American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)

The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)

Formed primarily as a forum for education and research, the AOSSM has a membership of more than 3,000 practitioners [1] and works with other health professionals such as physical therapists and those involved in the care and rehabilitation of patients with sports injuries [2] The organization promotes sports medicine education, research, and fellowship of the national and international orthopaedic sports medicine community.

In addition to the educational activities that AOSSM provides, the society also has an annual meeting, a traveling Fellowship Program [3], develops materials for patient education, and publishes The American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM), a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Brief history

Founded in the early 1970’s the AOSSM was developed out of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Committee on Sports Medicine which itself was created in 1964. AOSSM was created with the purpose of allowing orthopedic surgeons with an interest in sports medicine to hold meetings, exchange ideas, and publish research in this very unique field. In 1972 the AOSSM held its first meeting where its founding members developed a new mission- to provide opportunities for physicians to meet and exchange ideas regarding research, clinical problems, and proposals for future progress in the sports medicine field [4].

Mission

AOSSM promotes sports medicine education, research, and communication amongst the sports medicine community. According to its website: ‘The Society works closely with many other sports medicine specialists, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, family physicians, and others to improve the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries.’

Membership/ audience

At present, the AOSSM has a membership of more than 3,000 individuals [5] which includes orthopedic surgeons and allied health professionals. Members are classified as those individuals who demonstrate continuing active research and/or educational activities in the field of sports medicine, including service as a team physician at all levels of competition [6].

Patient population

AOSSM’s membership focus on a wide cross-section of individuals of all ages, abilities, and fitness levels. According to the AOSSM, many members treat high-profile athletes who play sports at a professional level but many members also practice with local teams, community-level sports, and with athletes on high school and junior college teams [7].

Recommended PRO tools

The AOSSM recommends the use of the International knee documentation committee (IKDC), a patient-reported knee-specific outcome measure tool. IKDC is a well-known outcome tool that is considered to be one of the most reliable outcome reporting tools in its category.

Contribution to registries

At the present time, the AOSSM does not contribute to any national or international registries.

References