Dr. Blackstone Receives Sports Medicine Certification
Dr. Bruce Blackstone of Longview Orthopedic Associates (LOA) is among the first 540 physicians nationwide to receive subspecialty certification in sports medicine from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons (ABOS).
Candidates were required to document proficiency in surgical procedures and also non-surgical management of sports medicine problems. This was followed by an intensive four-hour examination in November. This is the first time the ABOS has awarded sports medicine certification to any of the nation’s 20,000 orthopedists.
Dr. Bruce Blackstone
Blackstone said it made perfect sense for him to pursue the advanced certification because his practice is closely connected with local athletic programs. “All of our physicians (at LOA) work closely with teams from middle school to the college level,” Blackstone said. “We also work with recreational athletes and those involved in club sports.” He and his colleagues evaluate and treat athletes “from Astoria to Toutle, from Chehalis to Vancouver.”
Previously, the only subspecialty certification awarded by ABOS was for hand surgery. According to a statement released by the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), “This body of knowledge (sports medicine) was becoming more complex, distinct, and difficult to obtain in a five-year general residency.” The AOA said that offering subspecialty certification in sports medicine will “raise the bar” and establish consistent educational standards in the field.
Data collected by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine indicates that 44 percent of practicing orthopedists claim “a special interest in sports medicine.” The increasing focus on the treatment of athletic injuries and conditions – especially as they pertain to an active but aging Baby Boomer population – necessitated the creation of new standards.
Blackstone said the sports medicine emphasis is an especially good fit for his practice because he frequently treats shoulder and knee problems related to athletics. “Tremendous advances have been made in the past five years in arthroscopic procedures for rotator cuff repair and shoulder instability repair,” he said, “and that has been a major focus of mine.”
In addition to sports medicine, Dr. Blackstone also performs adult reconstructive surgery, including hip, knee, and shoulder replacements.
Blackstone graduated from R. A. Long High School and attended Stanford University, where he played varsity football and received recognition as an Academic All-American. After earning his medical degree at the University of Washington, he completed a surgical internship at the University of Hawaii and an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Utah. In 1983, he returned to the local area and founded Longview Orthopedic Associates.