CHICAGO & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Basketball Association (NBA) and GE Healthcare (NYSE: GE) today announced the first round of winning research proposals submitted to their Sports Medicine and Orthopedics Collaboration. Launched in the summer of 2015, this strategic collaboration is funding research to address the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries* affecting NBA players and everyday athletes. The collaboration is directed by a Strategic Advisory Board led by Dr. John DiFiori, the NBA’s Director of Sports Medicine, and an NBA/GE Healthcare steering committee.

This first round of research proposals focused on the natural history, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of tendinopathy. “Tendinopathy – and specifically that involving the patellar tendon – is a common issue among basketball players at all levels,” said Dr. DiFiori, who also served as co-chair for this call for proposals. “The NBA is pleased to work with GE Healthcare to fund additional research in this area to increase our understanding of this condition as we seek to improve health outcomes and limit the impact on athletic performance for NBA players and the general population.”

Using a competitive application process with a rigorous scientific review, six winning proposals were selected from a group of nearly 70. The following awardees include research teams from leading academic and healthcare institutions across three continents:
La Trobe University (Dr. Jill Cook) – Patellar Tendon Pathology, Its Development and Relationship with Pain in Elite Athletes. Investigators from La Trobe University and the University of Newcastle in Australia, as well as Tulane University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in the United States, propose a novel imaging method to investigate the relationship between pain and change in tendon structure – in both adult and adolescent athletes. This study will also evaluate how certain exercises can immediately impact pain, help avoid missed games, and make athletes’ tendons stronger.
University of Calgary (Dr. W. Brent Edwards) – Towards the Real-time Monitoring of Tendon Strain and Cumulative Damage to Minimize the Risk of Patellar Tendinopathy. Using advanced imaging techniques and biomechanical measurements to quantify tendon properties, researchers from the University of Calgary, in collaboration with adidas and Robbins, Inc., will assess the influence of playing surfaces and footwear on the risk of patellar tendinopathy and develop a wearable technology to monitor tendon loading during play.

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