What kind of procedures do primary care sports medicine doctors perform ?

[Dr. Sports]

Can they perform procedures as advanced as arthoscopies?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[TableMD]

Can they perform procedures as advanced as arthoscopies?

No that is an orthopaedic surgery. Range of procedures is program/fellow specific. For me:
- ultrasound diagnostic/interventional ( joint/tendon/nerve hydrodissection)
- compartment pressure testing
- gait analysis
- percutaneous tenotomy
- fracture care
- treadmill for VCD eval/buffalo protocol

The field is evolving so there is a wide variance in what people are doing. I think the most important thing is, like primary care, being able to take a history, do a good physical exam, have good ddx and get people the help they need. Having a good knowledge of anatomy will be the basis for the procedures that exist now or will soon exist. If you dont know where the piriformis origin/insertion is, then ultrasound evaluation will not be effective...

On the interview trail I dound it useful to ask what the fellows felt comfortable doing when they are done/practice plans.

AMSSM meetings are a good start.

 

[septoplasty]

Some non-accredited programs (or I guess 1 program in texas I think), gave dedicated OR time for fellows, and when I interviewed, the fellows stated they were able to participate. Not sure if that meant they held the retractor, or actually made an incision and inserted the scope in supervision of the ortho surgeon.

In general, plain arthroscopes are seldom down now **by good surgeons**, generally there is an intervention of some sort (i.e. dissection, removal of body, suture repair, repair of an OCD lesion etc.), and thus a PCSM doing a scope really is useless.