The upcoming 12th EFORT Congress, this year marking the 20th birthday of the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, will provide a unique opportunity for a fruitful update and exchange of views among the manifold members of the European orthopaedic family, says Dr. Mike Carmont (Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Preston, UK). A special highlight will be the Speciality Session on water sport injuries and shoulder problems, presenting cutting edge methodologies that might soon become standard in general traumatology.
Dr. Carmont, from 1 to 4 June, orthopaedic experts from all over Europe plus many colleagues from other continents will gather in Copenhagen at the 12th EFORT Congress, this year celebrating the organisation’s 20th birthday. What can attendants expect from this event?
Dr. Carmont: First of all, this is a fantastic opportunity to meet with fellow orthopaedists and traumatologists from all over Europe for the exchange of ideas on the diagnosis and management of bone and joint problems. In only 20 years, EFORT has managed to become one of the world’s most important platforms on which our speciality is developing, bringing together all the different flavours and experiences of over 30 European countries. These experiences are mirrored by world experts lecturing on current and future issues in orthopaedics and traumatology. There are a wide range of different formats, reaching from the Comprehensive Review Course preparing young colleagues for the EBOT exam to Experts-Meet-Experts-Meetings. Moreover, Copenhagen is a wonderful city, providing a most beautiful background for socialising after long days of activity and discussion.
One of the highlights will be the Speciality Session on water sports injuries and shoulder problems co-chaired by you and Pericles Papadopoulos with the assistance of Roger Hackney. What will be among the highlights of this session?
Dr. Carmont: I believe that this session will be rewarding and features presentations with techniques from one of the newest and most innovative sub-specialities of orthopaedic traumatology. The shoulder is a crucial joint for everybody, but pivotal for water sports. It provides a strong base for the upper limb with strength through a large range of movements. The shoulder is therefore also prone to acute injuries like dislocations or recurrent instability as well as chronic overuse conditions like tendinopathy or rotator cuff tears. These can affect both recreational and elite or professional sportsmen.
Sports professionals usually have very high expectations regarding the speed and efficiency of any necessary treatment?
Dr. Carmont: Precisely. In Copenhagen, we have invited lecturers who are not only highly qualified in traumatology but also understand the problem from the viewpoint of competing athletes. Kevin Boyd competed as an international swimmer and others have been champions in their sport. Furthermore, we offer specialists in extreme and adventure water sports like kite surfing and board sailing, who are researching their sport’s injury profiles.
Could you give us a few more details on the topics?
Dr. Carmont: We will demonstrate some of the exciting surgery performed by European orthopaedic sports traumatologists, perfected to meet the needs of professional athletes to return to training and competition as soon as possible. We’ll present recent achievements in minimally invasive surgery and arthroscopy as well as the most effective methods of rehabilitation and new approaches like the platelet rich plasma therapy (PRP), which may improve healing and may shorten rehabilitation time.
But the session does not only aim at highly specialised sports surgeons?
Dr. Carmont: Certainly not. Many of the skills demonstrated are useful for any general surgeon. We’re developing these high-end techniques for high performance patients, but like so often in the history of medicine, advances induced by the needs of a minority will predictably become common standard soon.
The organisation responsible for the shoulder session is EFOST. Can you explain the cooperation between EFORT and EFOST?
Dr. Carmont: One strength of EFORT as an umbrella organisation is the participation of most of the speciality and subspeciality societies, in addition to national societies. One of them is EFOST, the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedic Sports Traumatology, a developing body in its own right. For anybody with an even deeper interest in Sports Traumatology, the Copenhagen Speciality Session can serve as a foretaste of the World Sports Trauma Congress in London, from Oct. 17th to 20th, 2012.
Dr. Mike Carmont, United Kingdom is a member of EFOST and chairing the Symposium on: “Watersportinjuries and shoulder problems”
