Extracorporeal shockwave therapy for degenerative meniscal tears results in a decreased T2 relaxation time and pain relief: An exploratory randomized clinical trial.

Purpose: The optimal management of degenerative meniscal tears remains controversial. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has been shown to promote tissue repair in both preclinical and clinical studies; however, its effect on degenerative meniscal tears remains unknown. This study aimed to examine whether ESWT improves meniscal degeneration.

The Usefulness of Posterior Shiny Corner Lesions in the Early Diagnosis of Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Tears.

Introduction:  Posterior shiny corner lesions (PSCLs) have been reported to be useful for the early diagnosis of medial meniscus posterior root tears (MMPRTs) in surgical patients. However, the usefulness of PSCLs in outpatients, particularly regarding the optimal timing of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations after injury, remains unknown. We hypothesized that PSCLs would normally be observed in patients with MMPRTs within one month of injury.

Protective Effects of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy on the Degenerated Meniscus in a Rat Model.

Background: Loss of meniscal function in association with degenerative changes affects the development and progression of knee osteoarthritis, for which there is currently no effective treatment. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is an established treatment for musculoskeletal disorders. However, the therapeutic effect of ESWT on meniscal degeneration remains unclear.

Postoperative Medial Tilting of the Joint Line and Preoperative Kinematics Influence Postoperative Medial Pivot Pattern Reproduction in Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Reproducing the medial pivot pattern after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is known to improve patient satisfaction. However, the factors affecting the postoperative medial pivot pattern in TKA are controversial. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors affecting the postoperative medial pivot pattern in posterior-stabilized TKA.

Insufficient restoration of meniscal extrusion by transtibial pullout repair for medial meniscus posterior root tears.

Purpose: The long-term changes in the dynamics of the medial meniscus after transtibial pullout repair for medial meniscus posterior root tears (MMPRTs) are not completely understood. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of transtibial pullout repair on MMPRTs and whether the effects would be sustained.

Methods: Nineteen knees with MMPRTs that were treated by trans-tibial pullout repair were enrolled in this study.

Deep Infrapatellar Bursitis in Preadolescent Baseball Players: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Deep infrapatellar bursitis (DIB) has been detected in cases of Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD). However, the clinical implications of DIB in the apophyseal stage, during the period when OSD has not yet developed, remain unclear.

Purpose: To investigate the factors related to DIB in the apophyseal stage in preadolescent baseball players.

Medial meniscus extrusion as a predictor for a poor prognosis in patients with spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee.

Background: Risk factors for the progression of spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee (SONK) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of the meniscus and the prognosis of SONK.

Methods: A total of 78 consecutive patients (female 85%; mean age 75.

Hallux valgus deformity and postural sway: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Hallux valgus deformity has been reported to be associated with increased postural sway. However, the direction and magnitude of postural sway associated with hallux valgus remain inconclusive. We assessed the association between hallux valgus deformity and postural sway using a force plate.

Sagittal Inclination Angle of Graft Is Associated With Knee Stability After Anatomic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Purpose: To evaluate whether the sagittal inclination angle (SIA) of a graft is associated with postoperative knee stability after anatomic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Methods: All patients who had undergone anatomic ACL reconstruction between April 2014 and September 2015 in addition to volunteers with no history of knee injury were eligible for inclusion in this study. The patients were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging of the knee in full extension at 1 year after surgery, as were volunteers.

Patient-reported evaluation on giving way is important for return to preinjury activity level after Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction.

Purpose: The present study evaluated the rate of returning to the preinjury level of competitive sports after ACLR and influential factors.

Methods: After excluding composite ligament injury cases, 96 patients with a Tegner activity score of ≥ 6 who were managed between April 2015 and March 2016 and had been followed for ≥ 2 years were included in the present study. The patients were evaluated for instability, and the following data were collected: second-look arthroscopy findings, muscle strength, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score (follow-up rate: 88.

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Accelerates the Healing of a Meniscal Tear in the Avascular Region in a Rat Model.

Background: The treatment of meniscal tears in the avascular region remains a clinical challenge. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a minimally invasive, safe, and effective therapy for various orthopaedic disorders. However, the therapeutic effect of ESWT on meniscal tears has not been reported.

Relationship Between Lower Limb Tightness and Practice Time Among Adolescent Baseball Players With Symptomatic Osgood-Schlatter Disease.

Background: Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is characterized by traction apophysitis of the tibial tuberosity. Few studies on symptomatic and asymptomatic OSD have correlated findings with clinical examination.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between lower limb tightness and practice time among adolescent baseball players with symptomatic OSD.

The relationship between the clinical results and the remnant type following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using a hamstring tendon.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlations among the preoperative and postoperative knee laxity, the clinical results, and the type of remnant tissue following the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Methods: One hundred ninety-two patients (male, n = 101; female, n = 91; mean age, 27.1 years) with ACL-deficient knees who had undergone double-bundle reconstruction were included.

The Effect of Remnant Tissue Preservation in Anatomic Double-Bundle ACL Reconstruction on Knee Stability and Graft Maturation.

Several investigators have developed anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions (ACLR) with remnant tissue preservation (RTP) and have reported better clinical outcomes. However, the effects of RTP remain controversial. To date, no reports have compared both clinical and radiological outcomes of anatomic double-bundle ACLR using the hamstring tendon and outside-in technique with/without RTP.

A Case of Infrapatellar Fat Pad Ganglion of the Knee.

Introduction: A ganglion cyst can induce symptoms around the knee and should be considered as an intra-articular mass in differential diagnosis.

Case Presentation: A 22-year-old female presented with a persistent medial knee joint pain in her left knee for 2 years. There was soft tissue swelling on the anteromedial aspect of the infrapatellar region on her left knee.

Evaluation of muscle activity just after straight leg raising exercise by using FDG-PET.

Background: Exercise therapy is one of the recognized treatment methods for knee osteoarthritis (KOA). One such exercise technique, straight leg raising (SLR), is widely known as a home exercise method for strengthening the quadriceps femoris muscle. However, whether this exercise truly strengthens the quadriceps is not known.

The remnant preservation technique reduces the amount of bone tunnel enlargement following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between postoperative tunnel enlargement after ACLR and remnant tissue preservation using the hamstring tendon.

Methods: One hundred and ninety-two subjects (male, n = 101; female, n = 91; mean age 27.1) who had undergone double-bundle ACL reconstruction were included in the present study.

Factors affecting knee laxity following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using a hamstring tendon.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between the pre-operative and intraoperative factors that predict postoperative knee laxity following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using a hamstring tendon.

Methods: The subjects included 108 patients (male, n=49; female, n=59) with ACL-deficient knees who had undergone double-bundle reconstruction. The median time between injury and surgery (TBIS) was 27.

Shear wave velocity measurement of upper trapezius muscle by color Doppler shear wave imaging.

Purpose: Skeletal muscle stiffness is thought to be the result of increased tissue hardness, but measurement accuracy has been dependent on operator technique. We have proposed a novel shear wave real-time imaging method (color Doppler shear wave imaging: CD SWI) with continuous shear waves excited from the tissue surface by a mechanical vibrator.

Methods: Using the method, shear wave velocity was measured for the upper trapezius muscle.

Patient age as a preoperative factor associated with tunnel enlargement following double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using hamstring tendon autografts.

Purpose: A few studies have detected associations of post-operative tunnel enlargement with sex, age, and the timing of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between post-operative tunnel enlargement following ACLR using hamstring tendon autografts and preoperative factors. The authors hypothesized that tunnel enlargement is associated with age in patients undergoing ACLR.

Predictors of Bone Status by Quantitative Ultrasound Measurements in a Mountain Village in Japan.

Background: It seems to be important to recognize predictors of bone health condition in Japanese super-aged society. The purpose of this study was to investigate predictors of the speed of sound (SOS) of calcaneus by quantitative ultrasound measurements of mountain village residents.

Materials And Methods: Medical examinations were conducted on 214 participants (69 men, 145 women; average age of 63.

Bone turnover markers and the factors associated with atypical femur fractures among Japanese patients.

Many previous reports have indicated that atypical femur fractures (AFFs) are associated with the administration of bisphosphonates (BPs). A number of risk factors and hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis of AFFs have been reported to date. The purpose of the present study was to identify the factors associated with AFFs in Japanese individuals and to elucidate the association between bone metabolism and AFFs by evaluating bone turnover markers (BTMs).

Relationship between knee osteoarthritis and the locomotive syndrome risk tests: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To determine the relationship between locomotive syndrome (LS) risk tests and knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Study Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.

Methods: In 2015, 225 people (male 84, females 141, mean age 67.

Relation between the stand-up test and gait speed, knee osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis using calcaneal quantitative ultrasound - Cross-sectional study.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to clarify the relationship between the stand-up test and gait speed, knee osteoarthritis (OA), and osteoporosis using calcaneal quantitative ultrasound.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: A total of 185 subjects (55 men, 130 women) aged ≥40 years (mean age, 63.