Pro athletes may safely return to competition after lumbar microdiscectomy
Source: Healio
CHICAGO — The pooled rate of return to play following lumbar microdiscectomy for herniated disc nucleus was 83.5%, according to results presented at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting, and the overall return to play rate for elite athletes with a herniated disc after this procedure was 84.5%.
Stresses on elbow during pitching may alter multiple structures
Source: Healio
In a pre- and post-season ultrasound evaluation of high school pitchers’ elbows, adaptive changes occurred to multiple structures about the elbow from stresses placed on the elbow during one season of pitching, based on results of a recently published study.
Activity could help keep knees lubricated
Source: Science Daily
Cartilage is filled with fluid — about 80% of the volume of the cartilage tissue — that plays the essential roles of supporting weight and lubricating joint surfaces. Loss of this fluid, called synovial fluid, results in a gradual decrease in cartilage thickness and increase in friction, which is related to the degradation and joint pain of osteoarthritis. Since cartilage is porous, fluid is readily squeezed out of the holes over time. Yet the symptoms associated with osteoarthritis usually take decades to develop. Researchers have now proposed a mechanism that explains how motion can cause cartilage to reabsorb liquid that leaks out.
Hemiarthroplasty, TSA offer lasting pain relief, improved range of motion
Source: Healio
Both hemiarthroplasty and total shoulder arthroplasty offered lasting pain relief, and range of motion was improved at the long-term follow-up; however, unsatisfactory Neer ratings were high, according to study results.
Rotator cuff repair may ease shoulder pain from spinal cord injury
Source: Healio
Although they are likely to continue to overburden their shoulders, recently published data suggest patients in wheelchairs due to a spinal cord injury may gain pain relief from rotator cuff repair.
Researchers clinically and functionally evaluated 38 patients with a spinal cord injury who were either paraplegic or quadriplegic and presented with rotator cuff pathologies between January 2005 and September 2013. Patients’ lesions were also examined.
A total of 38 shoulders in 28 patients were indicated for rotator cuff repair, which was then performed. Intraoperative lesion assessment showed more substantial injuries than were indicated via imaging.
Shock therapy improves pain and function in patients with chronic calcific shoulder tendinitis
Source: Medical News Today
Shock therapy improves pain and function in patients with chronic calcific shoulder tendinitis, according to an article published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Rotator cuff tendonitis is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain and may present with or without calcifications. There is little evidence to suggest that conventional therapies, such as rest, ice, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, and subacromial corticosteroid injections can effectively ease pain or restore function. Calcific tendinitis, in particular, may be more difficult to manage and may require surgery. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT), which uses sound waves of high or low energy that impart rapid fluctuations of pressure to tissues, has been suggested as an alternative treatment to expensive and risky surgical interventions.
Physical therapy instructional video may be as good as an in-person visit for shoulder rehabilitation exercises
Source: Science Daily
A rehab video may get the same results as an in-person visit for shoulder rehabilitation exercises, a new study suggests. “These results are significant for two reasons,” said the lead researcher. “First, having an additional tool to augment what the patient learns at an initial physical therapy visit may help with exercise accuracy and hopefully therefore improve outcomes. Additionally as access to physical therapy becomes more limited due either to cost or insurance, identifying new tools to better help out patients will be essential.”
