Musculoskeletal Overuse Injuries in the Pediatric Population.

In pediatric patients, musculoskeletal overuse injuries are common clinical complaints. Recently, the number of youth who are engaged in formal competition has increased. A National Council of Youth Sports survey found that 60 million children aged 6 to 18 yr participate in some form of organized athletics. Surveillance reporting systems, such as the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance System and the High School Reporting Information Online (high school RIO), an Internet-based sports injury surveillance tool, have suggested an increase in the rates of overuse injuries. This article will focus on potential risk factors for overuse injuries, including those that are intrinsic and extrinsic in youth athletes. We also make note of some of the more common overuse injuries seen in the outpatient clinical setting, their diagnoses, and treatment based on current evidence-based literature.

Development and validation of a celiac disease quality of life instrument for North American children.

OBJECTIVE: Given the social constraints imposed by a gluten-free diet, it can be hypothesized that children with celiac disease (CD) living in the United States have a reduced health-related quality of life (HRQOL); however, there is no validated CD-specific HRQOL instrument for children living in the United States. The goals of this study were to develop and validate a CD-specific HRQOL instrument for children 8 to 18 years of age with CD and to report HRQOL in these children using both generic- and disease-specific instruments. METHODS: This was a prospective study using focus group methodology to develop a CD-specific HRQOL instrument that was then administered to children 8 to 18 years of age with CD living throughout the United States. Instrument validation methods included construct, convergent, and divergent validities. RESULTS: Two instruments were developed: CD-specific pediatric HRQOL instrument (CDPQOL) 8 to 12 and CDPQOL 13 to 18. A total of 181 children with CD completed the CDPQOL as well as a comparator generic instrument. Exploratory factor analysis restructured the CDPQOL and reduced the total number of items. The CDPQOL showed a moderate agreement with the Psychosocial dimensions of the generic instrument confirming convergent validity and low-to-moderate agreement with the Physical Health Summary dimension of the generic instrument confirming divergent validity. CONCLUSIONS: The CDPQOL, consisting of 13 to 17 questions, is a validated instrument for the measurement of HRQOL in children 8 to 18 years of age with CD living in the United States.

Stress Injuries of the Knee.

Stress injuries to the bone and physis of the knee are common in the active adolescent patient and can be broken down into bone stress injuries (BSIs) and chronic physeal stress injuries. BSIs result from prolonged, repetitive bone loading, whereas chronic physeal stress injuries develop from repetitive loading to the apophysis or epiphysis. Most stress injuries of the knee resolve with relative rest but will occasionally need surgical intervention in more severe cases. Early and accurate identification is paramount for optimal management and to avoid long-term consequences.

Serum creatine kinase elevations in ultramarathon runners at high altitude.

OBJECTIVES: Creatine kinase (CK) is a sensitive enzyme marker for muscle damage in athletes. Elevated CK levels have been reported in many endurance physical activities. The consequence and possible long-term sequela of the CK elevation in athletes is unknown. There is a paucity of literature stating actual numerical values of CK associated with competing in an ultramarathon with extreme environmental conditions. Our hypothesis was that the serum CK levels increase significantly as a result of running a 161 km ultramarathon at high altitude. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of participants of the Leadville 100 ultramarathon race in Leadville, Colorado at high altitude (2800-3840 m) in August 2014. We collected blood samples from sixty-four volunteer runners before and eighty-three runners immediately after the race. RESULTS: Out of 669 athletes who started the race, 352 successfully completed the race in less than the 30-hour cut-off time (52%). The majority of runners were male (84%). We were able to collect both pre- and post-race blood samples from 36 runners. Out of these 36 runners, the mean pre-race CK was increased from 126 ± 64 U/L to 14,569 ± 14,729 U/L (p < 0.001). There was a weak linear correlation between lower sodium levels and higher CK levels post-race (p = 0.003; R2 = 0.10). Using a multiple regression model, other than a negative correlation between sodium and CK levels (p = 0.001), there were no statistically significant correlations between post-race CK levels and athletes' age, BMI, or finishing time. CONCLUSIONS: Significant elevation of CK level occurs as a result of running ultramarathons. The majority of athletes with significantly elevated CK levels were asymptomatic and required no major medical attention.