The National Basketball Association and GE Health are collaborating to promote orthopedic and sports medicine research that benefits NBA player health and wellness.
The initiative also benefits athletes across all levels and the general population.
Here are five things to know about the partnership:
1. This is a multi-year alliance focusing on joint health and acute and overuse musculoskeletal injuries. NBA players face challenges with orthopedic injuries throughout their careers, as does the general population.
2. A strategic advisory board of physicians and clinical researchers from institutions across the United States will guide this partnership. NBA Director of Sports Medicine and past-president of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine John DiFiori, MD, will chair the board. Five physicians from NBA clubs will join him.
3. The NBA and GE are also funding clinical researchers studying diagnostic and preventative techniques that identify risks for developing orthopedic conditions. The research will focus on providing a better understanding of overuse injuries and aims to prevent athletes from missing playing time in the future.
4. Findings from the research will support NBA team physicians and medical staff. The NBA and GE will elicit research proposals later this year.
5. GE and the NBA are also working with NBA partners adidas, Kaiser Permanente, Nike and Under Armour for research efforts. The initiative will promote health and wellness, reduce injuries, lengthen careers and improve post-career health for NBA players
"By combining GE's know-how in healthcare imaging technology and the NBA's interest in promoting player health and safety, we are working to help prevent the most common sports injuries and improve treatment," said GE Healthcare President & CEO John Flannery.