Think about the lives you change every day, the patients who are back doing the things they love because of the care you provided and because they decided to fight for mobility. Many of those patients think we’re heroes, but really, they are the ones who inspire us as physicians to keep helping our patients and do what we do every day.

Now ask yourselves, where are your patients sharing their experiences and positive outcomes? Where are they researching bone and joint health content to help them make an informed treatment decision? Most likely they are searching online.

If you aren’t telling them about A Nation in Motion®, then your patients are not only missing out on a great resource, but, as an orthopaedic surgeon, you’re losing an opportunity to promote the value you provide.

Since its launch in 2012, the goal of ANationinMotion.org has been to show the value of orthopaedic care through the eyes of our patients and the collective wisdom of Academy members. If we don’t do it, then who will?

This campaign has had great success in engaging both orthopaedic surgeons and orthopaedic patients. Nearly 700 patients have shared their success stories on the website, and hundreds of orthopaedic surgeons have shared their profiles and submitted Ortho-pinions.

We must build upon our past success and keep the momentum going. You can help by submitting more patient stories and other orthopaedic-related content to the site.

Ways you can participate
You have several ways to participate; here are just a few.

Submit an Ortho-pinion—Ortho-pinions are 400- to 800-word columns on bone and joint health written by you and your AAOS colleagues for the public. They cover various musculoskeletal health issues and conditions. Once your column goes through editorial approval, it will be featured on the ANationinMotion.org homepage and in the Health in Motion section of the website. It will also be tagged to its corresponding focus area on the site.

Not a writer? You can submit a video Ortho-pinion about any bone and joint health topic. Ideally, it should be less than 2 minutes long. Email the video to media@aaos.org

Share Second-First patient stories—A Second First is that point when, thanks to orthopaedic care, a patient who had lost the ability to do something due to an orthopaedic condition can once again perform that task.

Chances are your patients are looking for an outlet to tell the world about their successful recovery. Encourage them to share their success stories on the site, or with their permission, you or your office administrator can submit a story on your patients’ behalf.

Link this campaign to your website—Go to newsroom.aaos.org, and click on “member resources” on the left pane. Next, click on “toolkits and templates,” and scroll down to click on “A Nation in Motion.” Follow the instructions on the page to link your website to the A Nation in Motion website. If you do this correctly, the A Nation in Motion logo will appear on your website.

Share on social media—Share content from the campaign on your social media pages and use the hashtag #SecondFirst. Encourage your patients to do the same and remember to tag the Academy @AAOS1.

Why do you participate?
I asked several AAOS members why they are currently participating in the A Nation in Motion campaign. Here’s a sampling of their answers:

“Knowledge is power, so when there is an opportunity to share accurate orthopaedic information with patients, I do so, especially when there is a sea of incorrect information floating around on the internet.”
Frank B. Kelly, MD
Macon, Ga.

“It feels good to know I can send my patients to a credible website where they can read successful patients’ stories for inspiration during their road to recovery.”
Michael L. Parks, MD
New York City

“With all the scrutiny that orthopaedic surgeons occasionally face in the media, being a part of the A Nation in Motion® campaign makes me feel like I’m contributing to the greater good of orthopaedics. Plus, there is nothing like reading a story of a patient who is back to living life without pain.”
Elizabeth G. Matzkin, MD
Boston

“Each time I submit an Ortho-pinion, I think about those patients who are sitting at home in front of their computers and are in desperate need for more information about their conditions. That’s why I tend to write my columns about conditions that I often treat in my practice.”
Sabrina Strickland, MD
New York City

What are you waiting for?
To participate, visit ANationInMotion.org and click on the “Share your Story” button on the home­page. Next, use the drop down box at the top of the page to select the type of story you would like to share. You can even order calling cards with the campaign URL to hand out to patients. If this interests you, email media@aaos.org and request a package.

Let’s unite as a specialty to promote the value of orthopaedic care and provide our patients with useful information as they work to regain mobility.

Alan S. Hilibrand, MD, chairs the AAOS Communications Cabinet.

Make sure patients can find you
Did you know that you can have your contact information displayed in the Academy’s public directory? Simply go to www.aaos.org/myaccount and opt-in to this feature. Not only will this ensure your practice information shows up in the “Find an Orthopaedic Surgeon” feature on the AAOS website, it will also be available through a similar feature on ANationInMotion.org

Ortho-pinion topic ideas

• MRI vs. X-ray: What each test can demonstrate
• Partial vs. total knee replacement
• Is it safe to have both knees replaced at the same time?
• What are bone spurs? How are they treated?
• Am I too young to have arthritis?
• Symptoms of a fracture vs. symptoms of a sprain