Evolution in Surgical Management of Ankle Instability in Athletes.

Recent concepts are changing the management of ankle instability. These include concurrent medial and lateral instabilities, use of ankle arthroscopy, use of suture anchors, all-arthroscopic stabilization, synthetic augmentation, and early postoperative rehabilitation. Medial sided injuries occur in up to 72% of the lateral ankle sprains, and concomitant repair may provide greater stability.

Surgeon Agreement on the Presence of Pathologic Anterior Instability on Shoulder Imaging Studies.

Background: In the setting of anterior shoulder instability, it is important to assess the reliability of orthopaedic surgeons to diagnose pathologic characteristics on the 2 most common imaging modalities used in clinical practice: standard plain radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Purpose: To assess the intra- and interrater reliability of diagnosing pathologic characteristics associated with anterior shoulder instability using standard plain radiographs and MRI.

Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3.

A Radiographic Sizing Algorithm for Tibial Plateau Osteochondral Allografts.

Objective: Tibial plateau osteochondral allograft transplantation is a promising treatment for symptomatic chondral damage of the proximal tibia due to a variety of etiologies. The purpose of this investigation is to develop an accurate and reproducible algorithm for sizing tibial plateau allografts based on recipient radiographs.

Design: A cadaveric study was performed in which radiographs of 10 fresh frozen cadaveric knees were compared to measured digital photographs of the disarticulated specimens.

Synthetic Turf: History, Design, Maintenance, and Athlete Safety.

Context:: Synthetic turf has become an increasingly common playing surface for athletics and has changed dramatically since its introduction more than 50 years ago. Along with changes to surface design, maintenance needs and recommendations have become more standardized and attentive both to upkeep and player-level factors. In particular, synthetic turf maintenance as it relates to athlete health and safety is an important consideration at all levels of play.

Fatigue Bending Strength of Jones Fracture Specific Screw Fixation.

Background: Intramedullary screw fixation is a common method of treating proximal metadiaphyseal fifth metatarsal (ie, Jones) fractures. Fatigue failure is a complication of this fixation. There are many screw designs available, including Jones fracture specific fixation, but the optimal choice of screw design is unknown.

The Impact and Functional Outcomes of Achilles Tendon Pathology in National Basketball Association Players.

Achilles tendon rupture within professional athletes has been shown to lead to devastating consequences regarding return to athletic performance. Not only can this devastating injury affect performance for the remainder of player's career, it frequently becomes a career-ending event. Considering these significant risks associated with complete rupture, the purpose of this study was to evaluate NBA players with a spectrum of reported Achilles tendon pathology, from tendinopathy (insertional and non-insertional) to complete rupture.

The Athletic Shoe in Football.

Background: Foot and ankle injuries are common in sports, particularly in cleated athletes. Traditionally, the athletic shoe has not been regarded as a piece of protective equipment but rather as a part of the uniform, with a primary focus on performance and subjective feedback measures of comfort. Changes in turf and shoe design have poorly understood implications on the health and safety of players.

Correction of Hammertoe Deformity With Novel Intramedullary PIP Fusion Device Versus K-Wire Fixation.

Background: K-wire fixation has been the most common method of fixation for hammertoe deformity. However intramedullary devices are gaining ground in both number of available choices and in procedures performed. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of hammertoe correction performed with K-wire fixation versus a novel intramedullary fusion device (CannuLink).

Etiology and Biomechanics of Midfoot (Lisfranc) Injuries in Athletes.

Tarsometatarsal (TMT) dislocations are an uncommon but debilitating athletic injury. When symptomatic midfoot instability persists, an injured athlete frequently requires surgical stabilization and rehabilitation for up to 9 months before returning to full athletic participation. Unfortunately, the limited biomechanical knowledge of this injury prevents prophylactic measures from being developed that could reduce an athlete's risk of injury.

Mini-open repair of achilles rupture in the national football league.

Tears of the Achilles tendon in professional athletes are an infrequent yet devastating injury. Historical studies have demonstrated not only a poor rate of return to competitive play but have also noted significant declines in performance for those able to return. While classic treatment of these injuries in the competitive athlete has been an open, locked suture repair, this article reports on a consecutive series of professional football athletes who underwent mini-open repair.

Biomechanical evaluation of physeal-sparing fixation methods in tibial eminence fractures.

Background: Tibial eminence fractures occur most commonly in skeletally immature children. Several techniques using physeal-sparing fracture fixation have been described, but their structural properties have not been evaluated.

Purpose: To determine the strength and resistance to displacement of physeal-sparing techniques used to fix tibial eminence fractures.

Return to high school- and college-level football after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) cohort study.

Background: There is a relative paucity of data regarding the effect of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction on the ability of American high school and collegiate football players to return to play at the same level of competition as before their injury or to progress to play at the next level of competition.

Purpose: (1) To identify the percentage of high school and collegiate American football players who successfully returned to play at their previous level of competition, (2) to investigate self-reported performance for those players able to return to play or reason(s) for not returning to play, and (3) to elucidate risk factors responsible for players not being able to return to play or not returning to the same level of performance.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Hip-spine syndrome.

The incidence of symptomatic osteoarthritis of the hip and degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis is increasing in our aging population. Because the subjective complaints can be similar, it is often difficult to differentiate intra- and extra-articular hip pathology from degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis. These conditions can present concurrently, which makes it challenging to determine the predominant underlying pain generator.

Clinical indications for arterial imaging in cervical trauma.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical indications for acquiring arterial imaging in cervical trauma.

Summary Of Background Data: Cervical spine injuries are very common in high-energy trauma and are frequently seen at Level I trauma centers across the country.

Immunohistochemical localization of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) 2, 4, 6, and 7 during induced heterotopic bone formation.

The distribution and staining intensity of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) 2, 4, 6, and 7 were assessed by immunohistochemistry in ectopic bone induced in Nu/Nu mice by Saos-2 cell derived implants. Devitalized Saos-2 cells or their extracts can induce endochondral bone formation when implanted subcutaneously into Nu/Nu mice. BMP staining was mostly cytoplasmic.