Enda King is one of a several physiotherapists who will address delegates attending the prestigious International Edinburgh Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Conference, which takes place next week from 31 March-1 April.

Dr King takes the limelight on the opening day of the conference, when he delivers the plenary address, which is titled ‘Optimising rehab: principles and practice’.

A sports physiotherapist, strength and conditioning coach, researcher and educator, Dr King works with solo athletes and elite teams in various sports and disciplines. Based at the FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence at Aspetar in Qatar, Dr King combines clinical and research work, using 3D biomechanics and high-level residential rehabilitation to optimise performance and efficient recovery after injury.

He has worked with athletes and consulted for teams in disciplines including rugby, football, boxing, jockeys and the Gaelic Athletic Association.

Tracy McAdam: ‘non-surgical approaches’

Tracy McAdam’s presentation will take place during a morning session on the second day of the event and is titled ‘ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] injuries: Evaluation and Non-Surgical Treatment’.  She will tell delegates about the latest non-surgical ACL treatments, including cross-bracing.

Ms McAdam will again take centre stage later in the day, speaking during a session titled ‘Rehabilitation and Reducing Risk of Re-injury’. Her second talk at the event – which is hosted by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in Scotland’s capital city – is titled ‘Assessing progression and completion of ACL Rehab’.  

Ms McAdam – a former rugby player – is head of performance physiotherapy at the University of Edinburgh. Her second talk will be immediately followed by another given by Enda King, whose topic is titled ‘Rehab Considerations: Graft, Meniscus and LEAPS’.

Physio Christina Le: ‘Project ACL‘

Christina Le, a post-doctoral research fellow at Leeds Beckett University, is one of a five-member panel lined up to discuss the practical application of ACL injury prevention in the UK on the afternoon of the closing day of the event. 

Dr Le – a physiotherapist and researcher with a special interest in knee injuries – will speak about ‘Project ACL’, a collaborative research endeavour involving FIFPRO [International Federation of Professional Footballers], the Professional Footballers’ Association, Nike and Leeds Beckett University. The project’s aim is to reduce ACL injuries and increase player availability in women’s professional football.

Dr Le’s clinical experience, combined with her personal experience of recovering from an ACL injury, inspired her PhD study, which she completed in 2022. She examined the health-related quality of life of youth athletes following a sports-related knee injury.

‘Studies have shown that certain exercise programmes, performed as part of a warm-up, can significantly reduce [ACL] injuries. However, we have struggled to implement these programmes widely in the UK [Iain Murray, consultant orthopaedic surgeon]

Focus on ‘feared’ ACL injuries

Members of the ACL Injury Prevention Think-Tank, which seeks to further the conversation on ACL injury prevention initiatives in the UK, will also be present. With ACL injuries becoming an increasing problem in sport in recent years – particularly in women’s football – panel discussions at the event will explore the current advancements and approaches to ACL injuries in athletes and how to identify practical applications for ACL injury prevention.

Iain Murray, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon based at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, said: ‘ACL injuries are one of the most common and feared injuries among people participating in sports. Studies have shown that certain exercise programmes, performed as part of a warm-up, can significantly reduce these injuries. However, we have struggled to implement these programmes widely in the UK.’

Mr Murray added: ‘This think-tank aims to bring together all stakeholders to establish how best these programmes can be widely put into practice in the UK to reduce unnecessary injuries.’ 

Networking opportunities

This year’s event follows on from the success of the inaugural conference, which was held in 2023, and brings orthopaedic surgeons, sports medicine doctors, physiotherapists and general practitioners together to discuss sports and orthopaedic advancements.

Guest speakers include Maree Todd, Scotland’s Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, and Mark Bowditch, president of the British Orthopaedic Association. 

The event offers healthcare professionals opportunities to network with leaders in sports, orthopaedics and sports medicine, as well as gaining practical insights about optimising athletes’ health and enhancing patient outcomes in various settings.

Rowan Parks, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, said: ‘Following the success of our first event in 2023, this year’s conference will bring together further insights from a wide variety of experts with the same goal of improving the lives of athletes.’

Professor Parks added: ‘We’re very excited to have some big names from the world of sport attending our event this year where attendees will get to experience a very memorable and unique opportunity.’

Focus on golf and wellbeing

The two-day event is being held in conjunction with the third International Conference on Golf and Health, which focuses on maximising health benefits through golf. 

Sessions will cover the impact of golf on wellbeing and the role of golf clubs as health-promoting facilities, as well as the essential tools for integrating golf as a health-enhancing activity. 

Learning objectives: participants will be able to

• identify key principles and practical applications for ACL injury prevention based on international and UK specific evidence

• understand the challenges and best strategies for optimising rehabilitation and reducing risk of re-injury after orthopaedic surgery, particularly in athletic populations

• gain knowledge on evaluation and non-surgical treatment options for ACL injuries along with making informed decisions regarding graft choices in ACL reconstruction

• analyse the impact of osteoarthritis in athletes, and the role and options of orthopaedic interventions such as osteotomy and joint replacement

• engage with the perspective of athletes who are returning to sports post-orthopaedic surgery and how this can inform healthcare practices and strategies for care and prevention in the future

For more information about the event, visit here

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