Combat sports: ringside medicine with the fight doctor. Episode #344

BMJ talk medicine

This heavyweight podcast is sure to be a knockout! On this week’s episode, sports medicine physician Dr. John Neidecker (@DrJohnNeidecker) joins BJSM’s Daniel Friedman (@ddfriedman) in the ring to discuss the hot topics in combat sports today. Dr. Neidecker is a physician for USA Boxing and USA Taekwondo, and is the vice president for the Association of Ringside Physicians (ARP) (http://www.ringsidearp.org/), an international non-profit organisation dedicated to the health and protection of boxers and mixed martial artists. He serves as the ARP certification committee chair, enabling physicians to become certified in ringside medicine, and currently practices at Orthopedic Specialists of North Carolina. Dr. Neidecker is also the lead author of the ARPs Consensus Statement on concussion in combat sports that was recently published in the BJSM. In this 20 minute conversation, Dr. Neidecker explains the current medical practices and controversies in combat sports, and addresses the following topics: ? concussion management in combats sports ? return to fighting protocol ? common injuries in combats sports ? weight cutting ? ethics of combats sports Further reading: Neidecker, John, et al. "Concussion management in combat sports: consensus statement from the Association of Ringside Physicians." Br J Sports Med (2018): bjsports-2017. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2018/07/26/bjsports-2017-098799 McCrory, Paul, et al. "Consensus statement on concussion in sport—the 5th international conference on concussion in sport held in Berlin, October 2016." Br J Sports Med (2017): bjsports-2017. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/11/838 Crighton, Ben, Graeme L. Close, and James P. Morton. "Alarming weight cutting behaviours in mixed martial arts: a cause for concern and a call for action." (2015): bjsports-2015. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/8/446 Association of Ringside Physicians Releases Consensus Statement On Weight Management in Professional Combat Sports (2014) http://www.ringsidearp.org/resources/Documents/Position%20Statements/Weight%20Management% 20in%20Professional%20Combat%20Sports.pdf