A Systematic Review and Appraisal of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Musculoskeletal Soft Tissue Injuries and Conditions.

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are published by several sports medicine institutions. A systematic evaluation can help identify the highest quality CPGs for clinical use and identify any deficiencies that remain. PURPOSE: To identify and appraise CPGs relevant to clinical sports medicine professionals. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: Predetermined selection criteria were utilized by 2 reviewers who independently identified published CPGs before January 1, 2014. CPGs were excluded if they focused on injured workers, radiological criteria, medical pathology, or the axial skeleton (back/neck). The remaining guidelines were scored by 6 reviewers with different clinical backgrounds using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II). Scores lower than 50% indicated deficiency. Scores were also stratified by the publishing institution and anatomic location and compared using Kruskal-Wallis tests. The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to assess the range of interobserver agreement between the evaluators. RESULTS: Seventeen CPGs met the inclusion criteria. The majority of guidelines pertained to the knee, ankle, or shoulder. Interobserver agreement was strong ( r = 0.548-0.740), and mean total scores between nonsurgical (107.8) and surgical evaluators (109.3) were not statistically different. Overall guideline quality was variable but not deficient for 16 of 17 guidelines (>50%), except regarding clinical "applicability" and "editorial independence." No difference was found between CPGs of the knee, shoulder, foot/ankle, or chronic conditions. However, CPG publishing institutions had significantly different scores; the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) guidelines scored significantly higher (141.4) than the total mean score (108.0). CONCLUSION: The overall quality of sports medicine CPGs was variable but generally not deficient, except regarding applicability and editorial independence. Bias through poor editorial independence is a concern. To improve future guideline quality, authors should pay particular attention to these areas and use existing highest quality guidelines, or the AGREE II instrument, as templates. CPGs dedicated to anatomic areas other than the knee, ankle, and shoulder are needed.

Perceived personal importance of exercise and fears of re-injury: a longitudinal study of psychological factors related to activity after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Psychological perceptions are increasingly being recognized as important to recovery and rehabilitation post-surgery. This research longitudinally examined perceptions of the personal importance of exercise and fears of re-injury over a three-year period post anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Stability and change in psychological perceptions was examined, as well as the association of perceptions with time spent in different types of physical activity, including walking, household activities, and lower and higher risk for knee injury activities. METHODS: Participants were athletes, 18-40 years old, who underwent ACL reconstruction for first-time ACL injuries. They were recruited from a tertiary care centre in Toronto, Canada. Participants completed interviewer-administered questionnaires pre-surgery and at years one, two and three, postoperatively. Questions assessed demographics, pain, functional limitations, perceived personal importance of exercise, fear of re-injury and physical activities (i.e., walking; household activities; lower risk for knee injury activities; higher risk for knee injury activities). Analyses included fixed-effect longitudinal modeling to examine the association of a fear of re-injury and perceived personal importance of exercise and changes in these perceptions with the total hours spent in the different categories of physical activities, controlling for other factors. RESULTS: Baseline participants were 77 men and 44 women (mean age = 27.6 years; SD = 6.2). At year three, 78.5% of participants remained in the study with complete data. Fears of re-injury decreased over time while personal importance of exercise remained relatively stable. Time spent in walking and household activities did not significantly change with ACL injury or surgery. Time spent in lower and higher risk of knee injury physical activity did not return to pre-injury levels at three years, post-surgery. Greater time spent in higher risk of knee injury activities was predicted by decreases in fears of re-injury and by greater personal importance of exercise. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights not only fears of re-injury, which has been documented in previous studies, but also the perceived personal importance of exercise in predicting activity levels following ACL reconstructive surgery. The findings can help in developing interventions to aid individuals make decisions about physical activities post knee injury and surgery.

The epidemiology of revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the rate of and risk factors for re-revision, reoperation, and readmission after revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is limited. PURPOSE: To determine the rate of and risk factors for re-revision, reoperation, and readmission after revision ACLR. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. METHODS: All patients who underwent first revision ACLR in Ontario, Canada, from January 2004 to December 2010 were identified and followed until December 2012. Exclusions included age <16 years, previous osteotomy, or multiligament knee reconstruction. The main outcome was re-revision ACLR. Secondary outcomes included reoperation (irrigation and debridement [I&D], meniscectomy, manipulation under anesthesia, contralateral ACLR, and total knee arthroplasty) and readmission. Survival to re-revision was determined using the Kaplan-Meier approach. A Cox proportional hazards model or logistic regression were used to determine the influence of patient, surgical, and provider factors on outcomes. A post hoc analysis was performed to determine the influence of the aforementioned factors on postoperative infection risk. RESULTS: Overall, 827 patients were included (median age, 30 years; 58.8% males). Single-stage revisions comprised 92.9% of cases, and a meniscal procedure (repair or debridement) was performed in 45.3% of cases. The re-revision rate at a mean follow-up of 4.8 ± 2.2 years was 4.4%, and the 5-year survival rate was 95.4%. The rates of I&D, meniscectomy, contralateral ACLR, and readmission were 0.8%, 3.1%, 3.4%, and 4.1%, respectively. Manipulation under anesthesia and total knee arthroplasty were rare. Young age significantly increased contralateral ACLR risk (risk decreased by 5.1% with each year of age >16 years; P = .02) but not re-revision ACLR risk. Low surgeon's annual volume of revision ACLR (<4 revisions/year: odds ratio, 1.2; P = .02) and male sex (odds ratio, 13.3; P = .01) significantly increased overall infection risk; male sex also influenced I&D risk. CONCLUSION: Re-revision, reoperation, and readmission rates after revision ACLR were low, and the risk for I&D, infection, and contralateral ACLR were influenced by male sex, low surgeon volume, and young age, respectively. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This is the first study to determine morbidity rates and risk factors after revision ACLR, providing reference data from the general population.

Anatomic Bankart repair compared with nonoperative treatment and/or arthroscopic lavage for first-time traumatic shoulder dislocation.

PURPOSE: The objective of this systematic review was to determine the efficacy of anatomic Bankart repair in patients with a first-time shoulder dislocation compared with either arthroscopic lavage or traditional sling immobilization. METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, and a clinical trials registry for ongoing and completed randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing anatomic Bankart repair with either rehabilitation or arthroscopic lavage. Two reviewers selected studies for inclusion, assessed methodologic quality, and extracted data. Pooled analyses were performed by use of a random-effects model, and risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed. RESULTS: We included 3 randomized trials and 1 quasi-randomized trial comprising 228 patients. Of the included trials, 2 compared anatomic Bankart repair with sling immobilization whereas 2 compared Bankart repair with arthroscopic lavage. A meta-analysis of all 4 trials showed that the rate of recurrent instability was significantly lower among participants undergoing anatomic Bankart repair compared with those undergoing either immobilization or arthroscopic lavage (RR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.33). Subgroup analysis showed that this effect persisted when Bankart repair was compared with arthroscopic lavage alone (2 studies) (RR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.31) or sling immobilization alone (2 studies) (RR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.67). Western Ontario Shoulder Instability scores were better with anatomic Bankart repair compared with either arthroscopic lavage or immobilization (2 studies) (mean difference, -232; 95% CI, -317 to -146). CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence to suggest treatment of young patients with a first-time shoulder dislocation with anatomic Bankart repair with the goal of lowering the rate of recurrent instability over the long-term and improving short-term quality of life. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, systematic review of Level I and II studies.

Understanding and preventing noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries: a review of the Hunt Valley II meeting, January 2005.

The incidence of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in young to middle-aged athletes remains high. Despite early diagnosis and appropriate operative and nonoperative treatments, posttraumatic degenerative arthritis may develop. In a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia (January 2005), sponsored by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, a group of physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, biomechanists, epidemiologists, and other scientists interested in this area of research met to review current knowledge on risk factors associated with noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries, anterior cruciate ligament injury biomechanics, and existing anterior cruciate ligament prevention programs. This article reports on the presentations, discussions, and recommendations of this group.

Inflammatory cytokine profiles associated with chondral damage in the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee.

PURPOSE: Patients with chronic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency are at high risk of articular cartilage damage and the development of osteoarthritis (OA). It has been hypothesized that biochemical factors, such as cytokines, contribute to the process. The purpose of our study was to determine the concentrations of potentially chondrodestructive and chondroprotective cytokines in the chronic ACL-deficient knee, and to determine if the cytokine profile or other factors correlated with the amount of chondral damage present in the knee. TYPE OF STUDY: A consecutive series of patients who consented to the Institutional Review Board-approved study. METHODS: Synovial fluid lavages were obtained from 31 patients with ACL-deficient knees. Four patients had lavages aspirated from their contralateral normal knee. These lavages were analyzed for interleukin (IL)-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-1ra, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. At arthroscopy, the amount of chondral damage was graded based on the Outerbridge classification. RESULTS: Concentrations of chondrodestructive IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were significantly higher in patients with ACL ruptures than in the contralateral normal knees. The more severe the chondral damage, the higher the concentration of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha. Chondroprotective cytokine concentrations decreased with increasing grades of chondral damage. We found a linear correlation between the severity of chondral damage and the time from injury (r2 = .954). CONCLUSIONS: A difference was seen in the cytokine profiles between the normal and injured knees. This difference varied based on the severity of chondral damage, which was associated with time from injury. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Cytokine levels are associated with chondral damage.

Diagnosis of recurrent meniscal tears: prospective evaluation of conventional MR imaging, indirect MR arthrography, and direct MR arthrography.

PURPOSE: To prospectively investigate the accuracy of conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, direct MR arthrography, and indirect MR arthrography in assessment of possible recurrent or residual meniscal tears. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred sixty-four patients who had previously undergone meniscal preservation surgery were prospectively examined with conventional MR imaging, indirect MR arthrography, and direct MR arthrography. Ninety-four patients (104 postoperative menisci) underwent subsequent second-look arthroscopic surgery. Each case was evaluated for (a) surfacing intrameniscal intermediate- or T1-weighted signal intensity, (b) surfacing intrameniscal T2-weighted signal intensity, (c) morphologic changes beyond those expected postoperatively, (d) joint effusion on conventional MR or indirect MR arthrographic studies, and (e) overall presence or absence of recurrent meniscal tear. RESULTS: Seventy-one arthroscopically proved recurrent meniscal tears were found. In the diagnosis of recurrent meniscal tears, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 86%, 67%, 83%, 71%, and 80%, respectively, for conventional MR imaging; 83%, 78%, 90%, 64%, and 81%, respectively, for indirect MR arthrography; and 90%, 78%, 90%, 78%, and 85%, respectively, for direct MR arthrography. No significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy of one method relative to another was observed (P >.54). Surfacing intrameniscal T2-weighted signal intensity was the most specific sign, with the highest positive predictive value of a recurrent tear. CONCLUSION: Although a small incremental increase in accuracy is associated with the use of direct MR arthrography over conventional MR imaging and indirect MR arthrography, no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy among the three techniques was demonstrated for detection of recurrent or residual meniscal tear.