Greg Stewart, MD

W. Kennon McWilliams Professor of Sports Medicine; Chief, Section of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation; Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery

  • New Orleans LA UNITED STATES
  • School of Medicine
gstewart@tulane.edu

Dr. Stewart specializes in sports medicine, physical medicine, rehab and age-related research of former NFL players and military veterans.

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Spotlight

2 min

Expert: Extreme heat conditions must be countered with diligent preparation for athlete safety

Football preseason camps are underway, and 2023 already has a different feel, especially in New Orleans and other hotspots, facing record-setting triple-digit temperatures.Tulane University health expert Dr. Greg Stewart, the W. Kennon McWilliams Professor of Sports Medicine in Orthopedics, says numerous safety factors must be considered and in place for football players and other athletes to endure the hottest summer on record. “This current heatwave is unprecedented. No one has ever experienced this extreme heat day in and day out as we have in 2023,” Stewart said. “When you consider football camp, there’s the heat index, which will be much higher than the temperature. Another consideration is the type of surface teams are practicing on. Artificial surfaces hold a lot of heat, making it much hotter than even the heat index.”Dr. Stewart offers the following tips:-Hydrate with plenty of fluids, eat nutritious meals and rest properly. -Conditioning and acclimating to the heat are both crucial. -Weigh in and out of practice every day.-Ensure there is access to ice tubs, ice baths or ice blankets.-While all professional and college football programs have athletic trainers, most, but not all high schools do not. If a high school does not, I think it’s essential for parents to ask the school what plan is in place. Who is managing the players in the heat, and any potential issues?“Training and coaching staffs must be incredibly thoughtful about the heat. There must be rest and water breaks during practice, opportunities to take the helmets and shoulder pads off. Another option would be to alter practice schedules by going inside midway through practice to allow the players to cool down, rehydrate and rest for 45 minutes. You can still schedule a three-hour practice, but you are only on the field for a little over two hours by going inside. If someone starts having heat issues and says they're starting to feel bad, there's a point at which you can no longer push them,” Stewart said.

Greg Stewart, MD

2 min

Tulane expert describes the challenges of treating mental health in military veterans

Mental health care and suicide prevention among those who have served in the military are top priorities for providing quality healthcare for veterans. However, often the biggest challenge is getting veterans into care. Tulane University veteran’s health expert Dr. Greg Stewart is available to speak about the hurdles veterans face in receiving quality mental health care and the difficult challenge in finding these wounded warriors suffering from invisible wounds. Stewart is the medical director for the Tulane University Center for Brain Health, whose central mission is to provide care for military veterans regardless of discharge status. Stewart said there are several misconceptions when it comes to veteran’s health care. The first is having access to a medical program. The Department provides medical care to military members on active duty. Once they are finished with their military duty, a majority transition to care through the Veterans Administration (VA), but not everyone who served is eligible for those services. Others seek treatment through community providers. But for some, the selflessness of putting others first becomes a detriment. “They feel like that someone else is more deserving, so they don’t take up a spot or take up resources. The bottom line is that some of our heroes won’t access the health care they need, thinking that they are helping someone else,” Stewart said.A combination of these issues can often result in many veterans falling through the cracks and going untreated, which sometimes leads to worst-case outcomes. However, the good news is there are places for veterans to go that provide an environment necessary for them to heal and become whole again.“Everyone is worried about the suicide problem with veterans. It’s a big issue. We are examining the different issues that lead to suicide, including depression, substance use or abuse, self-medicating, underdiagnosed or diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury. These are some of the major areas that need to address to prevent veteran suicide. However, we have found that post-traumatic stress disorder in and of itself is not a high indicator of the potential for suicide. We need to look at some of these other areas to help our wounded warriors. One of the major challenges is simply finding these individuals and trying to get them to seek treatment,” Stewart said.To contact Dr. Stewart, please click here.

Greg Stewart, MD

1 min

The many hurdles that college football teams must endure to play in 2020

Dr. Greg Stewart, sports medicine expert, director and the W. Kennon McWilliams Professor in Sports Medicine at Tulane University, is the newly-appointed chairman for the American Athletic Conference's newly formed COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group. Dr. Stewart is available to speak about the necessary daily steps that must be taken to ensure the health and safety of college football players, coaches and staff if the game is to return and continue this fall and what a stadium might look like on gameday.For interviews, contact pr@tulane.edu or Roger Dunaway at 504-452-2906. “The health of the student-athletes, coaches and support staff are our top priority in planning for a football season around the COVID-19 pandemic. The average football program consists of close to 150 players and personnel for practices, travel and games and our goal is to try and create a very insulated bubble for this group for as much as we can. We have analyzed every dynamic of the program from the locker room, to travel, workouts, meetings and meals in an effort to handle the prevention and spread of this virus. However, we will have safety protocols in place should we receive a positive test. Overall, this is going to take a group effort from everyone involved.”

Greg Stewart, MD
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Biography

Dr. Gregory W. Stewart is a nationally recognized expert in the non-operative treatment of musculoskeletal disorders in adults. He also specializes in disability prevention, rehabilitative medicine, sports medicine, and has a particular interest in sports concussion. Dr. Stewart is the director of the Sports Concussion Management Program and team physician at Tulane University. He has served as team physician for professional, collegiate and high school teams for more than 30 years.

In addition to co-directing the Center for Sport, Dr. Stewart currently spends most of his time working with former professional athletes. As Medical Director of the Professional Athlete Care Team at Tulane University, he leads the NFL Benefits Neurological Care Program, NFL Player Care Foundation Healthy Body and Mind Screening Program, and the Trust (powered by the NFLPA) Brain and Body and Milestone Wellness Assessment programs.

Dr. Stewart is active in professional associations in sports medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation. He serves as Chairman of the Louisiana High School Athletics Association Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. He was a major contributor to the successful passage of the Louisiana Youth Concussion Act. Dr. Stewart has also received funding from the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education to examine the effects of mild traumatic brain injury in high school football athletes.

Areas of Expertise

COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Orthopedic Surgery
Rehabilitation
Sports Medicine
Physical Medicine
NFL

Accomplishments

Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame

2019

Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Association, Sports Medicine Person of the Year

2018

Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association, Sports Medicine Person of the Year

2018

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Education

University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine

MD

Louisiana State University/Charity Hospital

Internship/Residency

Houston Baptist University

B.S.

Affiliations

  • Chair-American Athletic Conference COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group
  • Director of Education for the Louisiana Sports Medicine Society
  • Sports Medicine Committee of the Louisiana State Medical Society
  • Team Physician for the Tulane Department of Athletics
  • Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine
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Media Appearances

What exactly is a concussion? What if you get 2 of them, like Derek Carr? A local doc answers.

Nola.com | The New Orleans Advocate  online

2023-12-09

Now in his fourth decade as a professional in the sports medicine field, Dr. Gregory Stewart has had a front-row seat for the sea change in the way medical professionals diagnose and treat concussions.

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Tulane healing program supports military veterans and first responders

WWL-TV (CBS New Orleans)  tv

2023-11-10

The men and women are treated like VIPs, and go through a three-day evaluation, then three weeks of intensive, whole body, medical, and holistic treatments, with yoga, equine therapy, art, music, canine therapy, behavioral health, neurology, MRIs. Dr. Greg Stewart runs the program.

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Louisiana Higher Ed: McNeese offers LNG courses; Tulane targets ex-pros, military

Louisiana Illuminator  online

2022-10-28

“We are still working hard to get the word out about our programs and how we serve both military veterans and former NFL players,” Dr. Greg Stewart, the center’s medical director, said. “We hope this chapter will bring individuals together to share their stories and experiences with others. Word of mouth is the most powerful testimonial.”

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Articles

A Novel Non-operative Protocol for the Acute Management of In-season Acromioclavicular Separations

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine

Heard, Wendell MR, et al.

2017

Traditional treatment of acromioclavicular (AC) sprains has been a sling with rest and rehabilitation. We have developed a protocol that uses a static scapular retraction brace (Figure 1) to reduce the displaced upper extremity back to the clavicle. We hypothesized that the brace in combination with oral and injected steroid and a rehabilitation protocol that emphasizes postural restoration, facilitates a more anatomic reduction of the AC joint that quickly eliminates discomfort, allows for more anatomic healing and a rapid return to normal activities in type 1, 2, and 3 AC separations.

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Comprehensive Assessment and Management of Athletes with Sport Concussion

International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy

McQueen-Borden E, Bell RA, Barr T, Juengling J

2012-08-12

Currently, the popular approach to post-concussion management of the athlete relies upon the use of a multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers, all typically coordinated by a physician.

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Throwing Arm Dominance in Collegiate Baseball Pitching

The American Journal of Sports Medicine

Werner, Sherry L., et al.

2010

Left-handed individuals make up about 10% of the general population, yet left-handers comprise approximately 30% of the pitching staffs in Major League and Division I college baseball. Despite speculation regarding differences between right- and left-handed pitchers, distinction between right- and left-handed pitching mechanics has not been documented in the literature at any level of play.

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