Multimodal analgesia refers to a pain medication strategy that targets multiple chemical pathways to achieve adequate pain relief. This concept has grown in popularity over the years particularly in light of the recognition that opioids have major downsides including dependence. We welcome Dr. J. Preston Van Buren, DO from the Naval Medical Center in San Diego to discuss his team’s findings after implementing a focused multimodal analgesia strategy with a reduced number of prescribed opioid tablets following Sports Medicine surgery compared to a more traditional, opioid-heavy regimen that has been classically employed.

Meniscus tears can be confusing. They can occur with trauma or not, they come in a variety of shapes and locations which can influence treatment options and outcomes profoundly, and the right treatment remains a matter of great debate. The literature is likewise confusing, and historically has been heterogeneous. Dr. Benjamin MA, MD, PhD from the famed UCSF joins us to discuss an international multi-society expert panel he took part in to generate consensus statements regarding meniscus tear treatment. The consensus statements give all of us in the Sports Medicine world some guidance and reassurance for our approach to this seemingly simple structure, the meniscus, that, when torn, is full of complexities.

Once the most popular graft choice for ACL reconstruction surgery, hamstring autograft has recently fallen out of favor for a variety of concerns including a higher graft rupture rate in younger athletes and concerns over graft diameters that tend to run smaller. However, what does the best level evidence actually say about hamstring autograft’s long-term performance versus the current gold-standard, patellar tendon autograft? Dr. Derrick Knapick, MD joins us from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to discuss his study looking at this question.