14 Oct Supporting Williamson County Student-Athletes Through Our Sports Medicine Partnership

_{Originally published in the Williamson Herald} –

Fall weather and Friday nights mean high school football is back. Players, coaches and fans anticipate the start of the season every year. But for Dr. Scott Arthur, an orthopaedic surgeon at Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee, it means something a little different. It means a chance to give back to his community.

“By being involved in athletics as an orthopaedic surgeon, I’m able to help people get back to playing sports and doing the things they love,” Arthur said.

Arthur, who grew up playing basketball and baseball in Cleveland, Tennessee, developed a deep love for athletics early on. The grandson of a general surgeon, Arthur knew he wanted to pursue a career in medicine. Orthopaedics quickly became the perfect way to combine both passions.

Fast forward to the 2022 football season during which rthur serves as the team physician for Brentwood Academy and Brentwood High School. Through a partnership with Williamson County Schools, Bone and Joint Institute and Williamson Medical Center serve as the official sports medicine providers for each public school across the county. Bone and Joint Institute also serves as the team physicians for a handful of private institutions in the area. Throughout the year, each school has a dedicated team physician, athletic trainer and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel thanks to the partnership.  

“It’s a great way to get involved in the community and give back to this county,” Arthur said. “We are able to work with the schools’ sports teams all year long and provide dedicated sideline coverage.”

During the fall football season, Arthur and the sports medicine team monitor the game from the sidelines, assessing injuries as they happen and directing future treatment. For players, coaches and parents, the program creates a sense of comfort before and during games. 

“What you see at these high school games is very similar to what you would see on the sidelines of an SEC football game,” Arthur said. “It’s amazing what has developed —there’s a team physician, athletic trainer, EMS personnel and six to eight students helping with every game. With this experience, we often see these high school students head into health-related careers including athletic training, sports medicine, physical therapy, and nursing, yet another benefit to our relationship with the Williamson County Schools”

With that many people and resources on the sidelines, injuries can effectively be identified and treated. The most common types of injuries are usually sprains and strains, Arthur explained — but some on-field injuries can be more serious.

“One of our greatest concerns in athletics are injuries to the head and spine.” he said. “We are continuously watching for concussions and spinal injuries, pulling players from the game if they are not fit to return and helping them to avoid the long-term effects.”

Arthur’s job doesn’t end when the season does. He and the sports medicine team at Bone and Joint Institute and Williamson Medical Center look for injury patterns during the year to create preventative plans for coaches and players to follow. 

Some injuries, like ACL tears, Arthur explained, are more common in females because of biomechanics and anatomy. By utilizing plyometric training and focusing on hip and glute exercises, he said females can strengthen their knees and hips to decrease the risk of injury. 

“We often see former pro athletes with arthritis and complications from previous injuries that could have been avoided with the proper training,” Arthur said. “If you work on core strength and flexibility before the season, your body can take more during the season.”

For this reason, Arthur and the sports medicine team from Bone and Joint Institute are dedicated to keeping athletes active and healthy well into their college and professional years.

“We love this community and we’re proud to offer the highest level of care to our student athletes,” said Arthur. “There are exceptional coaches, athletic trainers and athletes in Williamson County, and we work as a team to ensure successful athletic seasons for all.”

Situated just off Interstate 65 in Franklin, Bone and Joint Institute offers state-of-the-art technology and a superior patient experience close to home. For more information, visit www.BoneandJointTN.org.  

Scott Arthur, M.D., is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and treatment of the knee, shoulder and elbow. He has a particular specialty in ACL and meniscus repair, rotator cuff and labral repair, patellar dislocations, total knee replacements and tendinitis. He received fellowship training at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, where he trained under world-renowned sports medicine specialist Dr. James Andrews. When he’s not in the office or on the field, Dr. Arthur enjoys playing golf, bird hunting, snow skiing, coaching youth sports teams, and traveling with his wife and two children.