Announcing Society for Tennis Medicine and Science 2019 Tennis Medicine Conference

MIAMI, Feb. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Where else better to assemble top professionals in the care and management of tennis players' health than smack in the middle of a world tennis competition? "It will be a meeting within a meeting, and that makes this congress somewhat unique," says Florida-based orthopedic surgeon Alejandro Badia MD, who is a course co-chair for the 2019 Tennis Medicine Conference and a leader in treatment of tennis injuries. The conference is being held March 23 and 24 during -- and at the same location, Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, as -- this year's Miami Tennis Open. The Open is set for March 18-31 and features some of the leading American and international tennis players including Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka.

The tennis-health conference, sponsored by the Society for Tennis Medicine and Science (STMS), is open to physicians, therapists, athletic trainers and researchers with a strong interest in "understanding the current treatment of various medical and orthopaedic problems that affect tennis players at all levels," according to program literature.

"Conference participants will learn the latest techniques and evidence-based approaches for identifying and evaluating tennis-related injuries and medical issues," says Dr. Badia, who specializes in management of diseases and injuries of the upper limbs and is founder and chief medical officer of the Badia Hand to Shoulder Center and OrthoNOW®. Dr. Badia authored the chapter on treatment of wrist/hand injuries in tennis athletes in the just released comprehensive book titled Tennis Medicine, in which he addressed the importance of tennis players having strong upper limbs to minimize injury.
Attendees also will be able to incorporate into their practice advanced concepts in the rehabilitation of tennis players, he says.
Program topics will run the gambit -- from treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, such as chronic and acute shoulder problems, knee and spinal injuries and deep wrist and elbow pain, to discussions of stress management; nutritional advances; lifestyle adaptations in the elite athlete; cardiovascular issues involving the "athlete heart; and tennis biomechanics, including the tennis serve, tennis stroke, optimal court training and mechanical nuances in female athletes.

Dr. Badia, who has treated upper-limb injuries in professional athletes, will lead a course on acute and "overuse" wrist and elbow injuries and a "breakout session" on upper limb problems in tennis at the conference. He is just one of a variety of experts scheduled to present.

"Tennis is a demanding sport, requiring, supple upper limbs to control the racquet," Dr. Badia emphasizes. "Ankle and back sprains and even knee injuries rarely end a professional tennis player's career, but persistent instability and pain in the dominant wrist, for example, or a shoulder cuff lesion can doom the competitor by significantly impairing racquet-stroke power and precision."

Ultrasonic percutaneous tenotomy with Tenex Health's minimally invasive technology, exemplifies the kind of advanced technologies to be addressed at the conference. Dr. Badia recently used the minimally-invasive outpatient technique to treat a resistant tennis elbow condition in former world's top-10 tennis champion Marcelo Rios. Rios was able to return to competition within only about a month.

"For professional athletes, time is of the essence. They measure the success of any treatment and rehabilitation program by how quickly they can return to competition," Dr. Badia says.

"Identifying and properly managing medical issues in athletes at an early stage is critical to getting them back into competition quickly. That's what the upcoming Tennis Medicine Conference is all about – providing health professionals, exercise physiologists and trainers the most advanced information, concepts and techniques in the care of the athlete – professional, amateur and recreational," he says.

Pre-registration is required to ensure reservation and a copy of course material. To register online, go to http://www.tennismedicine.org. More conference information can be obtained at [email protected] or by contacting STMS coordinator, Stefani Higgins, at 708-216-1071.

Bio: Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS, internationally renowned hand and upper-limb surgeon and founder of Badia Hand to Shoulder Center and OrthoNOW®, a walk-in orthopedic care clinic. He is a member the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Association for Hand Surgery and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He is a specialist in treating all problems related to the hand and upper extremity including trauma, sports injury, joint reconstruction, nerve injuries and arthroscopic surgeries. http://www.drbadia.com

SOURCE Society for Tennis Medicine and Science