Sports medicine

Doctors Neha Raukar and Kristi Colbenson bring over 25 years combined experience in sports medicine, sideline coverage, and its translation to the emergency department. Both are dual board certified in Emergency Medicine and Sports Medicine and are highly engaged in resident education. Mayo Clinic EM residents have the opportunity to experience a curriculum that emphasizes the following:

• Approach to the acute musculoskeletal exam, including management and stabilization of orthopedic injuries
• Appropriate musculoskeletal radiographic ordering and interpretation including plain films, CT scans, MRI scans, and fluoroscopy
• Fracture and dislocation management including casting, splinting, and immobilization techniques/devices
• Diagnostic ultrasound for musculoskeletal complaints
• Ultrasound guided arthrocentesis
• Concussion diagnosis and management
• Appropriate management of acute orthopedic injuries, differentiating between those conditions that can be safely managed as an outpatient, those that require emergent specialty consultation, and those that require acute intervention
• Complications associated with orthopedic injuries

Education

The orthopedic and sports medicine curriculum is translational with dedicated experiences in your first and second year. These experiences involve taking orthopedic call to respond to all orthopedic conditions in the emergency department. Residents also spend time in the cast room to improve their splinting and casting skills. Learners rotate with Dr. Colbenson in her sports medicine clinic where they master their physical exam skills, have one-on-one opportunity to discuss radiographic interpretation and management of orthopedic conditions, and develop their ultrasound diagnostic skills by participating in therapeutic injections that include novel regenerative medicine procedures. During their rotation, residents also review the radiographs and ED management of every orthopedic consultation placed during their rotation and 2 months prior to their rotation. There is a dedicated musculoskeletal ultrasound curriculum that is delivered during this rotation and during the ultrasound rotation.

Senior residents interested in sports medicine or improving their orthopedic knowledge can participate in two to four week electives in sports medicine either at the sports medicine clinic in Rochester or at the Mayo Clinic Square in Minneapolis.

Sideline Coverage

There are considerable opportunities for sideline coverage for those interested residents. These include

• Semi-professional: Hockey, soccer, baseball
• Professional: Snocross
• Collegiate: Rochester Community and Technical College football, volleyball, basketball
• High school: All high school sports
• Event Coverage: Multiple mass participation events including marathons, triathlons, and road races

Research and innovation 

The Sports Medicine faculty are active in research with interests ranging from the collapsed athlete, projects involving the sex and gender differences in concussion, exploration of myocarditis and COVID-19 disease as well as the vaccine, baseline ECG testing in athletes, to reporting innovative practices in the management of suspected fractures in the Emergency Department.

From an emergency medicine perspective, they are investigating fracture care and innovations in sideline care incorporating telemedicine to improve the management of acutely injured athletes. Both are dedicated to advancing the science of the management of orthopedic injuries in the acute setting.

The Mayo Clinic Primary Care Sports Medicine Board Review Course is co-chaired by Dr. Colbenson and is the gold standard in board review courses for the CAQ exam. Sports Medicine faculty have presented at SAEM, ACEP, and AMSSM as well as regional conferences. Both Dr. Colbenson and Dr. Raukar are often sought after speakers both nationally and internationally in the realm of sports medicine.

Service and outreach 

The faculty have been involved in advocacy at multiple levels. Dr. Raukar is a member of the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, and on the Board of the Korey Stringer Institute.