Fifteen years ago, the Journal of Orthopaedic Case Reports (JOCR) was born from a simple but powerful idea — that clinical experience matters, and that learning from real cases should be accessible to every orthopaedic surgeon, irrespective of geography, resources, or institutional affiliation.

In 2011, when JOCR began its journey, it became the world’s first journal dedicated exclusively to orthopaedic case reports. At a time when case reports were gradually losing academic importance, JOCR reaffirmed their educational value and restored their rightful place in orthopaedic literature.

Over the last 15 years, JOCR has grown into a global academic platform with thousands of published case reports, international readership, indexing milestones, and a vibrant academic community of authors, reviewers, and editors. More importantly, it has remained true to its founding philosophy — education before impact factor, clarity before complexity, and learning before prestige.

As JOCR completes this important milestone, it is time to evolve once again — responding to the changing educational needs of our readers.

Why Reviews Are Needed — Especially for Trainees

The modern orthopaedic trainee faces an unprecedented challenge. While scientific literature is expanding rapidly, clarity is often lost in complexity. High-level systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and subspecialty consensus statements provide depth but are frequently overwhelming for postgraduate students and early-career surgeons.

What many learners truly seek is:

• A clear understanding of the foundation of a topic
• Knowledge of why a condition behaves the way it does
• Familiarity with classifications and basic principles
• And finally, an overview of recent advances that shape present-day practice

There exists a critical educational gap between textbooks that present static foundational knowledge and research articles that assume advanced familiarity with the subject.

It is this gap that JOCR now aims to bridge.

Introducing “Blue Reviews” — A New Section in JOCR

We are proud to introduce Blue Reviews, a new educational review section of the Journal of Orthopaedic Case Reports.

Blue Reviews are designed as simplified, structured, and trainee-focused reviews, created with a clear educational philosophy:

To combine timeless foundations with contemporary evidence — presented in clarity and simplicity.

Each Blue Review will aim to provide:

• Background and historical evolution of the topic
• Basic anatomy, biomechanics, and pathophysiology
• Standard and CT/MRI-based classifications, explained simply
• Core principles of management and decision-making
• Common pitfalls and teaching pearls
• Summary of important literature from the last five years, highlighting evolving concepts and recent advances

Rather than exhaustive or highly technical reviews, Blue Reviews will emphasize understanding over volume, concepts over complexity, and clinical relevance over statistical overload.

They are intended primarily for:

• Orthopaedic postgraduate trainees
• Fellows and early-career surgeons
• Practicing surgeons seeking conceptual refreshers
• Educators looking for concise teaching resources

Foundation and Advances — Together, Not Separate

One of the defining features of the Blue Review section is its dual focus.

Every review will integrate:

• Foundational principles that remain constant across generations
• Recent advances from the last five years that influence current practice

By doing so, the reader gains not only what is new, but also why it matters.

Understanding modern surgical techniques without appreciating foundational biomechanics is incomplete. Similarly, relying only on classical teaching without awareness of contemporary evidence risks obsolescence. Blue Reviews aim to unify both ends of this educational spectrum into a single coherent narrative.

The concept of Blue Reviews has been envisioned and guided by Dr. Vaibhav Bagaria, who will serve as the Section Editor for Blue Reviews. His longstanding commitment to orthopaedic education, research methodology, and structured learning has shaped the academic philosophy of this section.

Under his leadership, Blue Reviews will follow consistent educational standards while encouraging clarity, innovation, and academic integrity.

As JOCR enters its 16th year, we invite educators, clinicians, and academic surgeons to become part of this new chapter.

We particularly encourage contributions from:

• Surgeons passionate about teaching
• Authors who enjoy simplifying complex concepts
• Clinicians with deep understanding of fundamentals
• Researchers who can translate evidence into practice

Blue Reviews are not meant to compete with systematic reviews or guidelines. Instead, they aim to complement them — serving as entry points into understanding, not endpoints of debate.

Even as orthopaedics enters an era defined by artificial intelligence, digital tools, and the seamless global exchange of knowledge, the essence of teaching remains timeless. Surgeons are still shaped by fundamentals — careful observation, respect for anatomy, an understanding of biomechanics, and thoughtful decision-making at the bedside and in the operating room. Technology can guide us, and AI can augment us, but it cannot replace the deep conceptual grounding that forms true clinical judgment. Blue Reviews are conceived with this belief: to safeguard the enduring principles of our craft while thoughtfully embracing modern advances, so that the next generation of surgeons is not only well-informed, but well-formed.

JOCR began as a journal of stories — stories of patients, surgeons, complications, learning, and growth. Blue Reviews represent an extension of that philosophy: telling the story of a topic, from its origins to its modern evolution, in a manner that every trainee can understand.

As we celebrate 15 years of JOCR, we reaffirm our commitment to education, accessibility, and academic mentorship.

The journey that began with case reports now expands into structured learning.

We welcome you to be part of this new initiative.

Blue Reviews — where foundations meet the future