AO Sports
With more than 60 years of shaping the future of medical education and a worldwide network of expert trauma and reconstructive surgeons, the AO—with its latest initiative, AO Sports—is responding to the significant global need for unbiased education in sports medicine.
Taking a leadership role in the delivery of sports medicine education is a natural for the AO, which is constantly evolving to better meet the needs of its global network. Today, that includes providing gold-standard education on the surgical treatment of sports injuries and other soft-tissue conditions around the joint; surgical treatment of these conditions is closely related to classic orthopedic and trauma surgery—two specialties for which AO surgeons’ expertise is renowned.
What you learn in our courses
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Principles of Sports Medicine course learning objectives
Learning fundamental principles of sports medicine, focusing on knee and shoulder with simulators Learning the recognition of the joint working as "an organ system"
Appreciate the unique anatomy and biomechanics of intra- and extraarticular structures around the knee and shoulder
Perform a thorough and systematic history and physical examination
Formulate a treatment plan base on a focused problem list for common knee and shoulder injuries
Comprehend the principles of sports medicine fixation strategies
Perform standard arthroscopic procedure for sports medicine
Apply the sports medicine rehabilitation and return to play
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Advanced Knee course learning objectives
Describe the surgical anatomy of the ligaments of the knee and its implication in the reconstructive procedures of those structures Describe the rationale applied to the management of soft tissues injuries (menisci, ligaments, and cartilage)
Explain the importance of lower extremity alignment while managing knee disorders based on comprehensive clinical and radiological assessment
Apply the principles of deformity correction to make a preoperative plan for osteotomies around the knee
Apply concepts of ligament reconstruction and deformity correction in the setting of a skills lab
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Master Shoulder course learning objectives
Identify shoulder anatomy and pathology related to sports and soft-tissue injuries Obtain an injury specific history and perform a detailed physical exam of the shoulder
Interpret appropriate radiographic images
Create an accurate diagnosis
Describe the treatment options and select an appropriate plan
Perform arthroscopic and/or open procedures based on best scientific guidelines
Develop an appropriate postoperative rehabilitation plan
Identify and manage potential intra- and postoperative complications
Review common, difficult, failed, and revision cases and explain how to manage poor outcomes
Are you interested in AO Sports?
Who we are

Jim Stannard, Chairperson
James P. Stannard, MD, is a clinician-scientist with an active orthopedic surgical practice. Along with his busy medical practice in Columbia, Missouri, United States, he holds advanced leadership roles across the University of Missouri academic health system, including chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hansjörg Wyss Distinguished Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery, and medical director of the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute, where he is chief medical officer for procedural services.
Shoulder task force

Martin Jäger
Head of Shoulder surgery, Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery University Hospital
Freiburg, Germany

Amon Ferry
Orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine, Arizona Sports Medicine Center
Scottsdale, United States

Shiyi Chen
Chair, Orthopedic Sports Medical of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University
Shanghai, China
Knee task force

Mauricio Kfuri
Orthopedic surgeon, University of Missouri Health Care
Columbia, United States

Yves Acklin
Site manager, Bethesda Spital, and team leader, sports/knee orthopedics, University Hospital Basel
Basel, Switzerland

Jiwu Chen
Senior consultant, executive director of sports medicine, Raffles Hospital
Shanghai, China
Principles task force

Jim Stannard
Chairman, University of Missouri Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Columbia, United States

Christoph Katthagen
Senior physician, Universitätsklinikum Münster
Münster, Germany

Seth Sherman
Orthopedic surgeon, Stanford Sports Medicine Clinic
Redwood City, United States

Saeed Al Thani
Orthopedic surgeon, Orthocure Medical Center
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
News from AO Sports
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AO Sports
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AO Sports
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AO Sports
Discover our recorded webinars
Click on the previews below to open the recordings in a new window. To watch the videos, registration—but no payment—is required.
How I Manage Recurrent Instability after a Labral Repair—From Revision Repair to Arthroscopic Glenoid Reconstruction with Distal Tibial Allograft
2023 AO Sports activities
Rimasys World Surgery Tour Festival
Sports Day—February 26, 2023
Online or onsite in Cologne