of our world-class researchers and scientists at SPRI, we place a major emphasis on finding new methods to help in the prevention of injuries and the furthering of the competitive and recreational careers of the athletes that we treat. What sets us apart is the way we can quickly transfer the exciting research being done at SPRI to our patients at The Steadman Clinic.”
Dr. Bill Moreau, co-chair of the Injury Prevention Symposium and vice president of the sports medicine division at the USOC, offered his thoughts on working in collaboration with SPRI and The Steadman Clinic.
“Virtually everyone in the field of sports medicine is familiar with The Steadman Clinic and all of its world-class surgeons,” said Moreau. “What many people don’t often see are the scientific research and innovative methods that SPRI and the Clinic have introduced in the study of injury prevention. This most recent symposium gave us all the chance to hear some of the top specialists in the field today talk about what is most important to all of us—better ways to help our young and dedicated athletes compete and excel in their sports and not succumb to career-threatening injuries along the way.”
Mancuso, one of only three Team USA athletes to ever medal in three consecutive Winter Olympic Games (2006-14) and the most decorated female American Olympic alpine skier, inspired the audience during her Injury Prevention Symposium keynote address on May 4. Mancuso, who took to the stage only two days after her total hip replacement procedure, enchanted the crowd. “I am a bionic superhero,” she said. “I just received a new hip, which is kind of crazy. But what I feel like really turned me into a superhero wasn’t winning medals. It was the adversity and character-building moments that pushed me to be a better person.”
At age 18 Mancuso was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, a condition that threatened her skiing career. Her dream was to win Olympic gold and after meeting Dr. Philippon, she found a way to continue that mission. Dr. Philippon treated Mancuso’s hip injury and managed to improve her health while maintaining her ability to win Olympic gold. He performed a hip arthroscopy that enabled Mancuso to continue her path toward success and, more importantly, help prevent further eroding injury to her hip.
Dr. Philippon’s initial surgery prolonged the life of her hip, helping to delay the hip replacement that eventually was performed by world-renowned hip specialist and Steadman Clinic surgeon, Dr. Joel Matta. One of the goals of The Steadman Clinic physicians is to listen to their patients, keeping the desires and goals of the patient in mind throughout their treatment.
“If athletes say they want to do it, they are going to do it,” Mancuso said as the crowd stood to give her a well-deserved standing ovation. “It is best to just support them. There are millions of superheroes because of people like Dr. Philippon and others in this very room who help us to climb mountains and reach our own goals.”
Further details pertaining to the 3rd Injury Prevention Symposium will be available at a later date at www.sprivail.org.
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