Ancillary Advantage

MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighting is not for the faint of heart. A full contact combat sport that has quickly become one of America's most watched sports. But a recent study by the University of Toronto says to beware of the dangers involved with this sport. Story by Biloine W. Young of Orthopedics This Week.

"Beware of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting! A study by researchers at the University of Toronto finds that MMA fighters are at a higher risk for brain injuries than are boxers or any other martial arts fighters. The study also found that concussion rates in MMA were greater than in both hockey and football.

The investigators looked at MMA fights from 2006 to 2012 and found that fighters were hit for an additional 3.5 seconds after having been knocked out. About one-third of all MMA fights end in a knockout or what is called a “technical knockout.” Losers in technical knockouts were hit on average, more than 19 times with 92% of the blows landing on the head.

The researchers concluded that, “Given that participation at amateur levels of the sport is growing rapidly, we expect to see high rates of traumatic brain injuries at more junior levels of amateur competition. These points strongly argue for banning the sport in youth and for preventive strategies to reduce the burden of traumatic brain injuries in professional MMA fighters who elect to fight.”

The largest organization in MMA fighting is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The chief operating officer, Lawrence Epstein, told the Associated Press, “By partnering with the Cleveland Clinic, one of the world’s leading medical research institutions, on advanced studies aimed at not only preventing long-term brain injuries, but also identifying those predisposed to them, the UFC demonstrates true commitment to the safety of all professional athletes.”

Picture Source: Wikimedia Commons

President of the NFL Physicians Society, Dr. Matthew Matava, says that ACL injuries are not on the rise, they are remaining consistent for the last four years. The article, published by Orthopedics This Week written by Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed.

"In contrast to what many think, ACL injuries in the NFL are not increasing, says Matthew Matava, M.D., President of the NFL Physicians Society. Dr. Matava, an orthopedic surgeon with the Washington University School of Medicine and Team Physician for the St. Louis Rams, tells OTW, “While the general impression is that ACL injuries in the NFL are increasing, in fact they have remained consistent. In 2011 (preseason and regular season) we saw 55 such injuries; in 2012 it was 63, and in 2013 it was 57.”

“Players are being very up front, saying, ‘We can’t hit each other in the head, so we have to hit lower in order to make a tackle.’ So naturally, it would seem that we would see an increase in knee injuries. I think the ACL tears have remained relatively constant because the new concussion rules haven’t caused players to hit as low as perhaps they fear. However, any rule change has to be examined after being in affect several years in order to truly assess its effect on the game. Each and every player will tell a doctor, ‘I would rather be hit in the head than in the knees. I’ll take my chances with a concussion…that wouldn’t be career-ending.’ I tell them, ‘I can reconstruct your knee, but I can’t reconstruct your brain.’”

“And you would think that we would see more injuries in Thursday night games as compared to Sunday and Monday night games, but that has not been the case. While I do not have any theories as to why injuries remained the same, it could be that the three days between games is enough to recuperate from the prior week’s injuries. It is important to note that even if the numbers increase that all of this data represent a snapshot in time and should be analyzed after several years of data collection in order to truly assess any negative effects on injury rates.”

“Unfortunately, football is a collision sport and will always be associated with the risk for injury. The NFL and NFL Physician Society have committed significant resources and effort to reduce this risk. In addition, the collection of injury data is done in a scientifically rigorous fashion by an independent organization with significant experience and expertise in biomedical data collection.”

Becker's Spine Review had some interesting statistics on Spine Surgeons.

8 Statistics on Spine, Orthopedic Surgeon Salary Here are eight statistics on orthopedic and spine surgeon salaries based on a Healthcare Salaries report.