Clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of massage chair therapy versus basic physiotherapy in lower back pain patients: A randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Low back pain is a chronic recurrent symptom, which can lower the patient's quality of life. With technological development of automated home massage systems, now offers a promising alternative to physiotherapy. However, thus far, the effectiveness of such methods has not been evaluated.

Retraction pattern of delaminated rotator cuff tears: dual-layer rotator cuff repair.

Background: There has been no report to date regarding retraction patterns of delaminated rotator cuff tears. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence and tearing patterns of delamination and repair integrity after the dual-layer repair of delaminated cuff tears.

Methods/design: A consecutive series of 64 patients with posterosuperior rotator cuff tears underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair from August 2011 to September 2012.

Is end-stage lateral osteoarthritic knee always valgus? Mechanical alignment analysis and radiographic severity assessment.

Background: We hypothesized that not all persons with end-stage lateral osteoarthritis (OA) have valgus malalignment and that full extension radiographs may underreport radiographic disease severity. The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic and radiographic features of end-stage lateral compartment knee OA.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively studied 133 knees in 113 patients who had undergone total knee arthroplasty between June 2008 and August 2010.

Comparison of muscle activity in the empty-can and full-can testing positions using 18 F-FDG PET/CT.

Background: There has been much controversy over specific tests for diagnosis of supraspinatus tendon tear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic activity of the deltoid and rotator cuff muscles while maintaining the full-can and empty-can testing positions using 2-deoxy-2-[18 F]fluoro-D-glucose (18 F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT).

Methods: Ten healthy volunteers without shoulder pain or diabetes mellitus participated in this study.

Risk factors for medial meniscus posterior root tear.

Background: Medial meniscus posterior root tears (MMPRT) have a different clinical effect from other types of meniscal tears. These tears are very common among Asian people and may be related to the frequent use of postures such as the lotus position or squatting.

Purpose: The present study was designed to identify the risk factors for MMPRT among an Asian sample.

Arthroscopic repair of combined Bankart and SLAP lesions: operative techniques and clinical results.

Background: To evaluate the clinical results and operation technique of arthroscopic repair of combined Bankart and superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) lesions, all of which had an anterior-inferior Bankart lesion that continued superiorly to include separation of the biceps anchor in the patients presenting recurrent shoulder dislocations.

Methods: From May 2003 to January 2006, we reviewed 15 cases with combined Bankart and SLAP lesions among 62 patients with recurrent shoulder dislocations who underwent arthroscopic repair. The average age at surgery was 24.

Displaced avulsion fracture of medial meniscus posterior horn through the intercondylar notch in the patient without combined ligamentous injuries.

Avulsion fractures of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus are uncommon and must be differentiated from a loose body. The authors present a displaced avulsion fracture of the medial meniscus posterior horn through the intercondylar notch into the anteromedial compartment of the knee, which was treated by arthroscopic reduction and internal fixation using pull-out suture technique.

Correlation of synovial fluid leptin concentrations with the severity of osteoarthritis.

Leptin is known to play an important role in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA). This study investigated whether synovial fluid (SF) leptin level is related to the radiographic severity of OA and its role as a quantitative marker for the detection of OA. SF was obtained from 42 OA patients who underwent knee surgery and 10 who had no abnormality of articular cartilage during arthroscopic examination.

A modified keyhole technique for minimizing size mismatches during a smaller than optimal lateral meniscal allograft transplantation: surgical technique.

Despite careful preoperative and intraoperative sizing of lateral menisci in recipient knees, size mismatches between allografts and recipient menisci are often encountered. To minimize size mismatches during the transplantation of smaller than expected lateral meniscal allografts, we devised a modified keyhole technique by dividing the central bone bridge into 2 bony fragments. The fragments are attached to the anterior and posterior horns.

Arthroscopic repair of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus with opening wedge high tibial osteotomy: surgical technique.

Simultaneous repair of a radial tear at the tibial attachment site of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus under special circumstances requiring tibial valgus osteotomy is technically difficult. First, most patients who need an osteotomy have a narrowed medial tibiofemoral joint space. In such a situation, the pull-out suture technique is more difficult to perform than in a normal joint space.

Consideration of the femoral head cartilage thickness in preoperative planning in bipolar hemiarthroplasty.

Purpose: Bipolar hemiarthroplasty (BH) is one of the commonly performed orthopedic procedures for the treatment of displaced fractures of the femoral neck. However, despite the common use of the BH, little has been written on preoperative planning for this operation. The purpose of this study was to assess the neglected subject which is about the cognition of the femoral head cartilage in planning a BH.

Arthroscopic double bundle ACL reconstruction using a bone patellar tendon bone-gracilis tendon composite autograft: a technical note.

The authors devised an alternative arthroscopic double bundle ACL reconstruction technique using a bone patellar tendon bone (BPTB)-gracilis tendon composite autograft. One tibial and two femoral tunnels were used to reconstruct two bundles of anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) [an anteromedial bundle (AM) and a post-erolateral bundle (PL)]. BTBB was fixed in the tunnels produced on the isometric points of the tibia and femur using the conventional technique.

Treatment of persistent extraarticular infection using a temporary cement spacer on the tibia after ACL reconstruction.

Postoperative infection after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is an uncommon but serious complication. Although several treatments for intraarticular infection have been reported, no report has been recorded on the treatment of persistent extraarticular infections. The authors experienced reconstructed graft removal due to a refractory extraarticular infection on tibia.

Arthroscopic all-inside repair of Palmer type 1B triangular fibrocartilage complex tears: a technical note.

Arthroscopic repair of peripheral dorso-ulnar triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) lesions is now a preferred method. Both outside-in and inside-out techniques are commonly performed for repairing Palmer type 1B TFCC tear. But these techniques have disadvantages of making an additional skin incision to tie knots subcutaneously over the capsule.

Arthroscopic all-inside repair techniques of lateral meniscus anterior horn tear: a technical note.

Although the conventional outside-in technique is especially useful for repairing tears in the anterior portion of the meniscus, it has a disadvantage of making an additional 1-2 cm sized skin incision and tying knots subcutaneously over the capsule. Therefore we devised two all-inside repair techniques of lateral meniscus anterior horn tear according to the site of meniscal tear, meniscosynovial junction or red-red zone. Because these techniques are modified methods of the outside-in meniscal repair using a spinal needle, they are as simple as conventional outside-in technique.