Guests include Arthrex President and Founder Reinhold Schmieding, Clemson Football Head Coach Dabo Swinney, pro-MMA fighter, among others
Listen to the full broadcast on Spotify
A standout lineup of guests joined 105.5 The ROAR FM’s Mickey Plyler Show for a special broadcast from Arthrex Manufacturing Inc. South Carolina (AMISC) in Pendleton, South Carolina.
The show, broadcast daily to a vast listening audience in the Upstate of South Carolina, runs Monday through Friday from 6 to 9 a.m. on the Clemson Athletics flagship station.
Co-hosted by Arthrex faculty surgeon and Clemson team physician Steve Martin, MD, the three-hour live show brought together athletes, sports industry representatives and business leaders for conversations about performance, recovery and innovation. The broadcast also showcased Arthrex’s influence in sports medicine and minimally invasive surgery, as well as its commitment to quality manufacturing and job creation in the Upstate.
Notably, Arthrex President and Founder Reinhold Schmieding joined the show to reflect on the company’s culture, its commitment to manufacturing products in America and the decision to expand operations in South Carolina. He also shared his vision for continuing to grow Arthrex while remaining focused on innovation, quality and better patient outcomes.
The broadcast also featured Clemson Head Football Coach Dabo Swinney, who discussed leadership, teamwork and the growing role of sports medicine and in helping athletes perform at their highest level. Reflecting on more than three decades in the game, Coach Swinney highlighted how advances in injury treatment, recovery protocols and athlete monitoring have transformed player care, while emphasizing the importance of balancing performance, health and long-term development. He also praised Arthrex's impact on athlete health and performance, noting that access to innovative medical solutions and world-class care provides a significant advantage for athletes.
"The technology that we have access to through Arthrex is second to none,” said Coach Swinney, “which, to me, is a competitive advantage when your players have the best of the best."
Building on the connection to Clemson Athletics, Arthrex Athletes Sammy Brown and Isabella Rawl shared personal stories of perseverance and recovery, with the help of Arthrex innovations, with Sammy undergoing an Arthrex TightRope® procedure to repair his high ankle sprain after his final high school season. Heading into his junior year as Clemson football’s starting middle linebacker, Sammy shared how he was surprised at how quickly he recovered from the Arthrex TightRope® procedure to repair his high ankle sprain, noting that he was able to walk within days of surgery and experienced a smooth rehabilitation process.
"I have zero problems with it,” he said.
Now fully healthy, Sammy says his focus is on helping lead Clemson's defense this season. After earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and Freshman All-America honors, he is excited about the team's potential, citing the group's chemistry, talent and shared commitment to success.
"I think this is a very connected group," Sammy said. "When we get out there in the fourth quarter, we're going to have confidence that everybody's going to get the job done."
Isabella, who recently graduated from Clemson, reflected on her recovery from a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in her thumb heading into her junior season with the women’s golf team. With the help of her surgeon using the Arthrex thumb UCL repair with InternalBrace™ augmentation, Isabella was cleared to begin hitting golf balls just six weeks later and returned to competition only nine weeks after surgery. Now a college graduate, Isabella said she is working toward pursuing professional golf.
UFC Hall of Famer Cub Swanson faced a much different challenge. He spoke with Mickey and Dr. Martin about facing a debilitating back injury and severe sciatic nerve pain that threatened to end his more than two decades-long career in mixed martial arts before he was ready.
Cub ultimately underwent an ultra-minimally invasive procedure with Arthrex endoscopic spine technology, that ultimately relieved his symptoms and allowed him to continue competing, retire on his own terms and transition into coaching.
"I wanted to finish my career on my terms. I wanted to do it with beautiful performances, not feeling like I don't have it anymore,” said Cub. “With the Arthrex procedures they're doing, it is very important to find the right doctor, and it's important to find all your options when it comes to back and spine surgery. So do your research and find the best option for you."
Today, Cub runs his own gym and mentor’s athletes of all levels while remaining active with his family.
Tony Villani, founder of XPE Sports and a Clemson University graduate, joined the show to discuss his path from exercise physiologist to one of the country’s leading performance trainers. After working with NFL stars including Travis Kelce and Randy Moss, Villani launched XPE Sports to help pioneer modern speed and agility training for elite athletes. He spoke to Mickey and Dr. Martin about the evolution of athletic performance training, the concept of “game speed” and the mental attributes that separate elite athletes from their peers.
"How do you get athletes to play faster? That's what I've really been studying, and I think that's what makes us unique,” Tony said. “The great ones learn how to slow down to play fast.”
Skyler Fulton, head of the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) Program, joined the show to discuss how the league is identifying and developing elite athletes from around the world for opportunities in professional and college football. Since launching in 2017, the program has helped uncover top talent from countries in Nigeria, Kenya, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, creating new pathways to the NFL for athletes with nontraditional football backgrounds.
Skyler also highlighted the importance of athlete education and injury preparedness, reflecting on a recent visit to Arthrex global headquarters in Naples, Florida with several IPP athletes. He emphasized that players should make themselves aware of advances in sports medicine in order to better understand their treatment and recovery options before an injury occurs.
"As a professional athlete, I believe these guys should educate themselves prior to [injury] happening,” said Skyler. “They should have a plan so that when it happens, it's a plan they've come up with, they feel good about and they can execute."
Christopher Ahmad, MD, Head Team Physician for the New York Yankees and Arthrex faculty surgeon, joined the show to discuss the impact of emerging medical technologies on athlete care and recovery. Ahmad highlighted how innovations such as the Arthrex NanoNeedle scope 2.0 are helping surgeons treat injuries with less disruption to surrounding tissue, allowing athletes to return to activity faster. He also emphasized that successful outcomes extend far beyond the operating room, requiring a collaborative approach that includes rehabilitation specialists, strength coaches, nutrition experts and mental health support.
"This new technology minimizes the amount of injury that we do as surgeons. So much of the recovery from an operation is because the surgeon made some injury to the body in order to fix it," said Dr. Ahmad. "By reducing that surgical impact, we're helping athletes recover more efficiently, return to activity sooner and get back to doing what they love with greater confidence."
Additional Arthrex guests included Vice President of Communications Dennis O’Keefe, Senior Product Manager Steve Rolenc and Senior Manufacturing Engineering Manager Maya Alfonso. Dennis shared the company’s collaborations with universities and post-secondary schools in the Upstate, including Clemson, Anderson University and Tri-County Technical College. He also highlighted PowerHeal, an advanced bioelectric bandage that Arthrex recently showcased at the Clemson Ladies Clinic. Designed for everyday wounds such as cuts, scrapes, burns and blisters, PowerHeal supports faster healing, helps reduce bacteria and may minimize scarring.
Steve and Maya, members of the Arthrex team behind the development of FiberTape® Sternal Closure, discussed how the company is extending its expertise in orthopedic innovation into cardiac surgery. Used to stabilize the breastbone following open-heart procedures, FiberTape serves as an alternative to traditional metal wires, providing strong yet flexible fixation designed to enhance patient comfort and support healing. They also highlighted the advanced manufacturing process behind the technology, which is produced at the Arthrex manufacturing facility in Pendleton, where more than 750 associates help create the highly specialized products used by surgeons around the world.
Together, the conversations offered listeners an inside look at how Arthrex innovation, manufacturing and collaboration are helping shape the future of sports medicine—from supporting elite athletes and physicians to creating high-quality jobs and advancing patient care around the world.
Listen to the full show on Spotify or on The ROAR’s website:
