For the Love of Sports and Medicine

with Val Irion, MD and Andrew Patton, MD

BY DANELLE WARE AND THE OSL FAMILY

WHEN THINKING OF SPORTS MEDICINE, MANY THINK it only focuses on helping athletes improve performance, recover from injury, and prevent future injuries…. while that’s true, it’s not the whole story. Today’s sports medicine physicians treat people of all ages and fitness levels, from seniors to elite athletes, all with an array of common musculoskeletal issues. Val Irion, MD and Andrew Patton, MD are two of the fellowship trained orthopedic sports medicine physicians at Orthopedic Specialists of Louisiana. We recently asked them a few questions about why they chose the subspecialty of Sports Medicine and what a typical day looks like to them in their practices.

OSL: Why did you decide to go into orthopedics and why a Sports Medicine Fellowship?

Irion: I always gravitated towards medicine… only secondary to my love of sports. Growing up, I played about every sport you could play. When I realized early in my life that I was probably not going to become a professional athlete, I realized that pursuing a career in sports medicine could allow me to stay in sports. In college I worked for an orthopedic surgeon and really enjoyed it- that experience reaffirmed my interest and today I am fortunate to make it my career.

Patton: In medical school, I really enjoyed orthopedics and following my orthopedic residency, the subspecialty of sports medicine was particularly appealing because I saw an opportunity within the orthopedic practice that would allow me to treat all types of patientsall ages, all backgrounds, all different levels of function and get to help them restore that level of function to where they want it to be.

OSL: Is Sports Medicine just for athletes?

Irion: I get asked that question a lot… Pretty much everyone can consider themselves an athlete. I see patients of all ages and all activity levels- whether it be the weekend warrior, the high school athlete or the patient suffering from overuse injuries that could be interfering with their work duties or their daily activities.

Patton: The thing I love about Sports Medicine is that it does allow me to see all types of patients- different ages, different levels of function, different goals. Really, anything can be a sport. In many ways, I believe that Sports Medicine doctors are the general practitioners of orthopedic health.

OSL: What are the most common injuries you treat?

Irion: The main things I run into are general shoulder pain and knee pain. Certainly, I see a lot of the larger joints that have more of the weight bearing stresses, a lot of wear and tear injuries like rotator cuff tendinitis rotator cuff tears. In the knee, I see degenerative changes, meniscal injuries, and tears. In younger athletes, we will see more acute injuries, such as ACL tears or labral tears. However, the majority of my patients fall into the category of the weekend warrior… a lot of overuse injuries and they are just trying to get back to their normal activities.

Patton: Although I see a lot of shoulders and knees, I also see a fair share of necks, backs, hands and acute injuries like fractures. I find that patients may -initially come to see me with one issue…maybe hand pain… and as we progress through the examination, they may tell me about their shoulder or their knee pain. That’s the great thing about being in Sports Medicine, we really look at the whole picture because we want to restore the patient’s level of function.

OSL: What about Mako Smart Robotics? Do you use it? Irion: Definitely. I love the technology and am excited about where it is going. Currently, I utilize Stryker Mako Robotics for partial and total knee replacements. I am anticipating in the next decade, Stryker Mako will implement the technology for the robot to be utilized for shoulder replacement.

Patton: Absolutely…when I joined the OSL team in 2020, I was really excited to have the opportunity to utilize this technology and work and learn from my partner, Dr. Steven Atchison. Sports Medicine is really about getting people back to their desired level of function as quickly and successfully as possible. By utilizing the robot (Mako Smart Robotics) combined with better perioperative education and advances in anesthesia, I believe, we are able to offer patients the opportunity for a better recovery.

Val Irion MD and Andrew Patton, MD are both committed to keeping their patients active and healthy. Both physicians are currently accepting new patients of all ages and all activity levels. To schedule an evaluation with Dr. Irion or Dr. Patton, please call or visit Orthopedic Specialists of Louisiana: (866)759.9679 or orthopedicspecialistsla.com