Walking with Giants. Inspired by the Greats of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Walking along the famous streets of Boston, along the famous Freedom Trail was an absolute treat. Many a famous event had taken place in Boston and famous monuments can be found erect almost every few hundred meters. They say Boston is the birthplace of the American Revolution and the famous events leading up to it, like the Boston Tea Party. Apart from the historical sites, Boston is also home to a few great sports teams, the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Celtics to name a couple. What a joy and privilege it was to walk amongst those great places.

However, in the summer of 2023, the world of sports surgery descended upon this famous city for another historical event. The 14th Biennial ISAKOS congress was successfully held, stretching over a four-day period. Considered the premier meeting amongst sports surgery enthusiast, the congress drew upon the biggest names in the field, some considered to be pioneers and legends in the game of orthopaedic surgery. For me personally, this was a humbling and truly inspiring experience to be able to rub shoulders and be in their presence.

There is a famous quote from William Arthur Ward that reads “the great teacher inspires”. There were many great lectures and presentations, with some of the most up to date and advance information delivered. However, I have always felt that the “experience” gained from congresses of such stature is what I bring home with me the most. I often go home with a renewed sense of inspiration from being around and talking with those who have been done it all before.

The biggest moment of inspiration came from the greatest teacher of all. A man I have heard so much about and whose lectures I have watched many times online. However, I never had the privilege of meeting him in person. This man is non-other than Dr. Freddie Fu. There was an event specially dedicated to him, a lifetime achievement in his name, bestowed to the person who have made contributions to the field of sports surgery through the years. Although Dr Freddie is no longer with us, his presence and spirit was definitely felt in the award ceremony as slides of his life and his contributions played on the projector. His wife and son were present to grace the ceremony as well.

Ones journey to becoming an orthopaedic surgeon is often a long and challenging one. Everyone is faced with different obstacles and trials. It takes a lot of dedication to achieve this goal. But could you imagine doing this while also becoming an Olympic champion at the same time. This extraordinary feat was achieved by the legendary Paula Pareto. She was present at ISAKOS to share with us all her inspiring story.

To be honest, I had never heard of her prior to this, so I had to search her up online and on her Wikipedia page. What this women has achieved is quite extraordinary. She is a former world and Olympic champion in the martial art of Judo. She also received the Gold Olimpia Award as the best athlete of the year from her country Argentina in 2015. To put that into perspective, those were the years where Lionel Messi was at his prime, and she beat him to that award.

The fact that she achieved so much in the sporting world while pursuing a career as a doctor is mind blowing. She had graduated from medical school just a couple of years before becoming an Olympic champion. After learning her story, I don’t think any of us could ever use work as an excuse to chase other passions we might have, be it playing a sport or learning to play a musical instrument.

There were many others who graced the stage at the ISAKOS congress. Each with their own inspiring talk. The organizers put in a goliath effort in organizing an event of this scale. There were talks ongoing in every room, each delivered by an outstanding faculty. To add on to that, there were interactive sessions as well like the “meet the expert” and surgical demonstrations. The organizers even put together a session for first time attendees to get together in fellowship and to get to know each other. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know other young surgeons from around the world and exchange work ideas as well as pleasantries.

If the opportunity ever presents itself, I would definitely recommend visiting the beautiful city of Boston for its rich history, its esteemed education establishments and the famous sports teams. Many of these sites can be found scattered throughout the city. Despite all of these sites, it was the Hynes Convention Centre that took centre stage as it was where the 2023 ISAKOS congress was held and the place to be to walk in the presence of some of the giants of orthopaedic surgery. It was truly an inspiring experience.