Influence of Footwear on Posture and Comfort in Elite Rugby Players.

Influence of footwear on posture in athletes is poorly documented despite its potential impact on biomechanics and injury risk. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of different footwear geometries on comfort and posture on a cohort of 48 elite rugby players. Spine posture was characterized by photogrammetry, while center of pressure was measured by means of a force platform. Three different footwear outsoles architectures (one rugby shoe with flat outsole, one rugby shoe with a 10 mm heel rise and foot arch support, and a running shoe with a 10mm heel rise and foot arch support) were compared to non-shod in randomized order. Then comfort felt at the level of foot and spine was also estimated by subjective questionnaires. Compared to the flat rugby model, both other models induced significantly (p<0.05) greater comfort at the level of foot and spine, a slight shift toward of center of pressure and a spinal posture closer to that observed when non-shod. The footwear geometry influences comfort and posture at the level of the foot as well as spine and should be considered in a dual purpose of injury prevention and performance.

Increased performance in juvenile baboons is consistent with ontogenetic changes in morphology.

OBJECTIVES: In many primates, the greater proportion of climbing and suspensory behaviors in the juvenile repertoire likely necessitates good grasping capacities. Here, we tested whether very young individuals show near-maximal levels of grasping strength, and whether such an early onset of grasping performance could be explained by ontogenetic variability in the morphology of the limbs in baboons. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We quantified a performance trait, hand pull strength, at the juvenile and adult stages in a cross-sectional sample of 15 olive baboons (Papio anubis). We also quantified bone dimensions (i.e., lengths, widths, and heights) of the fore- (n = 25) and hind limb (n = 21) elements based on osteological collections covering the whole development of olive baboons. RESULTS: One-year old individuals demonstrated very high pull strengths (i.e., 200% of the adult performance, relative to body mass), that are consistent with relatively wider phalanges and digit joints in juveniles. The mature proportions and shape of the forelimb elements appeared only at full adulthood (i.e., ≥4.5 years), whereas the mature hind limb proportions and shape were observed much earlier during development. DISCUSSION: These changes in limb performance and morphology across ontogeny may be explained with regard to behavioral transitions that olive baboons experience during their development. Our findings highlight the effect of infant clinging to mother, an often-neglected feature when discussing the origins of grasping in primates. The differences in growth patterns, we found between the forelimb and the hind limb further illustrate their different functional roles, having likely evolved under different ecological pressures (manipulation and locomotion, respectively).

Does autologous leukocyte-platelet-rich plasma improve tendon healing in arthroscopic repair of large or massive rotator cuff tears?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcome of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with the use of leukocyte-platelet-rich plasma (L-PRP) in patients with large or massive rotator cuff tears. METHODS: A comparative cohort of patients with large or massive rotator cuff tears undergoing arthroscopic repair was studied. Two consecutive groups of patients were included: rotator cuff repairs with L-PRP injection (group 1, n = 35) and rotator cuff repairs without L-PRP injection (group 2, n = 35). A double-row cross-suture cuff repair was performed by a single surgeon with the same rehabilitation protocol. Patients were clinically evaluated with the Constant score; Simple Shoulder Test score; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score; and strength measurements by use of a handheld dynamometer. Rotator cuff healing was evaluated by postoperative MRI using the Sugaya classification (type 1 to type 5). RESULTS: We prospectively evaluated the 2 groups at a minimum 2-year follow-up. The results did not show differences in cuff healing between the 2 groups (P = .16). The size of recurrent tears (type 4 v type 5), however, was significantly smaller in group 1 (P = .008). There was no statistically significant difference in the recurrent tear rate (types 4 and 5) between the 2 groups (P = .65). There was no significant difference between group 1 and group 2 in terms of University of California, Los Angeles score (29.1 and 30.3, respectively; P = .90); Simple Shoulder Test score (9.9 and 10.2, respectively; P = .94); Constant score (77.3 and 78.1, respectively; P = .82); and strength (7.5 and 7.0, respectively; P = .51). CONCLUSIONS: In our study the use of autologous L-PRP did not improve the quality of tendon healing in patients undergoing arthroscopic repair of large or massive rotator cuff tears based on postoperative MRI evaluation. The only significant advantage was that the L-PRP patients had smaller iterative tears. However, the functional outcome was similar in the 2 groups of patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, case-control study.

Are multiple platelet-rich plasma injections useful for treatment of chronic patellar tendinopathy in athletes? a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic patellar tendinopathy (PT) is one of the most common overuse knee disorders. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) appears to be a reliable nonoperative therapy for chronic PT. PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical and radiological outcomes of 3 consecutive ultrasound (US)-guided PRP injections for the treatment of chronic PT in athletes. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: A total of 28 athletes (17 professional, 11 semiprofessional) with chronic PT refractory to nonoperative management were prospectively included for US-guided pure PRP injections into the site of the tendinopathy. The same treating physician at a single institution performed 3 consecutive injections 1 week apart, with the same PRP preparation used. All patients underwent clinical evaluation, including the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Patella (VISA-P) score, visual analog scales (VAS) for pain, and Lysholm knee scale before surgery and after return to practice sports. Tendon healing was assessed with MRI at 1 and 3 months after the procedure. RESULTS: The VISA-P, VAS, and Lysholm scores all significantly improved at the 2-year follow-up. The average preprocedure VISA-P, VAS, and Lysholm scores improved from 39 to 94 (P < .001), 7 to 0.8 (P < .0001), and 60 to 96 (P < .001), respectively, at the 2-year follow-up. Twenty-one of the 28 athletes returned to their presymptom sporting level at 3 months (range, 2-6 months) after the procedure. Follow-up MRI assessment showed improved structural integrity of the tendon at 3 months after the procedure and complete return to normal structural integrity of the tendon in 16 patients (57%). Seven patients did not recover their presymptom sporting level (among them, 6 were considered treatment failures): 3 patients returned to sport at a lesser level, 1 patient changed his sport activity (for other reasons), and 3 needed surgical intervention. CONCLUSION: In this study, application of 3 consecutive US-guided PRP injections significantly improved symptoms and function in athletes with chronic PT and allowed fast recovery to their presymptom sporting level. The PRP treatment permitted a return to a normal architecture of the tendon as assessed by MRI.

Anterior femoroacetabular impingement: an update.

Anterior femoroacetabular impingement can cause early hip osteoarthritis. The typical patient is an adult younger than 50 years of age, often with a history of sporting activities. The main symptom is intermittent pain triggered by static flexion (low seats) or dynamic flexion (during sporting or occupational activities that require repeated hip flexion). The characteristic physical finding is pain triggered by placing the hip in internal rotation and 70 to 110° of flexion. In additional to anteroposterior and false-profile radiographs, lateral Dunn or Ducroquet views should be obtained on both sides to visualize the anterior part of the head-neck junction. Instead of being concave, the head-neck junction is either flat or convex, causing a cam effect that damages the labrum and anterosuperior cartilage. Non-sphericity of the femoral head with an anterior ovoid bulge induces a similar cam effect. In pincer impingement, which is less common, over-coverage by the anterosuperior acetabular rim pinches the labrum between the rim and the femoral head-neck junction when the hip is flexed. Pincer impingement is related to acetabular retroversion or protrusion. Arthrography coupled with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging visualizes the morphological abnormalities (e.g., ovoid shape of the femoral head or retroversion of the acetabulum) and detects secondary lesions such as labral tears or separation or damage to the anterosuperior cartilage. Arthroscopy allows removal of the damaged labrum and correction of the morphological abnormalities via femoroplasty to restore the normal concave shape of the neck and/or acetabuloplasty to eliminate over-coverage. Short- or mid-term results are satisfactory in 75 to 80% of patients. However, the presence of degenerative lesions in about two-thirds of patients at the time of arthroplastic surgery limits the probability of achieving good long-term results.

Arthroscopic repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tears: is there tendon healing in patients aged 65 years or older?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess tendon healing and clinical results of rotator cuff tears (RCTs) repaired arthroscopically in patients aged 65 years or older. METHODS: Between January 2001 and December 2004, 88 patients with a mean age of 70 years (range, 65 to 85 years) had arthroscopic RCT repair. The repair was performed on 54 women (61%). The dominant arm was involved in 72 patients (82%). RCT included more than 2 tendons in 45 cases. Functional outcomes were assessed by use of the Constant score and Simple Shoulder Test. Tendon healing was estimated by use of a computed tomography (CT) arthrogram, which was obtained 6 months postoperatively, and was classified into 3 categories: stage 1, watertight and anatomic healing; stage 2, watertight and partial healing; and stage 3, not watertight and retear. RESULTS: The mean duration of follow-up was 41 months (range, 24 to 77 months). The mean clinical outcome scores all improved significantly at the time of the final follow-up (P < .01). Computed tomography arthrogram imaging showed 27 shoulders with a stage 1 repair, 20 with a stage 2 repair, and 34 with a stage 3 repair. The retear rate was 42% (34 of 81). The patients with tendon healing stage 1 or 2 had a significantly superior functional outcome in terms of overall scores and strength compared with the stage 3 repairs (P < .01). In our study we had 39 isolated supraspinatus tears (small or medium tears); 11 (28.9%) had a retear (stage 3). CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopic repair in patients aged 65 years or older can yield tendon healing resulting in significant functional improvement. Our data suggest that arthroscopic repair can be considered successful for the older patient specifically when the tear is limited to the supraspinatus tendon. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic case series.

[Imaging in chronic low back pain: which one and when?]. / Lombalgie chronique: quelle imagerie, et quand la demander?

Non-specific low-back pain (LBP) should de differentiated from symptomatic LBP, attributed to recognisable, known specific pathology (e.g. tumour, infection, inflammatory disease...). The initial clinical history taking should aim at identifying "red flags", associated with a higher risk of serious disorders. Rapid MRI of the spine should be performed in order to make a specific diagnosis. In chronic LBP, X-rays of the spine are always performed, first to rule out underlying specific diagnosis, then to describe degenerative spine changes. At MRI and X-rays, most of degenerative disc abnormalities are non-specific, frequently found in the asymptomatic subjects. On fat-suppressed T2WI, edema of endplates in degenerative disc disease and of posterior arches in facet arthropathy and spondylolysis is well-correlated to LBP. Such edema may be useful to guide the treatment.

The time for functional recovery after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: correlation with tendon healing controlled by computed tomography arthrography.

PURPOSE: We investigated how soon postoperative functional recovery became significant after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and the influence of tendon healing. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study on 114 cases of full-thickness rotator cuff tears arthroscopically repaired from January 2001 to December 2003. All patients were evaluated by the Constant scoring system at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery and at last follow-up. Computed tomography arthrography was done at 6 months postoperatively to study the progression of tendon healing. RESULTS: The Constant score significantly improved from the third month after surgery (P < .0001) until the twelfth month, after which it stabilized (P < .0001). At last follow-up (31 months), the mean score was 80.1 points (range, 50 to 95 points). Female sex (P < .0001), upper-limb heavy work (P < .0001), poor bone quality (P = .039), and absence of healing (P = .002) were negative predictive factors. In particular, the absence of tendon healing leads to a worsening of the results from the twelfth month onward. CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff lesions as performed in this study gives very good results in terms of functional recovery. Our study showed functional recovery as early as 3 months after surgery and further improvement over the first year, followed by stabilization. We found that female sex, upper-limb heavy work, poor bone quality, and lack of tendon healing were all negatively associated with outcome. Patients presenting with a retear differed from the other patients, in that their clinical progression showed a significant rise in the Constant score over the first year, with a lowering of the score thereafter. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic case series.

Prognostic value of early computed tomography in radiculopathy due to lumbar intervertebral disk herniation. A prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the relationship between the early computerized tomography (CT) features of disk herniation and the clinical outcome in patients with recent-onset sciatic or femoral neuralgia treated conservatively. Early CT is often used, despite the absence of data on usefulness for predicting outcomes. METHODS: Of 78 patients with sciatica or femoral neuralgia of less than 1 month's duration, presumably due to a disk herniation, 75 were found by CT to have a disk herniation at the expected level. All patients were treated conservatively. The 60 patients who were reassessed clinically after 3 months were included in the study. Based on the results of the clinical assessment, the patients were classified as having a good outcome (complete or partial recovery) or a poor outcome. CT findings were compared in these two groups. RESULTS: None of the features of disk herniation studied on the CT scans were significantly correlated with the clinical outcome. A larger herniation or presence of a free fragment was more common in the good outcome group, but the differences were not statistically significant (P= 0.07). CONCLUSION: In this study, early CT scan did not predict the clinical outcome of patients with nerve root pain from lumbar disk herniation. None of the CT criteria was associated with a poor clinical outcome. Early CT scan has no prognostic value in this setting.

Percutaneous Biopsy of Musculoskeletal Lesions.

Percutaneous biopsy is a minimally invasive technique that yields a high diagnostic accuracy at a relatively low cost in musculoskeletal lesions, especially tumors and infection. In this article, technical refinements improving the results of percutaneous biopsy of musculoskeletal lesions are reviewed, especially the type of radiological guidance, the different biopsy needles available, and the technique of approach depending on the lesion site. Reported complications, results, and indications of musculoskeletal percutaneous biopsy are also discussed.