Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Podcasts Show High Instagram Engagement but Limited Use of Short‐Form Video
Isabella Trancoso, Michael Allen, Mitchell J. Christiansen, Mary K. MulcaheyPurpose
To characterize orthopaedic sports medicine podcasts and to evaluate their use of social media and video formats.
Methods
A cross‐sectional review was conducted of orthopaedic sports medicine podcasts active between April 1, 2024, and April 1, 2025. Podcasts were included if hosted by a sports medicine fellowship‐trained orthopaedic surgeon or primary care sports medicine physician and had at least 1 episode released within the study period. The search term “sports medicine” was queried on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube on April 1, 2025, with additional identification through ChatGPT‐assisted search. Average episode length, total episodes, release frequency, format, editing style, and social media presence data were all collected.
Results
Seventeen podcasts met inclusion criteria. Most podcasts released episodes weekly, averaging 35 minutes and 25 seconds per episode (Standard deviation: 16:14, range: 12:39‐1:16:18). Nine (52.9%) were audio‐only, and 8 (47.1%) offered both audio and video formats. Facebook had the highest average follower count (17,435.5), and Instagram was found to be the leading platform for engagement with the highest average likes (117.4), comments (1.5), and shares (19.1). Four podcasts (23.5%) posted shorts/reels (short‐form videos) consistently, all on YouTube.
Conclusions
Facebook accounts showed the highest average follower counts, whereas Instagram posts generated the greatest average engagement per post. Of the orthopaedic sports medicine podcasts analyzed, 8 (47.1%) incorporated both audio and video formats, whereas 4 (23.5%) consistently posted short‐form video content on social media. Although most podcasts maintained at least 1 social media account, consistent use of short‐form video on social media platforms was relatively limited.
Clinical Relevance
Understanding how orthopaedic sports medicine podcasts use social media and short‐form video can help discern the current media landscape and how information is disseminated.