SPORTS INJURIES OF THE UPPER LIMBS.

Sports injuries of the upper limbs are very common in physical activities and therefore, they need to be studied in detail, taking into consideration specific aspects of the types of sports practiced. Special attention should be paid to the dynamics of the shoulder girdle and the entire scapular belt, since the most appropriate treatment for athletes can only be provided in this manner. This can also help to prevent recurrences, which can occur in some cases because athletes always seek to return to their pre-injury level of sports activity.

Shoulder functional ratio in elite junior tennis players.

Objective: To evaluate shoulder rotation strength and compare the functional ratio between shoulders of elite junior tennis players.

Design: This cross-sectional study evaluated muscular rotation performance of 40 junior tennis players (26 male and 14 female) with an isokinetic dynamometer.

Main Outcome Measures: Strength variables of external (ER) and internal rotators (IR) in concentric and eccentric modes were considered.

Stress reaction of the humerus in tennis players.

Background: Overuse injuries are a frequent occurrence among competitive athletes. When analysing the incidence of overuse injuries in tennis players, it has been determined that a significant number of these injures occur in the upper limb area. In this study, we describe five cases of a stress-induced injury to the middle and distal humerus occurring mainly due to repetitive serving.

Descriptive profile of hip rotation range of motion in elite tennis players and professional baseball pitchers.

Background: Repetitive loading to the hip joint in athletes has been reported as a factor in the development of degenerative joint disease and intra-articular injury. Little information is available on the bilateral symmetry of hip rotational measures in unilaterally dominant upper extremity athletes.

Hypothesis: Side-to-side differences in hip joint range of motion may be present because of asymmetrical loading in the lower extremities of elite tennis players and professional baseball pitchers.

An anatomic study of the iliotibial tract.

Purpose: To identify the structure of the iliotibial tract at knee level, as well as its insertions, layer arrangement, and relationship with other structures of the lateral region of the knee and to compare the findings with available literature.

Methods: Ten detailed anatomic dissections were performed by using incisions as recommended by the literature in fresh cadaver knees identifying the iliotibial tract components.

Results: The authors observed an iliotibial tract arrangement in superficial, deep, and capsular-osseous layers.

The arthroscopic treatment of osteochondritis dissecans of the knee with autologous bone sticks.

Purpose: To present a new surgical technique for the fixation of partial dislocated osteochondral fragments in athletes with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the knee.

Type Of Study: Retrospective case series.

Methods: Autologous bone sticks were taken from the ipsilateral tibial metaphysis and used in the arthroscopic fixation of unilateral osteochondritis dissecans of the knee in 11 patients (5 female and 6 male).