Kathleen Harwood Lead Authors Publications in Sports Medicine
The Research Studies Focused on Rotator Cuff Injuries and Pediatric Stationary Bike Injuries in Pediatric Patients
Kathleen Harwood, SOM Class of 2025, recently lead authored two publications in sports medicine. A study on rotator cuff injuries in pediatric patients was published in Sports Health, while a study on pediatric stationary bike injuries was published in The Physician and Sports Medicine. Harwood conducted the studies with researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Department of Orthopedics, where she worked as a research coordinator just prior to medical school and has continued the research throughout her time at New York Medical College.
“For the study, we looked at etiology imaging-confirmed rotator cuff injuries in pediatric patients at a single center and found that most injuries were associated with throwing sports and involved the supraspinatus tendon,” said Harwood. “Our findings indicated that outcomes were excellent regardless of whether patients were treated operatively or non-operatively. In contrast to studies of adult rotator cuff injuries, our results suggest that outcomes are good regardless of treatment type.”
To date, Harwood has presented the study at three conferences -- American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America and Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine. “My mentor, Brendan Williams, M.D., is a pediatrics sports medicine surgeon who has a particular passion for research and mentorship, and I feel fortunate to have learned from him both through research and working alongside him in the clinic.”
Harwood developed the idea for the second study after her own personal experience with a sports injury was exacerbated by stationary biking. “The literature on stationary bike injuries is largely limited to case studies and series. Our findings indicate that the impact of stationary bike injury in the pediatric population is not insignificant, and most injuries are related to improper play rather than traditional exercise use,” said Harwood. “Gender and age-related patterns differed in regard to the type and mechanism of the injury sustained – males were more likely to be injured overall but in late adolescence, injury rates among females were significantly higher.” Harwood recently presented the study at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference.