2009 Soccer Industry Medical Symposium
SIMS enters its fourth year poised for continued growth



NEW YORK (October 6, 2008) -- The 2009 Soccer Industry Medical Symposium (www.psats.net/sims.htm) announced its fourth annual event will return to Ft. Lauderdale, FL and take place on Saturday, January 10th at the beautiful Marriott Harbor Beach (www.marriottharborbeach.com).

"SIMS started as a meeting to share scientific and clinical information with the MLS team physicians and athletic trainers but the content and participants have expanded rapidly since its beginning" said MLS Medical Director Lawrence Lemak. "Because of the tremendous interest in the topics and the expansion of medical soccer information the meeting has grown into the source for answers on soccer medical information." Participants in the past events represented all MLS teams, CONCACAF, the United States Soccer Federation, the Canadian Soccer Association, the Mexican First Division and many other corporate partners and professional associations.

The 2009 Soccer Industry Medical Symposium has created a curriculum focused on the most relevant topics facing the sport and featuring many accomplished presenters. The keynote speaker will be Jan Ekstrand, Vice-Chairman of the UEFA Medical Committee. “It is an honor to be invited to present at this event and discuss the evolution of preventative techniques in soccer globally. Originally, preventative programs were aimed at player factors only. Today, the load of players (decided by coaches and club managers) is recognized as an important factor as well.”

The curriculum features many other distinguished guest speakers:

Welcome & Keynote Address
Welcome & Introduction
Dr. Wayne Gersoff, Colorado Rapids Head Team Physician & SIMS Curriculum Chairman

Keynote Address
Dr. Jan Ekstrand, Vice-Chairman of the UEFA Medical Committee

Morning Session
Wrist Sprain, Simple to Complex
Dr. David Kalainov, Chicago Fire Team Physician

Lateral Ankle Reconstruction
Dr. Robert Lim, Chicago Fire Team Physician

The Role of Chiropractic Care in Sports Medicine
Dr. Bruce Holthus, Colorado Rapids Team Physician

Eye Injuries and Medical Treatments
Dr. Stephen Beckerman, Chicago Fire Team Physician

Afternoon Session
Monitoring Training Stress: Using heart rate monitors to assess training load
Chris West, University of Connecticut and Polar

Pain in the Functional Movement Screens, outcomes and management strategies
Phil Plisky, PhD, ProRehab PC

Diagnostic ultrasound: practical and clinical applications
Jeff Konin, PhD, ATC, PhD, University of South Florida

Muscle Injuries
Dr. Francisco Arroyo, Medical Director of Sports Medicine, Guadalajara; FIFA Soccer Medical Instructor

Practical Application of the FMS and heart rate data in the role of injury prevention and rehabilitation
Jason Mathews, MS, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer, Columbus Crew & PSATS President

"SIMS continues to put together an outstanding meeting that is a 'can't miss' for medical professionals who commonly treat soccer-related injuries. We continue to support the efforts of the Soccer Industry Medical Symposium and its effort to provide high quality professional development opportunities," said Jeff Konin, PhD, ATC, PT, of the University of South Florida's Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. The University of South Florida is partnering with Major League Soccer to offer continuing education credits to sports medicine professionals at multiple levels and areas of expertise."

Based upon the success of the past two events, the 2009 SIMS will make available a limited number of positions to qualified sports medicine professionals approved through the online registration available at www.cme.hsc.usf.edu/soccer. Sports medicine professionals are approved to receive continuing education credits for this course through the University of South Florida. Details are offered on the SIMS and USF websites.

Additional information about event registration, corporate supporters, travel and transportation information and other details about the 2009 Soccer Industry Medical Symposium, is available at www.psats.net/sims.htm.

About SIMS
The Soccer Industry Medical Symposium (SIMS) is an annual meeting organized by sports medicine professionals in Major League Soccer, United States Soccer Federation and its partners.

For more information about SIMS, log onto the official website at www.psats.net/sims.htm. If you would like to subscribe to the SIMS email list, go to www.keepernotes.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi.

About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and features many stars from the U.S. and around the world. Now in its 13th season, the 14 teams in MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes and Toronto FC. Seattle Sounders FC will join the League in 2009 and a Philadelphia expansion team will debut in 2010.

For more information about MLS, log on to the League’s official Web site at www.MLSnet.com.