How did the Sports and Exercise Symposium come about?

I am passionate about lifelong learning and the pursuit of excellence in clinical practice.

As an experienced sports and exercise physiotherapist, Director of Physio Educators and an Associate Clinical Professor at Swinburne University, I am aware of the importance of academic opportunities for experienced sports physiotherapists in Australia, which are currently limited.

For many years I have been involved as a presenter at the masterclass symposium, the content of which, presentations of complex cases by specialist physiotherapists, has provided a great opportunity for demonstrating how review of research and evidence can refine clinical decision-making processes.

Having been personally involved in postgraduate physiotherapy education over many years, my desire to conduct a sports-focused specialist symposium, in conjunction with the ACP, has grown. I am excited it has finally come to fruition.

Why the topic ‘The athlete across the lifespan’?

It is imperative for clinicians to understand tissue vulnerability across the lifespan of an athlete, in order to appreciate the diverse manifestations of the same injury aetiology across different developmental phases—each warranting unique clinical management.

Who will be presenting on the day?

The line-up of presenters for the inaugural online Sports and Exercise Symposium is world class with two keynote and six complex case presentations.

Dr David Spurrier will open the day, presenting the physiological considerations as they relate to muscle, tendon and bone in the younger athlete. From there he will explore different tissue vulnerabilities through the developmental phases.

Dr Andrea Mosler, FACP, will present hip and groin pain presentations in the younger athlete.

Dr Kevin Sims, FACP, will present lumbar stress fractures in developmental cricketers. He, in conjunction with Cricket Australia, has been involved in interesting research predicting stress fracture likelihood from imaging studies informing clinical management.

Phil Cossens, FACP, former Australian Men’s Gymnastics Team physiotherapist, is to present a case of a growth plate injury in a young gymnast.

Dr Loretta O’Sullivan-Pippia, FACP, has a Brisbane-based practice specialising in the treatment of adolescent athletes. She will present a case highlighting an adolescent knee injury and management considerations.

David Battersby, FACP, will explore critical clinical decision-making in an elite athlete with a bony stress injury.

The afternoon will commence with Professor Robin Daly, an internationally recognised researcher into the effects of exercise and nutrition on sarcopenia, focusing on physiological considerations for the older athlete.

There will be an expert panel discussion on how similar injury aetiology presents and is managed differently in younger and older athletes.

Professor Robin Daly and David Battersby are joined on this panel by endocrinologist Professor Peter Ebling, sports physician Dr Sue White and sports dietitian Bron Lundy.

Dr Mary Magarey, FACP, will discuss shoulder dislocations across the lifespan and Keren Faulkner, FACP, will present a challenging case in a post-menopausal athlete.

The symposium will conclude with College registrars presenting their short case presentations for peer review.

Participants will also have the opportunity to join breakout chat room sessions with presenters for the chance to ask questions directly—as would be the case in an in-person event—in a more personal online setting.

Who would benefit most from attending?

Any physiotherapist who is interested in sport at any level should attend.

Physiotherapists interested in paediatrics and gerontology will also benefit from participating in the day. All levels of postgraduate physiotherapists including titled and specialist members will benefit from seeing how contemporary evidence informs clinical reasoning and treatment of complex cases to enhance patient outcomes.

Is there one aspect of the symposium in particular you are looking forward to?

As a knee specialist I see many growth plate injuries, bony stress injuries and other adolescent knee presentations across a wide range of sports and athletic abilities.

I am looking forward to revisiting the contemporary evidence of physiological developmental staging in the younger athlete to understand how this may impact my clinical management.

I also see many older athletes across all activity levels with challenging knee presentations, complicated by sarcopenia.

I am excited to explore the evidence-based optimal management for these patients.

>> The Sports and Exercise Symposium will be delivered live online on Saturday 14 November, 2020. Fellows and Members of the ACP are entitled to a registration discount. To see the full Symposium program and to register, search ‘Symposium’ here.