Please join University Orthopaedic Associates in congratulating sports medicine surgeon, Dr. Patrick Buckley, for his top finish at the 12^th Biennial International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS) Congress. Dr. Buckley was one of four finalists for the John J. Joyce Award for best elbow, wrist, or hand abstract read at the conference. More than 200 papers were submitted at the Congress.

Dr. Buckley’s paper, titled “Variations in Blood Supply From Proximal to Distal in the Ulnar Collateral Ligament of the Elbow,” studied 18 cadaver ulnar collateral ligaments (UCLs). Dr. Buckley and his team found that the proximal end (the end closest to the shoulder) had many blood vessels, whereas the distal end (the end closest to the fingertips) had significantly less vascularity.

This has implications in the healing and treatment of UCL injuries based on the location of the ligament that has been damaged, the team concluded. UCL injuries are common in overhead throwing athletes, especially baseball, and continue to be common in adolescent and adult baseball athletes. Being at the forefront of research on UCL injuries allows the sports medicine specialists at UOA to treat an athlete with a UCL injury and help return them to their sport.

The ISAKOS Congress is the world’s largest international sports medicine conference. It took place this year between May 12 and May 16 in Cancun, Mexico.

Like all of our healthcare providers, Dr. Buckley embodies the spirit of curiosity and the desire to always keep learning that makes UOA the top orthopaedics provider in the state. We are grateful to have such dedicated practitioners as Dr. Buckley and the rest of the team here at UOA.