A Landmark Week in Glasgow for the Internal Brace and International Sports Medicine
It was a proud and memorable few days for Professor Gordon Mackay and The Mackay Clinic as colleagues from around the world gathered in Glasgow for two major international events dedicated to advancing sports injury treatment and improving patient care.
The first was the inaugural Consensus Meeting of the Internal Brace International Study Group (IBISG), founded and led by Professor Mackay, who invented the Internal Brace technique.
The meeting brought together an international faculty of leading orthopaedic surgeons, sports physicians, physiotherapists, biomechanical scientists and researchers to review the growing body of evidence on Internal Brace surgery and work towards the first international consensus recommendations for its use.
The Consensus represents an important milestone in the continuing development of the Internal Brace. Through a structured Delphi process, the IBISG faculty have been working to establish areas of international agreement based on the available scientific evidence and extensive clinical experience.
With the third and final round of the Delphi study still to be completed, the ultimate goal is straightforward: to provide surgeons and other clinicians around the world with clear, evidence-based recommendations that can help inform the appropriate use of Internal Brace surgery and, ultimately, improve patient care.
A huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes to make this possible. Particular thanks go to Tim Warren and Ian Walker of Triducive for their professionalism and expertise in delivering the Delphi study, and especially to Tim for skilfully steering the international faculty through two intensive and highly productive days of discussion at the Glasgow Consensus Meeting.
From Consensus to an International Sports Medicine Conference
The Consensus Meeting was followed by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow International Sports Surgery & Medicine Conference, of which Professor Mackay was a Director.
Many of the IBISG faculty stayed in Glasgow to take part, sharing their expertise with an international audience and presenting some of the latest developments in sports injury treatment, surgery, rehabilitation and research.
The conference also heard directly from elite athletes, bringing an important patient perspective to discussions about injury, treatment, rehabilitation and returning to sport.
And, of course, it wasn’t all work. Glasgow provided some welcome sunshine, while our international visitors were treated to a taste of fantastic Scottish hospitality – including a traditional piper, a very special ceilidh and some memorable evenings spent catching up with colleagues and friends from around the world.
A huge thank you goes to everyone who travelled to Scotland and contributed to an inspiring few days, and to the entire team at Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow for their tremendous support in making both events possible.
Bringing together so many leading clinicians, scientists, researchers and athletes just before the Commonweath Games was a special moment – but the most important work continues.
Once the final Delphi round is complete, the IBISG faculty will move towards publication of the first Consensus, with the aim of providing an important international reference for clinicians using and researching Internal Brace surgery around the world.
Professional photography: Chris Watt & Robert Perry
