The Florida Hip Symposium is an annual meeting of clinicians who treat hip disorders.  We focus on a collaborative approach which integrates perspectives across healthcare for the benefit of our patients.  From doctors and surgeons to physical therapists and athletic trainers, collaborative hip care begins with learning from each other!

 

I am extremely honored that you would join us for our annual Florida Hip Symposium.  The idea for this conference was a decade in the making.  During my travels visiting important hip surgeons, I noticed that a few of these surgeons stood apart from the rest in the care that they delivered.  One common characteristic of the practices of these surgeons was a close relationship between the physician and therapist(s).

 

This close relationship allows the diagnostician and the biomechanical physiologist to work together to identify and treat disorders unique to hip patients.  Equally as important, in this relationship the doctor and the physical therapist learn from each other.  Physicians see problems differently than therapists, and the combination of backgrounds creates a patchwork of ideas that forms an excellent quilt that can cover almost any hip disorder.

 

When I joined Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute, almost a decade ago, I immediately began setting up just such a working relationship.  We started meeting regularly to go over interesting hip topics and difficult cases.  As my practice grew, so did this relationship, which became the “Hip Team” at Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute- now with six physical therapists.  I am convinced that together, we provide unsurpassed care for hip disorders in our region from adolescents to older adults.

 

When planning this conference, I invited doctors and therapists who were the best examples of this teamwork as guest speakers for the first Florida Hip Symposium.

 

My goal in hosting this conference is to create an environment for the flow of ideas that allows all of us to come away with an improved understanding of hip disorders and a better strategy for their treatment.  I hope you enjoy it!

 

Carl Freeman, MD