Surgeons Describe New Knee Ligament
Source: Medical News Today
At the Belgian University Hospitals Leuven, two knee surgeons have for the first time given a full anatomical description of a new ligament that they term the anterolateral ligament (ALL).
At the Belgian University Hospitals Leuven, two knee surgeons have for the first time given a full anatomical description of a new ligament that they term the anterolateral ligament (ALL).
Healing and Surviving After Knee and Hip Replacements
some people with aching bones and joints, knee or hip replacement surgery may be a treatment option. But pre-existing conditions may affect how a patient responds to surgery.
A recent study found that joint replacement patients with certain pre-existing conditions had a greater risk of having a second surgery or not surviving the next one to 10 years than patients without such disorders.
Researchers Recommend Wellness Programs for Increased Number of Young TJR Patients with Obesity
Source: Healio
Results from a new total joint replacement database show that the increase in young patients with obesity contributes to increased rates of total joint replacement in the United States, and researchers recommend hospitals and private practices implement wellness programs to improve patient outcomes.
“Postoperative rehabilitation and support programs should target improved physical activity and diet to promote weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. We should focus on standard best practices for physical therapy and health management after joint replacement surgery,” David C. Ayers, MD, chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Physical Rehabilitation and director of the Musculoskeletal Center of Excellence at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, told Orthopedics Today. “Such standards currently do not exist. Figuring those out, and how to lose weight, should be a priority. It has to be about more than just fixing joint pain. It has to be about long-term health, function and quality of life.”
Socially Isolated Patients with Arthritis have more Pain After THR
Source: Healio
SAN DIEGO – Socially isolated patients with osteoarthritis are nearly three times more likely to experience serious ongoing pain after total hip replacement than patients with good social ties, according to researchers from Hospital for Special Surgery.
“Previous studies have shown that social isolation is a risk factor for poor health outcomes,” Lisa A. Mandl, MD, MPH, from Hospital for Special Surgery, stated. “Studies show that people who don’t have good social ties are at increased risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, and even dying, compared to those who enjoy the social support of family, friends and the community.”
In the study, social isolation was defined based on whether the patients were married, were members of any community or religious groups or had fewer than six friends or relatives. Mandl and colleagues noted that, although the 132 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 392 osteoarthritis (OA) patients had similar demographics and proportions of socially isolated patients, the OA patients had a statistically significant association with postoperative decreased WOMAC scores and social isolation, according to the abstract.
Obesity May Limit Overall Function Two Years After Shoulder Replacement Surgery
Source: ScienceDaily
Patients with obesity undergo a disproportionately higher number of elective orthopaedic surgeries in the U.S.
Total shoulder arthroplasty is an excellent procedure for pain relief and functional improvement in patients with shoulder arthritis.
A total shoulder replacement was able to provide this patient population (normal BMI) with improved shoulder function which resulted in a better physical function.
Reason for Seeking Treatment Influences Preoperative Expectations of Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery
Source: Healio
Researchers from the Steadman Philippon Research Institute analyzed patient expectations before arthroscopic shoulder surgery and found that while the main expectation of all patients was return to sport, secondary expectations varied in importance depending on the reason why patients sought treatment.
“Elevated importance of specific expectation questions did not universally correlate with worse preoperative subjective scoring systems,” Ryan J. Warth, MD, and colleagues from the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colo., wrote in the study. “Whereas return to sport was the most important expectation overall, the importance of other expectations varied by patients’ reasons for seeking treatment. The current questionnaire may have limited use in patients with shoulder instability.”
Hours spent in Organized Sports may Predict Young Athlete Injury
Source: Medical News Today
Athletes ages 8 to 18 who spend twice as many hours per week in organized sports than in free play, and especially in a single sport, are more likely to be injured, according to an abstract presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando.
Pain Processes in Tennis Elbow Illuminated by PET Scanning
Source: Science Daily
Physiological processes in soft tissue pain such as chronic tennis elbow can be explored using diagnostic imaging methods. This is demonstrated by researchers from Uppsala University and the results are now being published in the prestigious journal PLOS ONE. The pain physician and researcher Magnus Peterson is presenting a new use of positron emission tomography (PET) and a tracer for the signal receptor NK1 for visualising a physiological process associated with pain.
Combating Sports-Related Concussions: New Device Accurately and Objectively Diagnoses Concussions from the Sidelines
Source: Science Daily
In the United States there are millions of sports-related concussions each year, but many go undiagnosed because for some athletes, the fear of being benched trumps the fear of permanent brain damage, and there is no objective test available to accurately diagnose concussions on the sidelines.
Balance tests are a primary method used to detect concussion. The current means of scoring these tests relies on the skill of athletic trainers to visually determine whether or not a concussion has occurred.
Lower degrees of dominant humeral torsion results in severe upper extremity injuries for pitchers
Source: Healio
Major League Baseball pitchers with lower degrees of dominant humeral torsion had more severe upper extremity injuries, and pitchers with lower side-to-side differences in torsion experienced more severe dominant upper extremity injuries, according to results of this recently published study.
In the study, 25 professional pitchers from a single Major League Baseball organization underwent CT on dominant and nondominant humeri. Image data were processed with a 3-D volume-rendering post-processing program. Researchers then modified the software program to model a simplified throwing motion to measure potential internal impingement distances in number of days missed from pitching as a measure of injury severity and incidence.
Overall, the mean dominant humeral torsion was 38.5°, while the mean nondominant humeral torsion was 27.6°. Overall, 45% of pitchers were injured during follow-up. Five players had shoulder injuries, seven players had elbow injuries and two players had finger injuries.
According to the study results, dominant humeral torsion was a statistically significant predictor of severe injuries, but not of milder injuries. Researchers found a strong correlation between a high number of days missed because of injury and lower degrees of dominant humeral torsion and smaller differences between dominant and nondominant humeral torsions. Study results showed no significant association between the incidence of shoulder injury and minimum glenoid-tuberosity distance in the dominant or nondominant shoulder or degree of dominant glenoid version.
As these results show, the interplay of dominant humeral torsion, torsion difference and shoulder injury is complex,” the researchers wrote.
