Humeral shaft fractures: a cost-effectiveness analysis of operative versus nonoperative management.

Background: Humeral shaft fractures can be managed operatively or nonoperatively with functional bracing in the absence of neurovascular injury, open fracture, or polytrauma. A consensus on optimal management has not been reached, nor has the cost-effectiveness perspective been investigated.

Methods: A decision tree was constructed describing the management of humeral shaft fractures with open reduction-internal fixation (ORIF), intramedullary nailing (IMN), and functional bracing in a non-elderly population.

The Effect of Oral Contraceptive Hormones on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Strength.

Background: Women are 2 to 9 times more likely to experience an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury than men. Various hormones including relaxin, progesterone, and estrogen influence ACL strength. Oral contraceptives (OCs) alter these hormone levels; however, studies have yet to comprehensively compare different OCs' effects on the ACL.

Effect of Oral Contraceptives on Soft Tissue Injury Risk, Soft Tissue Laxity, and Muscle Strength: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background: Female patients are more likely than male patients to experience various musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries. Because MSK tissues are sensitive to the female hormones relaxin, estrogen, and progesterone, studies have examined whether hormonal contraceptives, which change female hormone levels, can alter the female MSK injury risk. These studies have reached contradictory conclusions, leaving unclear the influence of hormonal contraception on female MSK injury risk.