Complementing the MEDICA 2020 medical trade fair (November 16 – 19, 2020 in Düsseldorf, Germany), the 8th annual MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE (November 18 – 19) will address “Future concepts in sports medicine – space medicine, performance and AI.”
Space Challenges, AI and More
Prof Volker Damann, who teaches “Human Performance in Space” at the International Space University in Strasbourg, will start the conference by describing the challenges of training for the stay in space. As team doctor, he has supported numerous Soyuz and space shuttle missions. Space training counteracts these challenges, and many findings from this can be transferred to performance and regeneration for sports on earth, as Prof Damann will explain in detail.
Another important discussion topic will be the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve performance and regeneration. Karl Schwarzenbrunner, head of the Training and Science Department at the German Ice Hockey Association, uses AI to analyze ice hockey games and has implemented a system that links player data recorded by wearables with the data from an autonomous camera system and evaluates it in real time.
Also discussed will be the application of artificial intelligence in diagnostic systems. During his conference session, Prof Dr Roger Abächerli of the Lucerne University of Applied Arts and Sciences will talk about how he uses AI to evaluate cardiological data.
Digital twins are also part of the future of competitive sports. Prof Björn Eskofier of the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, an expert in the pattern matching and data analysis sector, will demonstrate how and where digital twins can be used in sports, both today and in the future.
Cognitive Training as a Contributor to Success
Dr. Lutz Graumann will highlight the mental component of winning, will explore how the future of medicine can benefit from lessons from Formula One racing, and will describe the importance of cognitive training for success.
Tailoring Training Programs to the Individual
On November 19, Dr med Theodora Papadopoulou (from the UK) will explain the significance of the biopsychosocial model in sports medicine — where not only biomedical but also psychological fitness and social factors should be integrated into diagnostics and therapy — as part of the third conference session on tailoring training programs to the individual. Papadopoulou will explain how she implements this simultaneous diagnostic and therapy method in sports medicine.
The holistic view also includes a look at nutrition. Dr Silvia Kolossa from Loewi will present case studies for special needs and the individualization of nutrition in the context of competitive sports. Private lecturer Dr Peter Brücker, team physician of the German ski team and Dr med. Ralf Doyscher, team physician of soccer team Borussia Mönchengladbach, as well as Prof Dr Borja Muniz from the University of Zaragoza will examine individualized injection therapy and the use of blood flow restriction training in rehabilitation.
Dr Katharina Schöttl from the German Institute for Health and Sports (DHGS) in Munich is researching how digital technology is used by athletes, trainers and team doctors and will introduce the results of her study at the conference.
New Approaches in Diagnostics and Wearable Technology
Evidence-based diagnostics and wearable technology are on the conference program for session 4, to be held on November 19 in the afternoon. Prof Dr Jürgen Scharhag, Head of the Institute for Sports Medicine at the University of Vienna, will start this session with an overview of the current sports cardiology landscape. Private lecturer Dr Christian Werner (Bad Homburg) will then present how physical activity affects cell aging.
International sports physicians have been developing a global standard for wearables in sports and fitness for around two years, working on behalf of European sports medicine associations. Prof. Dr. Yannis Pitsiladis from the University of Brighton and head of the Sub2Hrs marathon project will show who this seal of approval is relevant for and what is measured.
Prof. Jürgen Götze of TU Dortmund University will present the latest research in sleep diagnostics and new approaches that enable more insight into and improved understanding of complex topic of sleep.
Digital biomarkers, recognizable data patterns from various sources from which diagnostic or prognostic benefits can be derived, are becoming increasingly important for evidence-based diagnostics. Sweat could become a source for the next generation of digital biomarkers, as Dr Noé Karl Brasier, University Hospital Basel, will explain in his conference presentation.
For more information, visit MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE
[Source: Messe Düsseldorf North America]
