The Sports Docs Podcast
Sports medicine is a constantly evolving field, with hundreds of new articles published each month on the topic. This ever-growing wealth of information can make it challenging to stay updated on the newest approaches and techniques, and to know which data should actually change your practice. Join orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Catherine Logan and Dr. Ashley Bassett, as they chat about the most recent developments in sports medicine and dissect through all the noise.
On each episode of The Sports Docs podcast, the hosts will tackle a specific injury – from ACL tears to shoulder instability – and review the top research from various high-impact journals that month, including The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Sports Health, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, and more. The Sports Docs will also be joined by experts in the field of sports medicine – orthopedic surgeons, nonoperative sports medicine specialists, athletes, physical therapists, athletic trainers and others – to provide a fresh and well-rounded perspective based on their unique experiences.
The Sports Docs – Dr. Logan & Dr. Bassett – are friends & former co-residents from the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program, who went onto esteemed sports medicine fellowships at The Steadman Clinic and The Rothman Institute, respectively. Dr. Logan practices in Denver, CO, and serves as Team Physician for Men's USA Lacrosse & as a Team Physician for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Dr. Bassett is the director of the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at the Orthopedic Institute of New Jersey and practices across northern NJ, primarily in Morris and Sussex Counties.
Together, they will bring monthly conversations on how to care for athletes of all ages and levels of play, with a healthy mix of cutting-edge science and real-world application.
The Sports Docs Podcast
62. Dr. Brett Owens: MCL Injuries - Part II
We return today with Dr. Brett Owens to shift our discussion of MCL tears on to the treatment of isolated and combined MCL injuries, then wrap up with a discussion on safe return to play.
Our conversation picks back up with a level 1 prospective multicenter RCT from the March 2022 issue of AJSM titled “Comparative Outcomes Occur After Superficial Medial Collateral Ligament Augmented Repair vs. Reconstruction.” Fifty-four patients with grade III MCL injuries were randomized to either MCL augmented repair or MCL reconstruction using a free semitendinosus autograft. At 1-year post-op, there was no difference in objective outcomes (including gapping on post-op valgus stress x-rays). However, patient-reported outcomes – including IKDC scores and Lysholm scores – favored reconstruction.
We finish up today with an article from the March issue of AJSM this year titled “Nonoperative Management, Repair, or Reconstruction of the Medial Collateral Ligament in Combined Anterior Cruciate and Medial Collateral Ligament Injuries – Which Is Best?” This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the outcomes of three different approaches to ACL-MCL combined injuries: ACL reconstruction with either (1) non-op treatment of the MCL tear, (2) MCL repair, (3) MCL reconstruction.
There was no difference in patient-reported outcomes, range of motion and quadriceps strength at final follow up. The rate of arthrofibrosis was similar between non-op and surgically treated MCL injuries, and the authors note that this rate has steadily decreased, likely relating to advancement in surgical technique.