Inside IBISG: Meet the International Faculty Advancing Internal Brace Research
Following the landmark inaugural Consensus Meeting of the Internal Brace International Study Group (IBISG) in Glasgow, a new film gives an opportunity to hear directly from some of the international experts helping to shape the group and its future.
The Glasgow meeting brought the international faculty together to review the growing body of evidence surrounding Internal Brace surgery and work towards the first international consensus recommendations for its appropriate use. The Consensus process is now continuing, with the third and final round of the Delphi study currently underway. Once complete, the faculty will move towards scientific publication of the Consensus, which is anticipated later this year, with the aim of providing evidence-based guidance for surgeons and other clinicians using Internal Brace techniques around the world.
Professor Gordon Mackay invented the Internal Brace technique and subsequently founded IBISG, serving as its President. But from the outset, the ambition for the group has extended far beyond any one surgeon, clinic or institution.
IBISG is a growing, independent international research group, bringing together orthopaedic surgeons, sports medicine specialists, physiotherapists, rehabilitation experts, biomechanical scientists and researchers with a shared interest in advancing the evidence surrounding Internal Brace surgery.
Its international faculty brings different specialties, experiences and perspectives to that work – an important part of ensuring that the development and use of Internal Brace techniques continues to be examined critically and scientifically.
The IBISG Faculty – In Their Own Words
During the recent Consensus Meeting in Glasgow, Faculty members from around the world were asked about IBISG, the value of bringing international expertise together and what they hope the group can achieve.
Their answers are captured in this short film.
What emerges is a shared commitment to collaboration, research and improving the evidence available to clinicians treating ligament injuries.
For Professor Mackay, seeing IBISG develop into an increasingly international collaborative group is particularly significant. Having pioneered the Internal Brace concept, he has continued to champion research into the technique and the importance of establishing where it can – and equally importantly, where it should not – have a role in modern ligament surgery.
The inaugural Consensus Meeting was an important step in that process, but IBISG’s work extends well beyond a single meeting or consensus project.
With a growing international membership, ongoing research and future scientific collaboration, the group aims to provide a platform through which clinicians and researchers can continue to investigate Internal Brace surgery, challenge existing thinking, share evidence and help develop guidance grounded in science rather than individual opinion.
Ultimately, the purpose is the same one that has driven much of Professor Mackay’s work since the development of the Internal Brace: to explore how innovation, supported by robust evidence, can help improve treatment and outcomes for patients.
A huge thank you to our friends at Urbancroft Films, who created this film and continue to brilliantly capture the people, stories and work of both The Mackay Clinic and IBISG. We always love working with them.