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
142: Dr. Jacob Calcei – Wearable Technology for Athlete Performance & Injury Prevention (Part 2)
Our conversation picks back up with an article published just last month in AJSM titled “Player Tracking Metrics to Predict Risk of ACL Injuries During Change-of-Direction Scenarios in the NFL.” The authors analyzed 216 ACL injuries that occurred in the NFL from 2018–2022 to determine how player tracking data could help predict injury risk, particularly during change-of-direction or “CoD” plays. They found that nearly half of ACL injuries occurred during CoD scenarios, most often involving high speeds followed by rapid deceleration.
The authors noted that 98% of players were decelerating at the moment of injury. Using synchronized video and player tracking, the researchers found that maximum speed and normalized maximum deceleration power were significant predictors of ACL injury risk. Additionally, special teams plays showed the highest rates of CoD ACL injuries, though when motion data were factored in, the elevated risk was better explained by player speed and deceleration demands rather than play type alone. These findings highlight the potential to use tracking metrics for real-time risk monitoring, improved prevention programs, and possibly even future changes to training or game rules to reduce injury risk.
We’re going to wrap up today with a study that is currently ongoing and not yet published. Funded by the AOSSM Playmaker Grant, this clinical trial is investigating the use of wearable muscle oxygenation sensors to improve return-to-play assessment after ACL reconstruction. Dr. Voos, Dr. Calcei, and their team at the UH Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute have found that muscle oxygenation recovery lagged behind clinical clearance in several cases.
Eight athletes did not regain normal muscle oxygenation even when they were deemed ready to return. These findings suggest that wearable muscle oxygen saturation monitoring may add a valuable physiologic layer to current return to play protocols, potentially predicting safer and more individualized recovery timelines.