Progression of a lumbar disc extrusion.

The patient was a 34-year-old woman who was referred to a physical therapist for a chief complaint of progressively worsening right buttock pain with paresthesias of the right posterior thigh and calf. Prior magnetic resonance imaging of the patient's lumbar spine revealed a large left paracentral disc extrusion at L5-S1. Following physical therapist intervention, the patient reported a new onset of left posterior thigh pain, with paresthesias of the dorsolateral aspect of the left foot. Repeat magnetic resonance imaging of the patient's lumbar spine revealed an increase in the size of the disc extrusion at L5-S1.

Lisfranc injury in a west point cadet.

BACKGROUND: Lisfranc joint injuries are fairly uncommon; however, few injuries hold such an elevated potential for devastating chronic secondary pain and disability. It is imperative when evaluating an injury to the ankle or foot to have a high clinical index of suspicion for Lisfranc injury, as physical examination findings are often subtle. CASE DESCRIPTION: An 18-year-old military cadet reported to a direct-access sports physical therapy clinic with foot pain. Despite negative radiographic findings, there was a high suspicion for Lisfranc injury based on the injury mechanism and physical examination. A computed tomography scan demonstrated an oblique fracture through the base of the third metatarsal, a small marginal fracture at the plantar base of the second metatarsal, and a subtle diastasis. Two days following his injury, he underwent an open reduction and internal fixation, completed subsequent rehabilitation, and returned to full activity approximately 1 year following injury. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis of Lisfranc injuries is imperative for proper management and prevention of a poor functional outcome. If a strong clinical suspicion exists, negative radiographic findings are insufficient to rule out a Lisfranc injury, and therefore, advanced imaging is required.

Forefoot running improves pain and disability associated with chronic exertional compartment syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Anterior compartment pressures of the leg as well as kinematic and kinetic measures are significantly influenced by running technique. It is unknown whether adopting a forefoot strike technique will decrease the pain and disability associated with chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) in hindfoot strike runners. HYPOTHESIS: For people who have CECS, adopting a forefoot strike running technique will lead to decreased pain and disability associated with this condition. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: Ten patients with CECS indicated for surgical release were prospectively enrolled. Resting and postrunning compartment pressures, kinematic and kinetic measurements, and self-report questionnaires were taken for all patients at baseline and after 6 weeks of a forefoot strike running intervention. Run distance and reported pain levels were recorded. A 15-point global rating of change (GROC) scale was used to measure perceived change after the intervention. RESULTS: After 6 weeks of forefoot run training, mean postrun anterior compartment pressures significantly decreased from 78.4 ± 32.0 mm Hg to 38.4 ± 11.5 mm Hg. Vertical ground-reaction force and impulse values were significantly reduced. Running distance significantly increased from 1.4 ± 0.6 km before intervention to 4.8 ± 0.5 km 6 weeks after intervention, while reported pain while running significantly decreased. The Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) significantly increased from 49.9 ± 21.4 to 90.4 ± 10.3, and the Lower Leg Outcome Survey (LLOS) significantly increased from 67.3 ± 13.7 to 91.5 ± 8.5. The GROC scores at 6 weeks after intervention were between 5 and 7 for all patients. One year after the intervention, the SANE and LLOS scores were greater than reported during the 6-week follow-up. Two-mile run times were also significantly faster than preintervention values. No patient required surgery. CONCLUSION: In 10 consecutive patients with CECS, a 6-week forefoot strike running intervention led to decreased postrunning lower leg intracompartmental pressures. Pain and disability typically associated with CECS were greatly reduced for up to 1 year after intervention. Surgical intervention was avoided for all patients.

Effects of forefoot running on chronic exertional compartment syndrome: a case series.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) is a condition that occurs almost exclusively with running whereby exercise increases intramuscular pressure compromising circulation, prohibiting muscular function, and causing pain in the lower leg. Currently, a lack of evidence exists for the effective conservative management of CECS. Altering running mechanics by adopting forefoot running as opposed to heel striking may assist in the treatment of CECS, specifically with anterior compartment symptoms. CASE DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this case series is to describe the outcomes for subjects with CECS through a systematic conservative treatment model focused on forefoot running. Subject one was a 21 y/o female with a 4 year history of CECS and subject two was a 21 y/o male, 7 months status-post two-compartment right leg fasciotomy with a return of symptoms and a new onset of symptoms on the contralateral side. OUTCOME: Both subjects modified their running technique over a period of six weeks. Kinematic and kinetic analysis revealed increased step rate while step length, impulse, and peak vertical ground reaction forces decreased. In addition, leg intracompartmental pressures decreased from pre-training to post-training. Within 6 weeks of intervention subjects increased their running distance and speed absent of symptoms of CECS. Follow-up questionnaires were completed by the subjects at 7 months following intervention; subject one reported running distances up to 12.87 km pain-free and subject two reported running 6.44 km pain-free consistently 3 times a week. DISCUSSION: This case series describes a potentially beneficial conservative management approach to CECS in the form of forefoot running instruction. Further research in this area is warranted to further explore the benefits of adopting a forefoot running technique for CECS as well as other musculoskeletal overuse complaints.

Barefoot-simulating footwear associated with metatarsal stress injury in 2 runners.

Stress-related changes and fractures in the foot are frequent in runners. However, the causative factors, including anatomic and kinematic variables, are not well defined. Footwear choice has also been implicated in contributing to injury patterns with changes in force transmission and gait analyses reported in the biomechanical literature. Despite the benefits of footwear, there has been increased interest among the running community in barefoot running with proposed benefits including a decreased rate of injury. We report 2 cases of metatarsal stress fracture in experienced runners whose only regimen change was the adoption of barefoot-simulating footwear. One was a 19-year-old runner who developed a second metatarsal stress reaction along the entire diaphysis. The second case was a 35-year-old ultra-marathon runner who developed a fracture in the second metatarsal diaphysis after 6 weeks of use of the same footwear. While both stress injuries healed without long-term effects, these injuries are alarming in that they occurred in experienced male runners without any other risk factors for stress injury to bone. The suspected cause for stress injury in these 2 patients is the change to barefoot-simulating footwear. Runners using these shoes should be cautioned on the potential need for gait alterations from a heel-strike to a midfoot-striking pattern, as well as cautioned on the symptoms of stress injury.

Risk factors for syndesmotic and medial ankle sprain: role of sex, sport, and level of competition.

BACKGROUND: Syndesmotic and medial ankle sprains constitute up to 15% of all ankle sprains in athletic populations and can result in significant time lost to injury and long-term disability. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to estimate the rate of syndesmotic and medial ankle sprain injuries and identify risk factors associated with these injuries within the physically active cadet population at the United States Military Academy (USMA). STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: The Cadet Illness and Injury Tracking System (CIITS) database at USMA was queried for all ankle injuries between 2005 and 2009. Sex, level of competition, and exposure to sport were among risk factors analyzed. RESULTS: Among 20 336 person-years, 1206 cadets sustained ankle sprain. Syndesmotic (6.7%) and medial (5.1%) ankle sprains had an incidence rate (IR) of 4.8 and 3.5 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Compared with women, men were 3 times more likely to experience medial ankle sprain (IR ratio [IRR] 3.37; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05, 10.74], but there was no difference in rate of syndesmotic sprains by sex (IRR 1.06; 95% CI: 0.58, 1.95). Athletics accounted for 81% of syndesmotic sprains and 64% of medial sprains. Sprint football (52.3), team handball (men's, 34.7), soccer (men's, 30.5; women's, 6.5), and basketball (men's, 24.8; women's, 6.7) had the highest syndesmotic IR per 100 000 athlete-exposures. Medial sprain IR was highest in men's rugby (16.6) and gymnastics (14.0). When analyzed by athlete-exposure, male intercollegiate athletes had a greater risk of syndesmotic sprain than their female counterparts (3.53; 95% CI: 1.26, 9.83). Furthermore, intercollegiate level of competition had an increased risk of syndesmotic sprain when compared with intramural level (IRR 2.41; 95% CI: 1.03, 5.65). CONCLUSION: Male athletes have an over threefold greater risk of medial ankle sprain. Male sex and higher level of competition are risk factors for syndesmotic ankle sprain during athletics.

Biomechanical comparison of screws and plates for hallux valgus opening-wedge and Ludloff osteotomies.

BACKGROUND: The optimal osteotomy type and fixation method for hallux valgus correction have not been defined. This study examined the mechanical properties of corrective opening-wedge and Ludloff oblique osteotomies under conditions approximating postoperative weight-bearing. METHODS: Twenty-nine pairs of fresh-frozen metatarsals were divided into three groups. In Group 1, headless screws were compared with standard cortical screws for Ludloff osteotomy fixation. In Groups 2 and 3, Ludloff osteotomies fixed with headless screws were compared with opening-wedge osteotomies fixed with non-locking and locking plates, respectively. Constructs underwent dorsally-directed cantilever loading for 1000 cycles. FINDINGS: No significant differences in angulation or stiffness were demonstrable in Group 1. In Group 2, Ludloff/headless screw construct stiffness exceeded non-locking plate construct stiffness. The mean angulation on the 1000th load cycle was greater for plates than for Ludloff/headless screws. In Group 3, locking plate construct stiffness and angulation did not differ from Ludloff/headless screws in early cyclic loading, but fixation failure of the locking plate constructs was common. INTERPRETATION: The results indicate that screw type for Ludloff fixation may be left to surgeon preference and that opening-wedge plates exhibit mechanical properties inferior to that of the Ludloff osteotomy under the tested conditions. Lateral cortex continuity and bone density remain important factors in the performance of opening-wedge osteotomies.