Health-related quality of life influences surgical decisions in patients with rotator cuff disease.

Aims: Rotator cuff disease (RCD) can considerably decrease quality of life. Here, we investigated whether health-related quality of life (HRQoL) influences the need for surgery in patients with RCD.

Methods: We performed an analysis of 417 patients with symptomatic RCD who were recruited from two hospitals between June 2008 and December 2014 to be randomized to receive non-surgical or surgical treatment.

Adverse events are not increased by controlled delay in surgery of acute upper extremity fractures.

Management of the operative treatment of fractures is challenged by daily variation in patient flow. For upper limb fractures there has recently been an increasing tendency to temporarily discharge the patient to wait for a daytime operation to be performed during the next few days. The objective of this study was to study the safety of controlled delay in surgery.

Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Back Pain Among Young Male Conscripts During Compulsory Finnish Military Service.

Introduction: Back pain is a major reason for sick leaves and disability pension in primary health care. The prevalence of back pain among adolescents and young adults is believed to be increasing, and back pain during military service predicts unspecified back pain during later life. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of back pain among conscripts in compulsory Finnish military service during the period 1987-2005.

Arthroscopic International Cartilage Repair Society Classification System Has Only Moderate Reliability in a Porcine Cartilage Repair Model.

Background: The International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) score was designed for arthroscopic use to evaluate the quality of cartilage repair.

Purpose: To evaluate the reliability of the ICRS scoring system using an animal cartilage repair model.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Non-surgical and surgical treatments for rotator cuff disease: a pragmatic randomised clinical trial with 2-year follow-up after initial rehabilitation.

Background: Rotator cuff disease (RCD) causes prolonged shoulder pain and disability in adults. RCD is a continuum ranging from tendinopathy to full-thickness tendon tear. Recent studies have shown that subacromial decompression and non-surgical treatments provide equivalent results in RCD without a full-thickness tendon lesion.

Physical activity and ability to meet different work requirements among adult working men with or without current depressive symptoms.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and ability to meet different work requirements among adult working men with or without current depressive symptoms.

Methods: We measured LTPA with the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The Work Ability Index (WAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to assess the work ability and depression of 921 Finnish employed male volunteers.

Chondral and Osteochondritis Dissecans Lesions Treated by Autologous Chondrocytes Implantation: A Mid- to Long-Term Nonrandomized Comparison.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcome of cartilage repair with autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) in patients with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions and full-thickness cartilage lesions.

Design: This study included a cohort of 115 consecutive patients with a cartilage lesion of the knee treated with ACI. Of the patients, 35 had an OCD lesion and 80 a full-thickness cartilage lesion.

Biomechanical Changes of Repair Tissue after Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation at Long-Term Follow-Up.

. This study aims to describe biomechanical maturation process of repair tissue after cartilage repair with autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) at long-term follow-up. .

Assessment of Cartilage Repair Quality With the International Cartilage Repair Society Score and the Oswestry Arthroscopy Score.

The International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) score and the Oswestry Arthroscopic Score (OAS) have been validated to evaluate repair tissue quality. However, the performance of these scores has not been studied in typical patients undergoing cartilage repair and who have lesions of varying sizes. In this study, we compared the performance of the ICRS and the OAS scores and analyzed the effect of lesion characteristics on the performance of these two scores.

Chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in a three-dimensional environment.

Cell therapy combined with biomaterial scaffolds is used to treat cartilage defects. We hypothesized that chondrogenic differentiation bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) in three-dimensional biomaterial scaffolds would initiate cartilaginous matrix deposition and prepare the construct for cartilage regeneration in situ. The chondrogenic capability of human BM-MSCs was first verified in a pellet culture.

Regular physical exercise before entering military service may protect young adult men from fatigue fractures.

Background: Bone stress fractures are overuse injuries commonly encountered in sports and military medicine. Some fatigue fractures lead to morbidity and loss of active, physically-demanding training days. We evaluated the incidence, anatomical location, risk factors, and preventive measures for fatigue fractures in young Finnish male conscripts.

Relationships of leisure-time physical activity and work ability between different occupational physical demands in adult working men.

Purpose: Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is known to be associated with positive health benefits, but the role of occupational physical demands remains inconsistent. The purpose of the current study was to assess the relationship between LTPA and work ability in different occupational physical activity (OPA) levels between young adult men.

Methods: We performed physical activity measurements in work and leisure time with the long version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and work ability with the Work Ability Index (WAI) in 921 Finnish employed male volunteer participants.

Gas-foamed poly(lactide-co-glycolide) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) with bioactive glass fibres demonstrate insufficient bone repair in lapine osteochondral defects.

Deep osteochondral defects may leave voids in the subchondral bone, increasing the risk of joint structure collapse. To ensure a stable foundation for the cartilage repair, bone grafts can be used for filling these defects. Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) is a biodegradable material that improves bone healing and supports bone matrix deposition.

The Importance of Controlled Mismatch of Biomechanical Compliances of Implantable Scaffolds and Native Tissue for Articular Cartilage Regeneration.

Scaffolds for articular cartilage repair have to be optimally biodegradable with simultaneous promotion of hyaline cartilage formation under rather complex biomechanical and physiological conditions. It has been generally accepted that scaffold structure and composition would be the best when it mimics the structure of native cartilage. However, a reparative construct mimicking the mature native tissue in a healing tissue site presents a biological mismatch of reparative stimuli.

Incidence and Risk Factors of Foot and Ankle Disorders in Male Finnish Conscripts.

Introduction: Many studies focusing on musculoskeletal disorders or injuries have been performed in countries where the army is recruited as volunteers. Little is known about foot and ankle disorders among young men in conscript armies.

Materials And Methods: We studied the incidence and risk factors of foot and ankle disorders in 4,029 Finnish army male conscripts of the same age among five different cohorts born in 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, or 1989.

Spinopelvic Parameters and Sagittal Alignment of Symptomatic Degenerative Adult Spinal Disorder Patients With 6 Lumbar Vertebrae.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional, observational study.

Objective: The main objectives of this study were to observe the prevalence of a true L6 among patients with symptomatic adult spinal degeneration, and to evaluate similarities of their radiographic spinopelvic parameters to L5 patients.

Summary Of Background Data: Spinopelvic parameter values used for diagnosis and surgical planning are different between individuals with 5 or 6 lumbar vertebrae.

Whole exome sequencing in Finnish families identifies new candidate genes for osteoarthritis.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disease and one of the major causes of disability worldwide. It is a multifactorial disorder with a significant genetic component. The heritability of OA has been estimated to be 60% for hip OA and 39% for knee OA.

Construct validity and reliability of the Finnish version of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score.

Background: The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) is a commonly used knee assessment and outcome tool in both clinical work and research. However, it has not been formally translated and validated in Finnish. The purpose of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the KOOS questionnaire into Finnish and to determine its validity and reliability among Finnish middle-aged patients with knee injuries.

Critical-sized cartilage defects in the equine carpus.

Aim: The horse joint, due to its similarity with the human joint, is the ultimate model for translational articular cartilage repair studies. This study was designed to determine the critical size of cartilage defects in the equine carpus and serve as a benchmark for the evaluation of new cartilage treatment options.

Material And Methods: Circular full-thickness cartilage defects with a diameter of 2, 4, and 8 mm were created in the left middle carpal joint and similar osteochondral (3.

Quantitative MRI of Human Cartilage In Vivo: Relationships with Arthroscopic Indentation Stiffness and Defect Severity.

Objective To investigate the association of cartilage defect severity, as determined by the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grading with indentation stiffness and T2 relaxation time of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a biomarker for the integrity of articular cartilage. Design Twenty-one patients scheduled for arthroscopic were included in the study. Prior to arthroscopy, subjects underwent quantitative MRI of articular cartilage, namely T2 relaxation time mapping at 1.

Incidence and risk factors of exercise-related knee disorders in young adult men.

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders and injuries are common causes of morbidity and loss of active, physically demanding training days in military populations. We evaluated the incidence, diagnosis, and risk factors of knee disorders and injuries in male Finnish military conscripts.

Methods: The study population comprised 5 cohorts of 1000 men performing their military service, classified according to birth year (1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, and 1989).

Physical Activity Is Related with Cartilage Quality in Women with Knee Osteoarthritis.

Purpose: To study the relationship between 12-month leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) level and changes in estimated biochemical composition of tibiofemoral cartilage in postmenopausal women with mild knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Originally, 87 volunteer postmenopausal women, age 60 to 68 yr, with mild knee OA (Kellgren Lawrence I/II and knee pain) participated in a randomized controlled, 4-month aquatic training trial (RCT), after which 76 completed the 12-month postintervention follow-up period. Self-reported LTPA was collected along the 12-month period using a diary from which MET task hours per month were calculated.