MSK and Sports Advanced Clinical Focus Session: Around the Rehab Horn: A Sports Medicine Team Coverage Panel Discussion-Session Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This panel discussion featured sports medicine experts debating six key topics in the field. 

1. <strong>Payment for Team Physicians:</strong> Dr. Murtaugh advocated for compensation, citing time, expertise, risk management, and sustainability, while Dr. Finoff argued volunteerism promotes autonomy, decreases conflicts of interest, and increases community access. The consensus leaned toward compensating professional-level physicians but recognized volunteerism’s role at lower levels. 

2. <strong>Menstrual Cycle Tracking:</strong> Dr. Casey emphasized tracking as crucial for female athlete health, especially regarding energy deficiency and injury risk, while Dr. Rowe cautioned against misuse of data by coaches, stressing privacy and incomplete science. Both agreed athletes should track cycles personally, but public sharing poses risks.

3. <strong>Screening Labs in Healthy Athletes:</strong> Dr. Finoff supported targeted screening (e.g., iron studies, ECG), particularly in elite athletes, citing potential for early intervention. Dr. Casey warned of cost, false positives, overmedicalization, and lack of consensus on interpretation and follow-up. Tailored screening based on risk was favored over universal panels.

4. <strong>Social Media Engagement:</strong> Dr. Murtaugh highlighted social media’s value in education, networking, advocacy, and practice promotion with adherence to professionalism and privacy. Dr. Rowe urged caution, emphasizing respect for patient privacy and the importance of invisibility and trust in team environments.

5. <strong>Preseason Functional Testing:</strong> Dr. Casey saw potential in specific functional tests to motivate injury prevention despite limited predictive value, while Dr. Murtaugh stressed that screening does not accurately predict injury risk and broad injury prevention programs for entire teams are more effective.

6. <strong>Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training:</strong> Dr. Finoff supported BFR as an effective adjunct in rehab and performance, especially post-ACL surgery, though acknowledging limited standardization and long-term data. Dr. Rowe raised concerns about long-term vascular effects, inconsistent protocols, and lack of female-focused research, advocating cautious, supervised use.

Overall, the panel underscored the complexity of sports medicine interventions, balancing innovation, evidence, ethics, and athlete well-being. The session concluded with Dr. Murtaugh named the winner of the debates.

Keywords

sports medicine

team physicians compensation

menstrual cycle tracking

female athlete health

screening labs

healthy athletes

social media in sports medicine

preseason functional testing

injury prevention

blood flow restriction training

athlete well-being