18th EFORT Annual Congress in Vienna: A closer look at sports and orthopaedics

Issue: January 2017

EFORT has chosen to put forward “Sports Activities & Orthopaedic Practice” as the main theme of the upcoming Vienna Congress in order to highlight the important role of the European orthopaedic community in keeping the population fit and active. Even though a large part of the population is active in different extents in the everyday life, the performance of professional sportsmen and women often depends on the quality and accuracy of the orthopaedic care.

Three specific sessions have been scheduled to present a focus on injury management for high level sports: medical insights for Formula 1; alpine ski; and football will be discussed along the second day of the congress.

Thursday 1 June 2017 | 08:15 to 09:45

Orthopaedics & Trauma Surgery in the World of Formula 1
Moderation: Fatih Kucukdurmaz (Turkey)

Acute Injuries During Racing | Gary Hartstein (Belgium)
Chronic Injuries of the Drivers | Speaker to be confirmed
Being in the Cockpit | Alex Wurz (Austria)

Motor car racing is a meeting point of mechanical technology and human performance. These two elements present a particularly high level of collaboration in Formula 1. Therefore, due to the specific features of motor sports, Formula 1 orthopaedic and trauma medicine must cover both physical and psychological stress during the whole race season. Appropriate medical support for Formula 1 drivers has become a priority in the field only since the 1980s. Success comes with multidisciplinary medical support, yet the importance of these factors is often under appreciated.

The purpose of the Formula 1 session is to discuss the various aspects of this highly demanding sport, as well as to give a detailed overview of the drivers’ acute and chronic injuries that directly influence the athletic performance of the drivers as sportsmen. The serious nature of some motor racing injuries is an additional reason why immediate and specific medical handling is necessary. What is more, repetitive, cumulative trauma to specific anatomical areas may lead to chronic pain associated with ligament and nerve malfunctions.

The highlight of the session is a presentation from a former Formula 1 driver who will provide a rare inside-out view of this sports world and the expected and perceived medical management surrounding it.

Thursday 1 June 2017 | 15:00 to 16:30

Management in Knee Injuries in Professional Alpine Skiers
Moderation: Philippe Neyret (France) & Christian Fink (Austria)

FIS Surveillance Data | Marc Strauss (Norway)
The Swiss Experience | Jacques Menetrey (Switzerland)
The Austrian Experience | Christian Fink (Austria)
Conservative Management | Speaker to be confirmed

To reduce the number of injuries in high-level ski athletes, the International Ski Federation (FIS), in collaboration with the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (Norway) and the University of Salzburg (Austria), runs a research program on risk factors, injury trends and causes of injury in specific disciplines (alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding and telemark skiing). The main objective of FIS is to compile accurate data to develop prevention programs and reduce the risk of injuries among elite athletes by addressing specific rules and regulations for training and competition.

Understanding of all circumstances of the injury is essential for appropriate management and diagnosis. Injury location and severity and type of injury are intensely analyzed to understand the causes and mechanisms of these injuries. Additionally, the data on the most frequent injury patterns will help provide ski stakeholders with reliable information to design safe equipment.

This symposium will cover the benefits of FIS surveillance data and how it influences the high-level ski practice in Alpine countries, such as Switzerland and Austria. Conservative management of knee injuries in alpine skiers will also be discussed to present an alternative to the surgical approaches, which may be a painful, costly, time-consuming option with long-term consequences for the patient.

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Thursday 1 June 2017 | 17:00 to 18:30

Prevention & Orthopaedics Management of the Most Frequent Football Injuries
Moderation: Gernot Felmet (Germany) & Gian Luigi Canata (Italy)

Anteromedial Knee Injuries in Football Players | Gian Luigi Canata (Italy)
More Risk for OA In Football Players? | Henrique Jones (Portugal)
Do Football Players Need Surgery for a Ruptured PCL? | Bas Pijnenberg (The Netherlands)
Ligament Lesions in Football Players: Conservative vs. Surgical Treatment | Gernot Felmet (Germany)

Classic football is one of the most popular sports worldwide and is the fastest growing team sport in many countries. The most common injuries among professional football players involve the ACL or PCL, as well as the meniscus. These knee injuries can be detrimental to the long-term participation and performance of the affected player.

Several specialists from across Europe will share their experiences with possible treatments for the most frequent injuries to disseminate standard procedures for similar problems. This cooperative understanding of several knee treatments can thus help to efficiently prevent unwanted effects, such as development of chronic and/or degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis, and avoid inappropriate management of well-known conditions.

Particularities of the choice between conservative and surgical treatments will be analyzed in-depth in the context of high-level football requirements including need of quick return to play and long-term overuse of joints. Several injury prevention strategies will be outlined during the discussion between the specialists to address all the possibilities to improve the strength and the coordination of the knee joint.

Attendance at these sessions is included in the full Congress registration. You can sign up for them now on our registration platform to benefit from early rates.

For more information:
18th EFORT Congress in Vienna | Main Theme
18th EFORT Congress in Vienna | Fees and registration