Injection Road School: touring training for young Italian physiatrists

For the third year in a row, IBSA Italy is promoting training for young physiatrists by supporting the prestigious initiative sponsored by SIMFER (The Italian Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine) which involves 12 specialisation schools in various Italian universities and more than 200 up-and-coming talents enrolled in the final years of physiatric studies.

It is a now customary appointment and a successful initiative that has been repeated since 2021 and that from this edition onwards will have a new name: it will no longer be known as Masterclass, but rather Injection Road School to better emphasise and define the touring nature of the theoretical-practical educational pathway that aspires to introduce young doctors from all over Italy to intra-articular infiltrative treatment with hyaluronic acid in shoulder and knee pathologies with and without the use of ultrasound guidance. This is a method which is increasingly present in outpatient interventional rehabilitation medicine.

Joint infiltration must be performed by expert hands, and the course allows participants to acquire the most advanced techniques through a practical exercise session using shoulder and knee dummies and 3 ultrasound stations and a dedicated tutor, plus a theoretical and preparatory part to be used online by learners via online instructional videos.

Seven stages have been devised, starting from the University of Padua on 26 January, under the scientific direction of Prof. Stefano Masiero and Dr. Stefano Respizzi and the scientific responsibility of Dr. Cristiano Sconza.

The project is a unique opportunity for IBSA Italy to enrich the theoretical-practical skills of new medical talents, deepening the most recent and innovative clinical practices for managing osteoarticular pathologies that, due to the progressive ageing of the population, will affect an increasing number of patients in the coming years.

Osteoarthrosis, in fact, is a disease that tends to affect people in old age with an impact on quality of life and a risk of disability: 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 are affected and the majority of them are women.

It occurs when both the mechanical and biological properties of hyaluronic acid within the joints are reduced. Restoring the viscoelasticity of synovial fluid through intra-articular infiltrations of highly concentrated hyaluronic acid reduces pain and improves joint function, with an overall improvement in quality of life.

“We are proud to contribute to the success and support this prestigious initiative,” states Anna Adinolfi, Senior Product Manager of IBSA Italy. “It is an ambitious training project that allows young future physiatrists from all over Italy to deepen their knowledge of interventional rehabilitation medicine and to access the latest diagnostic techniques and treatment methods of the increasingly widespread osteoarticular pathologies affecting the knees and shoulders.”