This is the inaugural presidential address of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), delivered by its first president, Don H. O'Donoghue, in 1973. It is a historical and organizational document that explains why a dedicated orthopedic sports medicine society was created. It is not a scientific study and reports no clinical data.
Understand this as the founding charter of your subspecialty rather than a data paper. O'Donoghue's central principle still shapes sports medicine decision-making: the athlete demands complete functional recovery, and any deficit is immediately obvious on the field.
Because the athlete is young and healthy, you are generally justified in choosing the most definitive treatment rather than accepting the compromises comorbidity forces in other patients.
The address also documents a piece of history worth knowing for boards: AOSSM was founded in 1973, grew out of the 1962 AAOS Sports Medicine Committee, and was structured as an Academy affiliate to keep orthopedic subspecialization from fragmenting the field.
O'Donoghue himself is a foundational name in sports medicine, and this document anchors why the subspecialty exists as a distinct discipline.
This is the inaugural presidential address of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), delivered by its first president, Don H. O'Donoghue, in 1973. It is a historical and organizational document that explains why a dedicated orthopedic sports medicine society was created. It is not a scientific study and reports no clinical data.
Understand this as the founding charter of your subspecialty rather than a data paper. O'Donoghue's central principle still shapes sports medicine decision-making: the athlete demands complete functional recovery, and any deficit is immediately obvious on the field.
Because the athlete is young and healthy, you are generally justified in choosing the most definitive treatment rather than accepting the compromises comorbidity forces in other patients.
The address also documents a piece of history worth knowing for boards: AOSSM was founded in 1973, grew out of the 1962 AAOS Sports Medicine Committee, and was structured as an Academy affiliate to keep orthopedic subspecialization from fragmenting the field.
O'Donoghue himself is a foundational name in sports medicine, and this document anchors why the subspecialty exists as a distinct discipline.