Merv Cross
OAM
Merv Cross in March 2006
Personal information
Full nameMervyn John Cross
Born(1941-07-03)3 July 1941
Warialda, New South Wales, Australia
Died25 August 2023(2023-08-25) (aged 82)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
PositionForward
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1960–61 South Sydney 23 0 0 0 0
1962 Eastern Suburbs 13 1 0 0 3
1963 North Sydney 9 1 0 0 3
Total 45 2 0 0 6
Source: [1][2]

Mervyn John Cross OAM (3 July 1941 – 25 August 2023) was an Australian rugby league footballer and orthopaedic surgeon.[3] He played in Australia's major competition the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) but Cross, a doctor, was better known for his achievements in the field of sports medicine as an orthopaedic surgeon.

NSWRL career

Cross was known as a strong defensive forward who played for South Sydney (1960–61), Eastern Suburbs (1962) and North Sydney in the 1960s. At the end of the 1990s, Cross took up a position as an NRL board member.[4]

Orthopaedic surgery career

Cross was a pioneer in the field of knee surgery, entering orthopaedics in what turned out to be a golden age for the specialty. Cross trained in the 1970s in Georgia, USA and brought ideas on clinical practice back to Australia.[5][6] He moved the North Sydney Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Centre (NSOSMC) in 1983 to Crows Nest with Ken Crichton, Greg Craig and Ian Collier,[7] after establishing it in North Sydney in the late 1970s.

Merv Cross operating on a knee

Some of the ideas he brought to NSOSMC, which were revolutionary at the time, but have now become commonplace were:

  • sub-specialization of orthopaedic surgeons into single joint areas. Cross only operated on the knee joint (from the late 1980s onwards) and directed referrals for other joint problems to colleagues in the same practice who sub-specialised in foot and ankle, hip, or shoulder
  • a multi-disciplinary clinic where orthopaedic surgeons worked alongside physiotherapists, sports medicine physicians, sports radiologists, podiatrists and others
  • that non-surgical sports medicine physicians should become an independent specialty in Australia and be the doctors who provided best-quality non-surgical sports injury management. Cross was appointed an inaugural honorary Fellow of the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians[8]
  • regular intake of visiting overseas Fellows, including Jonathan Webb

Knee surgery practice

His practice revolved around all of the common surgical knee procedures, including knee ACL reconstruction,[9][10] patellofemoral reconstruction[11] and knee replacement.[12]

ACL reconstruction

Not only was Cross a knee sub-specialist, he also sub-specialized in performing patella tendon autograft ACL reconstruction. His preferred technique included using an anteromedial portal to drill the femoral tunnel (rather than a transtibial drilling technique).[13]

Cross-bracing technique

After his surgical retirement in the early 2010s, Cross teamed up with his son Tom and others to trial a new non-surgical technique for managing ACL injuries where the knee is braced at 90 degrees for six weeks to promote healing in the anatomical position.[14][15]

Honours

Cross was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his revolutionary work in knee surgery.[16] He was one of the inaugural Honorary Fellows of the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians.

Cross also worked as a director on the board of the National Rugby League until retiring in 2005.[17]

Cross was a founding member of the Australian Knee Society.[18] He was inducted into the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Hall of Fame as an International member in 2007.[19] He was appointed Director of Orthopaedics at the 2000 Summer Olympics.[20]

Merv Cross died on 25 August 2023, at the age of 82.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "Merv Cross – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project".
  2. ↑ Whiticker, Alan; Hudson, Glen (2007). The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. Gary Allen Pty Ltd. ISBN 9781877082931.
  3. ↑ Webster, Andrew (26 August 2023). "'It was a beautiful death': Legendary knee surgeon Merv Cross passes away". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "Vale Dr Merv Cross OAM". National Rugby League. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  5. ↑ Hughston, JC; Andrews, JR; Cross, MJ (September 1974). "The injured knee". Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia. 63 (9): 362–8. PMID 4479304.
  6. ↑ S., C. G. (September 2005). "Jack C. Hughston, MD 1917-2004". The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. 87 (9): 2147–2148. doi:10.2106/JBJS.8709.ob1.
  7. ↑ "North Sydney Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Centre". nsosmc.com.au. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Honorary Fellowships – Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians". acsep.org.au. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Hughston, JC; Andrews, JR; Cross, MJ; Moschi, A (March 1976). "Classification of knee ligament instabilities. Part II. The lateral compartment". The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American Volume. 58 (2): 173–9. doi:10.2106/00004623-197658020-00002. PMID 1254620.
  10. ↑ Norwood, LA; Cross, MJ (January 1979). "Anterior cruciate ligament: functional anatomy of its bundles in rotatory instabilities". The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 7 (1): 23–6. doi:10.1177/036354657900700106. PMID 420384. S2CID 21603984.
  11. ↑ Palmer, SH; Servant, CT; Maguire, J; Machan, S; Parish, EN; Cross, MJ (February 2004). "Surgical reconstruction of severe patellofemoral maltracking". Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. 419 (419): 144–8. doi:10.1097/00003086-200402000-00023. PMID 15021145. S2CID 36493837.
  12. ↑ Palmer, SH; Servant, CT; Maguire, J; Parish, EN; Cross, MJ (March 2002). "Ability to kneel after total knee replacement". The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British Volume. 84 (2): 220–2. doi:10.1302/0301-620x.84b2.12568. PMID 11922363.
  13. ↑ Chapman, A; Murray, J; Cross, T; Cross, M (2006). "The ACL reconstruction question: bone-patellar tendon-bone vs. hamstring tendon". Sport Health. 24 (1): 11–15.
  14. ↑ Webster, Andrew (30 June 2023). "Bend the knee: The game-changing procedure for athletes with ACL injuries". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  15. ↑ Filbay, Stephanie R.; Dowsett, Matthew; Jomaa, Mohammad Chaker; Rooney, Jane; Sabharwal, Rohan; Lucas, Phil; Heever, Andrew Van Den; Kazaglis, James; Merlino, Justin; Moran, Mick; Allwright, Maggie; Kuah, Donald E. K.; Durie, Ra; Roger, Greg; Cross, Mervyn; Cross, Tom (14 June 2023). "Healing of acute anterior cruciate ligament rupture on MRI and outcomes following non-surgical management with the Cross Bracing Protocol". British Journal of Sports Medicine. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-106931. ISSN 0306-3674. PMC 10715498. PMID 37316199. S2CID 259164150.
  16. ↑ "Dr Mervyn John CROSS". Australian Honours Search Facility, Dept of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  17. ↑ Masters, Roy (20 January 2005). "Woman on board as NRL turns a new page". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  18. ↑ "About the Australian Knee Society | AKS". Australian Knee Society. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  19. ↑ "AOSSM Hall of Fame". AOSSM. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  20. ↑ "Mervyn Cross OAM". Marist Schools Australia. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  21. ↑ "Dr Mervyn John CROSS Death Notice". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
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