On November 15th and 16th, PBATS members attended the Foundation for Orthopaedic Research and Education’s 3rd annual Baseball Sports Medicine Game-Changing Concepts Conference in New York City. Members from teams including the Cubs, Pirates, Yankees, Blue Jays, Braves and more attended the two-day conference to learn from the world’s best in upper extremity injury prevention and rehabilitation.
This conference, hosted by Dr. Christopher Ahmad (Yankees) and Dr. Anthony Romeo (Rothman Institute) was designed for any physician, athletic trainer, occupational therapist, strength and conditioning expert, or coach concerned with the management or prevention of injuries to the baseball athlete.
In bringing an analytical approach to baseball injuries, the conference worked to analyze epidemiological trends in baseball injuries for professional, collegiate and youth baseball players, integrate prevention strategies with their health care teams to improve musculoskeletal and medical health for baseball players, and assess and apply surgical and non-surgical treatment recommendations and rehabilitation protocols for the management of essential musculoskeletal and medical conditions in baseball.
About the conference, PBATS President Mark O’Neal said, “The agenda was perfect for those interested in baseball for a sports medicine analytical approach. The speakers were excellent and some of the most highly respected in their fields. The course provided all evidence based continuing education units which is perfect for the current landscape of ATCs. I plan on attending annually and would recommend to any level of positions in baseball. Coaches would love the education and would benefit from learning from experts who have produced huge amounts of published research.”
While many PBATS members were in attendance, one member specifically, Yankees’ Head Athletic Trainer Steve Donohue, spoke at the event. Donohue educated attendees on prevention and rehabilitation for the throwing athlete and discussed injuries to the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand.
“The biggest benefit is that the whole conference is baseball specific,” said Donohue. “The conference gets the best of the best from all across the world and it’s an incredible place to learn from truly educated and experienced athletic trainers and doctors. With just over 150 people in attendance, it’s an awesome way to get one-on-one educational time with some of the best in the business. I truly think having a PBATS presence at the conference is important. It sends a message to the folks in athletic training that we’re interested in learning from the best, continuing our education and it’s just another venue for PBATS members to improve and get better at the job.”
For more information on the event, please visit the Foundation for Othropaedic Research and Education website.