The first day of a new kind of congress. No fundamental science, no existential debate on complex classifications, just the daily practice and operating techniques with advice and tips from various international experts using videos to reinforce concepts. We have also heard from top athletes, doctors of sports medicine and physiotherapists...
Insightful presentations: enhancing practice
My first morning was spent in the main room where Peter VERDONK presented to us the organization of his practice. An impressive consultation both because of its patient circuit (for each patient the same nurse from the consultation to the operating room) and for its efficiency (100 patients a day!). The end of the presentation was lively with a debate including several moderators (Etienne CAVAIGNAC, Bertrand SONNERY-COTTET, Philipp NIEMEYER and Michael HANTES) on the possibilities for improvements in the functional results of our knee ligament surgeries in the future.
Live consultation: A new experience of patient assessment
We were then able to follow a live consultation! Patient on stage, interview, clinical examination, and live visualization of MRI! A first for me at a congress.
The various moderators examine the patient giving their opinion and practical advice to optimize their clinical examination of the ligaments of the knee. A new way to perform the patient's pivot shift test that is much more comfortable comes to mind.
The midday break arrived with an excellent caterer and various industry stands where I was able to try out the ARVIS augmented reality glasses for navigating the TKA from the Mathys laboratory.
A journey through concussions, muscle inhibition, ruptured tendon, and groin pain
Finally, the sessions resumed in the afternoon with the theme: No Brain No Gain! First, a clear and concise communication for a neophyte like me on the management from the cutting edge of the field of concussions by David BRAUGE.
Then Bertrand SONNERY-COTTET discussed arthrogenic muscle inhibition from its discovery to the revolution that this has generated in his daily practice involving knee ligament surgeries.
The knee session ends for me with former French rugby international Thomas CASTAIGNEDE’s testimony, about his ruptured Achilles tendon which marked a turning point in his career and sporting life. This ordeal completely changed the way he approached his practice, moving from training "to punish his body" to a permanent search for "understanding his body".
To conclude, I attended the "Groin Pain" session which covered the whole pathology in one hour and clarified my understanding of it. From the diagnosis by Nicolas REINA to the management of this type of pain in professional football and in particular the management of "gurus" by Fabrizio TENCONE.
Finally, an inguinal therapeutic part by a fellow digestive surgeon specialized in this pathology by Gilles REBOUL and joint therapies by Manel RIBAS FERNANDEZ.
After a day as varied as it was stimulating, the organizers' cocktail party, on the terrace and with a view of Toulouse, brought the day to a close.
