Posterior Knee Capsulotomy for the Relief of Patellofemoral Joint Pain: Long-Term Follow-up.

Lack of full extension of the knee is a disabling condition that sometimes needs to be treated by a posterior capsulotomy of the knee. However, it is not clear if the full extension acquired can be kept throughout long-time follow-up. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 20 patients diagnosed with minimal flexion contracture of the knee who underwent open posterior capsulotomy between 1990 and 2010.

Simultaneous Radiographic Technique to Evaluate Ankle Instability.

The use of ankle stress radiographs is common to evaluate ankle instability. However, the majority of the studies report the use of a manual method to apply the stress, increasing radiation exposure to the physician. Furthermore, as reported in other studies, the force applied during the stress may vary between examiners according the strength and experience.

The External Rotation Radiographic Technique for Posterolateral Injury.

Posterolateral corner injuries are a severe and often unrecognized pathology. Injuries to these structures are difficult to identify using magnetic resonance images. Physical examination tests including the dial test, frog-leg test, and varus stress test can be difficult to perform.

Simultaneous Bilateral Knee Valgus Stress Radiographic Technique.

The medial collateral ligament is the most commonly injured knee ligament. Valgus stress radiographs are reported to be an effective way to quantify the medial compartment opening. However, most of the techniques require the presence of a physician in the radiograph room to apply a manual valgus stress force, and can only be performed in 1 knee at a time.

Does decrease in hip range of motion interfere in frontal plane leg alignment in teenage soccer players?

Introduction: This study determines cross-sectional changes in transverse plane hip range of motion (ROM) in teenager soccer athletes and non-athletes and correlates these measures with changes in frontal plane leg alignment (varus-valgus alignment).

Evidence Acquisition: This was a comparative cross-sectional study with non-random convenience sampling.

Evidence Synthesis: Participants were recruited from a major professional soccer club and two local state-run schools in southern Brazil.

Arthroscopic Bony Resection for Treatment of Symptomatic Bipartite Patella.

Bipartite patella is a common pathology, affecting 2% to 3% of the population. Usually these cases are bilateral and asymptomatic. However, a patient with a bipartite patella may complain of pain, which is most likely related to fragment mobility.

Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation for Treatment of Focal Patellar Osteochondral Lesion.

Patellar osteochondral lesions are common and particularly disabling injuries that can affect young and highly active patients. If enough functional impairment, ranging from difficulty climbing stairs to pain with squatting, is present, surgical treatment may be warranted. For the treatment of these lesions, various techniques have been described, including autologous osteochondral transplantation, as well as microfracture surgery.

Frog-Leg Test Maneuver for the Diagnosis of Injuries to the Posterolateral Corner of the Knee: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

Objective: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of a new clinical test for the diagnosis of injuries to the posterolateral corner of the knee by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the reference standard.

Design: Diagnostic accuracy study.

Setting: A tertiary care teaching hospital.

Influence of hip restriction on noncontact ACL rerupture.

Purpose: This study investigated variables associated with hip restriction (reduced range of motion) in a group of soccer players presenting with noncontact rerupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and compared results with a group of sport-matched healthy professional athletes.

Methods: In this case series, 28 male soccer players with noncontact ACL rerupture were examined for clinical hip range of motion findings potentially associated with ACL rerupture, namely anterior knee displacement, internal-external hip rotation, and cruciate ligament insufficiency. Results were compared with data obtained from 27 healthy professional players.

Interobserver and intraobserver reproducibility of hallux valgus angular measurements and the study of a linear measurement.

Background: The intermetatarsal angle (IMA), the hallux valgus angle (HVA), and the lateral sesamoid malalignment in relation to the first metatarsal are among the most commonly employed parameters to estimate the severity of the deformity. The aim of this study was to compare HV angular measurements and a linear measurement among 4 observers to determine its intraobserver and interobserver reliability, to find out whether this linear measurement technique is more reproducible than those already-described angular measurements.

Methods: The IMA, the HVA, and the distance between the lateral cortex of the first metatarsal and the lateral cortex of the lateral sesamoid bone were measured from 50 standing, nonoperated hallux valgus feet.

Pull-out technique for plantar plate repair of the metatarsophalangeal joint.

Plantar plate rupture is a common cause of forefoot pain, multiplanar malalignment, subluxation, or dislocation of the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ). The treatments that have been described for MTPJ instability of lesser toes include amputation, lengthening and/or tendon transfer, periarticular soft-tissue release (capsule, collateral ligaments, and plantar plate), colateral ligament reconstruction, metatarsal shortening osteotomy, and suture of plantar plate lesion. This article outlines the anatomy, pathogenesis, and diagnosis of plantar plate rupture, and describes a new technique that combines joint decompression by Weil osteotomy with a plantar plate repair using a pull-out technique.

Conventional rotator cuff repair complemented by the aid of mononuclear autologous stem cells.

Purpose: To investigate the behavior of rotator cuff tears treated with conventional repair technique with the aid of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC).

Methods: Fourteen consecutive patients (9 women, 5 men, mean age of 59.2 years) with complete rotator cuff tears (mean preoperative UCLA score of 12 ± 3.

Radiographic findings in restrained hip joints associated with ACL rupture.

Although decreased hip range of motion has been detected in many soccer players with noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), it is not clear whether it is associated with bone spurs, capsular soft tissue stiffness or both. Our aim was to investigate abnormal radiographic findings in soccer players with limited hip range of motion and noncontact ACL injury. Fifty consecutive male soccer players with restricted hip range of motion and noncontact ACL injury were subjected to radiographic examination to identify bone changes that could be associated with decreased hip range of motion.

Comparison between a static and a dynamic technique for medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction.

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to compare the technical difficulties and the results of the use of two different types of femoral graft fixation for medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction in patients with patellar luxation.

Methods: Twenty-four matched pair patients, assigned to two groups of 12 patients each, underwent medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction using one of two techniques: the adductor magnus rigid and the semitendinosus tendon dynamic femoral fixation. Results were assessed using a scale for activities of daily living before and after surgery.

Mechanical changes induced by thermal stimulation in collagenous tissue.

Radiofrequency thermal stimulation is used as a therapeutic procedure for joint laxity, but its thermal effects are still controversial. Although collagen shrinkage may be expected, this conclusion is empirical and not universally accepted. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanical response of collagen to thermal stimulation.

Medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction with semitendinosus autograft for chronic patellar instability: a follow-up study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the long-term results of medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction with a free semitendinosus graft.

Type Of Study: Prospective nonrandomized study.

Methods: We assessed 15 patients (16 knees) treated between 1992 and 1996 (follow-up > 5 years).