Epidemiology, identification, treatment and return to play of musculoskeletal-based ice hockey injuries.

UNLABELLED: Ice hockey is a high contact sport where players are inherently at an increased risk for traumatic and time-loss injury. With its increasing popularity and high incidence of injury, further research is necessary to understand the risks and injuries associated with the sport and to develop performance-based outcome measures to guide return to play. This review, tailored to the practicing sports medicine team physician, focuses on the stepwise identification, treatment, time loss, return to play and subsequent risk of injury for the most common areas of injury: the head, shoulder, hip and knee. Injuries were categorised into upper and lower extremity with an emphasis on glenohumeral and acromioclavicular joint injuries, femoroacetabular impingement, medial collateral ligament tears, and high ankle sprains. With return to play a primary goal for these high-level athletes, recovery in ice hockey becomes a complex issue with efficient protocols tailored to the requirements of the sport vital to the athlete and clinician alike. By reviewing the treatments and sport-specific care, athletes can be better managed with the ultimate goal of returning to their preinjury level of play. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

The association between Femoral Tilt and impingement-free range-of-motion in total hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: There is a complex interaction among acetabular component position and antetorsion of the femoral stem in determining the maximum, impingement-free prosthetic range-of-motion (ROM) in total hip arthroplasty (THA). By insertion into the femoral canal, stems of any geometry follow the natural anterior bow of the proximal femur, creating a sagittal Femoral Tilt (FT). We sought to study the incidence of FT as measured on postoperative computed tomography scans and its influence on impingement-free ROM in THA. METHODS: The incidence of the postoperative FT was evaluated on 40 computed tomography scans after cementless THA. With the help of a three-dimensional computer model of the hip, we then systematically analyzed the effects of FT on femoral antetorsion and its influence on calculations for a ROM maximized and impingement-free compliant stem/cup orientation. RESULTS: The mean postoperative FT on CT scans was 5.7° ± 1.8°. In all tests, FT significantly influenced the antetorsion values. Re-calculating the compliant component positions according to the concept of combined anteversion with and without the influence of FT revealed that the zone of compliance could differ by more than 200%. For a 7° change in FT, the impingement-free cup position differed by 4° for inclination when the same antetorsion was used. CONCLUSIONS: A range-of-motion optimized cup position in THA cannot be calculated based on antetorsion values alone. The FT has a significant impact on recommended cup positions within the concept of "femur first" or "combined anteversion". Ignoring FT may pose an increased risk of impingement as well as dislocation.

Impingement Between the Metal Stem and the Ceramic Liner in Total Hip Arthroplasty: The Neck Is Not the Only Place Where Impingement Occurs.

BACKGROUND: It is assumed that impingement between the ceramic liner and the stem increases the possibility of a liner fracture in total hip arthroplasty with a ceramic-on-ceramic bearing. The purpose of this study was to analyze the pattern of the impingement by evaluating the notches (U-shaped indented wear scars engraved on the stem) on radiographs to determine when and where impingement develops and to analyze the factors affecting its occurrence. METHODS: Among the primary total hip arthroplasty cases using a ceramic-on-ceramic bearing performed from November 1997 to December 2003, 244 cases of 197 patients (123 male patients and 74 female patients) that had follow-up of ≥15 years were included. All of the radiographs were examined with special regard to the notches and the cup positions. RESULTS: Notches were detected at 77 sites of 57 cases (23.4%) for the first time between 8 months and 14.8 years after the surgical procedure. They were located on the neck or the shoulder of the stem. Shoulder notches were detected only in the cases with a short-neck head. Shoulder notches were found in 29 cases (20.0% of short-neck cases). Cup inclination was lower (p = 0.01) and anteversion was higher (p = 0.01) in the group with notches than the group without notches. There were 5 cases of ceramic head fracture. One of them experienced another ceramic liner fracture, assumed to be caused by prosthetic shoulder impingement, after the revision surgical procedure. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that impingement between the stem and the ceramic liner occurs in a considerable proportion of patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty not only on the neck but also on the shoulder of the stem. Forceful and abrupt impingement on the stem shoulder can cause ceramic liner fracture. Impingement between the stem shoulder and the ceramic liner should be considered in designing a stem. It seems to be prudent to recommend that patients avoid squatting or sitting cross-legged on the floor as much as possible. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.