Return to Sport Using Corticosteroid Injections for Knee Pain in Triathletes.

Introduction Despite the prevalence of corticosteroid injections in athletes, little is known about their efficacy in triathletes. We aim to assess attitudes, use, subjective effectiveness, and time to return to sport with corticosteroid injections compared to alternative methods in triathletes with knee pain. Methods This is an observational study during the COVID-19 pandemic. Triathletes answered a 13-question survey posted to three triathlon-specific websites. Results Sixty-one triathletes responded, 97% of whom experienced knee pain at some point in their triathlete career; 63% with knee pain received a corticosteroid injection as treatment (average age 51 years old). The most popular attitude (44.3%) regarding corticosteroid injections was "tried them, with good improvement". Most found the cortisone injection helpful for two to three months (28.6%), or more than one year (28.6%); of individuals who found the injections useful for more than one year, four-eight (50%) had received multiple injections during that same period. After injection, 80.6% returned to sport within one month. The average age of people using alternative treatment methods was 39 years old; most returned to sport within one month (73.7%). Compared to alternative methods, there was an ~80% higher odds of returning to sport within one month using corticosteroid injections; however, this relationship was not significant (OR=1.786, p=0.480, 95% CI:0.448-7.09). Conclusion This is the first study to examine corticosteroid use in triathletes. Corticosteroid use is more common in older triathletes and results in subjective pain improvement. A strong association does not exist for a quicker return to sport using corticosteroid injections compared to alternative methods. Triathletes should be counseled on the timing of injections, duration of side effects, and be aware of potential risks.

Intervertebral disk cyst: a case report.

This case describes a patient who presented with chronic low back pain which developed over the course of 1 year. Imaging revealed a 1.1-cm cystic lesion at the L4-L5 vertebral level posterior to the intervertebral disk. Following both magnetic resonance and computed tomography imaging, diagnosis of intervertebral disk cyst was confirmed by both imaging modalities. A computed tomography-guided aspiration of the lesion was performed, and the patient was given a course of steroid injections with complete resolution of the lesion.

Effect of a consultation teaching behaviour modification on sleep performance in infants: a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a behaviour modification program, taught to parents in a single visit to a trained nurse, in improving sleep performance in newborn infants, Australia. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 268 families with normal newborn infants in the community, recruited between October 1996 and March 1997 from birth notices published in a South Australian daily newspaper. INTERVENTION: A 45-minute consultation with a nurse 2-3 weeks after the birth, including a tutorial discussion on normal sleep patterns in newborn infants, supported by retained written material and, for infants with weight gain < 30 g daily, referral to their usual postnatal care provider. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hours of daytime sleep (0600-1800), night sleep (1800-0600) and total sleep per 24 h; and number of daily records with total sleep >/= 15 h per 24 h, assessed by 7-day sleep diary at ages 6 and 12 weeks. RESULTS: 268 families returned at least one sleep diary (137/171 intervention, 131/175 control), recording 3273 days. Two intervention infants were referred for low weight gain. Total sleep time was 15 h or more per 24 h on 62% of recorded days in the intervention group, compared with 36% in the control group (P < 0.001). At 6 weeks of age, intervention infants slept a mean 1.3 h per day more than control infants (95% CI, 0.95-1.65), comprising a mean 0.5 h more night sleep (95% CI, 0.32-0.69) and 0.8 h more daytime sleep (95% CI, 0.56-1.07). At 12 weeks, intervention infants slept a mean 1.2 h per day more (95% CI, 0.94-2.14), comprising 0.64 h more night sleep (95% CI, 0.19-0.89) and 0.58 h more daytime sleep (95% CI, 0.39-1.03). There was no significant difference in crying time between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: A single consultation supported by written material in the first 3 weeks of a child's life improves sleep performance at 6 weeks of age. This improvement is maintained at 3 months.