Two Heartland Orthopedic Specialists Experts Published Internationally on Shoulder Care Research

Heartland Orthopedic Specialists’ Jefferson C. Brand, M.D., and Rich Hardy, Ed.D., L.A.T., CSCS, recently published an article titled “The Influence of Health Perception on Shoulder Outcome Measure Scores.” This study examined three current measures for evaluating a patient’s shoulder health after treatment. Their investigation was published in the international, peer-reviewed journal Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow, the official journal of the Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society. 

Dr. Brand, Hardy and their co-authors wanted to investigate whether or not a patient’s overall health and a patient’s perception of their own health played a role in evaluating outcomes for a shoulder patient as well as how these factors relate to the current shoulder outcome measure models. That is, if factors like these should be considered by a health care provider when recommending and pursuing a treatment plan for shoulder problems to obtain the best possible results for the patient. 

“At Heartland Orthopedic Specialists, we are dedicated to advancing the field of sports medicine and providing individualized health care,” says Hardy. “This investigation is one example of that dedication, and we believe our analysis and prediction models developed here can provide value to patients and providers alike.”

The study was conducted using a sample of 111 volunteers who completed the two standard, subjective shoulder outcome measures and an overall perception of health measure, of which 92 underwent the objective shoulder health assessment. The group’s results suggested that sex, health status and hand dominance are variables that should be considered when treating shoulder patients and the same variables can be used to predict patients’ scores on outcomes measures. 

“Our findings demonstrate the importance of gathering additional demographic information when interpreting scores,” Hardy adds. “This additional information will provide the health care professional with a more accurate picture of the progress or the health status of their patients and help them tailor a treatment plan for optimal results.”

Dr. Brand is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon fellowship-trained in sports medicine with a Subspecialty Certificate in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Actively involved in the orthopedic community, he has given numerous medical presentations regionally, nationally and internationally. He has also been published by and served as an editor for several leading orthopedic journals. In addition to his commitments at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists, Dr. Brand is a visiting professor at the University of Louisville, where he has lectured on surgical techniques in sports medicine and related treatments. 

Hardy graduated from Northern State University and obtained his board certification as an athletic trainer. He continued his education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney earning a Master of Arts degree in Exercise Science. In 2001, Hardy joined the sports medicine team at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists. In 2017, he obtained a Doctor of Education degree with a sports medicine emphasis from The United States Sports Academy. Hardy serves as an athletic trainer for area athletes and also teaches human physiology, anatomy and sports and exercise science at the University of Minnesota Morris. 

To learn more about the sports medicine team at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists or to schedule an appointment, please call (800) 762-1177.