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
173: Anchors Away! Stabilizing the Athlete’s Shoulder
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In this episode of The Sports Docs Podcast, Dr. Bassett & Dr. Logan sit down LIVE from the Arthrex Team Physician Controversies with shoulder instability expert Dr. Kevin Farmer to discuss the modern management of traumatic anterior shoulder instability in athletes.
The conversation focuses on the instability continuum, including when to operate, how to evaluate bipolar bone loss, and when to add remplissage, with an emphasis on optimizing outcomes in young, high-risk athletes.
Who Needs Surgery?
Young athletes—especially males less than 20—have 70–80% recurrence rates with nonoperative care
Higher risk populations:
Collision athletes
Overhead athletes
Military/tactical athletes
Key insight:
Early surgical stabilization can be career-protective in high-risk athletes
MRI evaluates:
Bankart lesions
Hill-Sachs size and orientation
Capsulolabral quality
Advanced assessment includes:
Percent glenoid bone loss
Hill-Sachs engagement
On-track vs off-track lesions
Arthroscopic Bankart Repair
Remains the workhorse procedure in absence of critical bone loss
Modern advances:
Knotless anchors
Improved efficiency and reproducibility
Better capsular tensioning
Anchor strategy:
Typically 3–4 anchors
Start low (5:30–6 o’clock) and work superiorly
Fewer than 3 anchors associated with higher failure rates
Capsular Management
Capsular shift is critical in:
Young patients
Hyperlax athletes
Goal:
Restore anterior stability
Re-tension IGHL complex
Knotless technology allows fine-tuned tensioning
Remplissage
Traditionally used for off-track Hill-Sachs lesions
Now increasingly used in:
Subcritical glenoid bone loss (~10–15%)
High-risk athletes
Borderline “on-track” lesions
Benefits:
Decreases recurrence rates
Reduces need for revision surgery
Key insight:
Low threshold in young, male contact athletes
Remplissage Technique
Two anchors placed in Hill-Sachs lesion
Sutures passed through capsule and infraspinatus
Secured in subdeltoid space
Pearls:
Use knotless anchors for low-profile fixation
Visualize subacromial space to avoid soft tissue capture
Motion vs Stability
Concern: loss of external rotation
Reality:
Minimal, clinically insignificant loss with modern techniques
Stability benefits outweigh small motion tradeoffs
Postoperative Rehab
Sling: 3–4 weeks
Early passive motion
Strengthening at 6 weeks
Return to sport: ~5–6 months
Return to Sport Testing
Criteria-based return reduces recurrence (5% vs 22%)
Key components:
Full ROM
Greater/equal to 90% strength vs contralateral side
Functional testing (CKCUEST, shot-put, plank taps, etc.)
Patient-reported outcomes (WOSI greater than 90%, KJOC greater than 88%)
Featured Guest
Dr. Kevin Farmer – University of Florida, Team Physician for the Florida Gators
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Arthrex Team Physician Controversies 2026
Our Hosts:
Ashley Bassett, MD & Catherine Logan, MD, MBA / www.cosportsmedicine.com