Infraspinatus Fascial Dysfunction as a Cause of Painful Anterior Shoulder Snapping: Its Visualization via Dynamic Ultrasound and Its Resolution via Diagnostic Ultrasound-Guided Injection.

This report presents the first case of painful anterior shoulder snapping due to a thickened, fibrotic bursa snapping between the subscapularis and the short head of the bicep during external and internal rotation of the humerus. A 46-year-old presented with a 10-month history of on-and-off anterolateral right shoulder pain and snapping. Direct treatment to the anterior suspected lesions partially and temporarily relieved the pain but did not reduce the snapping. Further musculoskeletal examination and dynamic ultrasound scanning showed dysfunction in the scapulothoracic movement and defects of the muscles that interact with the infraspinatus aponeurotic fascia. An ultrasound-guided diagnostic injection to the suspected lesions in the infraspinatus fascia and its muscles attachments improved the scapulothoracic movement, and the snapping and pain were eliminated immediately after the injection, which further shows that the defects in the infraspinatus fascia may be the root cause of the painful anterolateral snapping. The importance of the infraspinatus fascia and its related muscle in maintaining the harmony of the scapulothoracic movement and flexibility of the shoulder is considerable.

Prolotherapy for the Thoracolumbar Myofascial System.

Prolotherapy has focused on entheses as a key source of chronic low back pain, even without clear diagnosis of enthesopathy. Treatment has traditionally been guided by anatomic knowledge and careful palpation. This article integrates ultrasonographic diagnosis of fascial injury with examination findings taught in traditional prolotherapy technique. Thoracolumbar fascial anatomy and biotensegrity theory are used to explain patient presentation and response to treatment at these pathologic findings. Detailed case reports provide proof of concept for the 60-year history of prolotherapy in the treatment of chronic low back pain.

Nonsurgical Resolution of a Bucket Handle Meniscal Tear: A Case Report.

A bucket handle meniscal tear (BHMT) often causes intermittent locking of the affected knee as the displaced fragment flips into the intercondylar notch. Surgical correction is usually required. Rare spontaneous healing of BHMTs has been described, primarily in young patients. This case report describes a 43-year-old man with magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed medial BHMT who received 3 treatments of platelet-rich plasma injections in and around the meniscus within 7 months after the diagnosis of the tear. The patient reported resolution of pain with walking 8 months after the injury. Magnetic resonance imaging 10 months after the injury and arthroscopy 47 months after the injury showed complete resolution of the meniscal tear. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V.

Hyperosmolar dextrose injection for recalcitrant Osgood-Schlatter disease.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential of dextrose injection versus lidocaine injection versus supervised usual care to reduce sport alteration and sport-related symptoms in adolescent athletes with Osgood-Schlatter disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Girls aged 9 to 15 and boys aged 10 to 17 were randomly assigned to either therapist-supervised usual care or double-blind injection of 1% lidocaine solution with or without 12.5% dextrose. Injections were administered monthly for 3 months. All subjects were then offered dextrose injections monthly as needed. Unaltered sport (Nirschl Pain Phase Scale < 4) and asymptomatic sport (Nirschl Pain Phase Scale = 0) were the threshold goals. RESULTS: Sixty-five knees in 54 athletes were treated. Compared with usual care at 3 months, unaltered sport was more common in both dextrose-treated (21 of 21 vs 13 of 22; P = .001) and lidocaine-treated (20 of 22 vs 13 of 22; P = .034) knees, and asymptomatic sport was more frequent in dextrose-treated knees than either lidocaine-treated (14 of 21 vs 5 of 22; P = .006) or usual-care-treated (14 of 21 vs 3 of 22; P < .001) knees. At 1 year, asymptomatic sport was more common in dextrose-treated knees than knees treated with only lidocaine (32 of 38 vs 6 of 13; P = .024) or only usual care (32 of 38 vs 2 of 14; P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest superior symptom-reduction efficacy of injection therapy over usual care in the treatment of Osgood-Schlatter disease in adolescents. A significant component of the effect seems to be associated with the dextrose component of a dextrose/lidocaine solution. Dextrose injection over the apophysis and patellar tendon origin was safe and well tolerated and resulted in more rapid and frequent achievement of unaltered sport and asymptomatic sport than usual care.

Ultrasonography in regenerative injection (prolotherapy) using dextrose, platelet-rich plasma, and other injectants.

Recent advances in ultrasound technology are leading physiatrists to new understandings of pain sources, new treatment options, and the ability to guide soft tissue interventions. This article examines the role of imaging ultrasound in diagnosing soft tissue injury and disease that may respond to regenerative medicine techniques (known as prolotherapy) using injectants such as dextrose, morrhuate sodium, or platelet-rich plasma. The current state of ultrasound evidence for these interventions is reviewed. Case examples assist in understanding clinical applications that currently outpace the evidence base. Development of quantitative ultrasound measures to objectively evaluate soft tissue organization is discussed.

Validation of grayscale-based quantitative ultrasound in manual wheelchair users: relationship to established clinical measures of shoulder pathology.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study is to establish the validity of grayscale-based quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measures of the biceps and supraspinatus tendons. DESIGN: Nine QUS measures of the biceps and supraspinatus tendons were computed from ultrasound images collected from 67 manual wheelchair users. Shoulder pathology was measured using questionnaires, physical examination maneuvers, and a clinical ultrasound grading scale. RESULTS: Increased age, duration of wheelchair use, and body mass correlated with a darker and more homogenous tendon appearance. Subjects with pain during physical examination tests for biceps tenderness and acromioclavicular joint tenderness exhibited significantly different supraspinatus QUS values. Even when controlling for tendon depth, QUS measures of the biceps tendon differed significantly between subjects with healthy tendons, mild tendinosis, and severe tendinosis. Clinical grading of supraspinatus tendon health was correlated with QUS measures of the supraspinatus tendon. CONCLUSIONS: QUS is valid method to quantify tendinopathy and may allow for early detection of tendinosis. Manual wheelchair users are at a high risk for developing shoulder tendon pathology and may benefit from QUS-based research that focuses on identifying interventions designed to reduce this risk.

Shoulder ultrasound abnormalities, physical examination findings, and pain in manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the presence of ultrasound (US) abnormalities in manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) using a quantitative Ultrasound Shoulder Pathology Rating Scale (USPRS). To investigate physical examination (PE) findings using a quantitative Physical Examination of the Shoulder Scale (PESS), and to obtain data about pain and other subject characteristics such as age, years with SCI, and weight. DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: National Veterans' Wheelchair Games 2005 and 2006. PARTICIPANTS: Volunteer sample of manual wheelchair users with SCI participating in the National Veterans' Wheelchair Games. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of relationships between US findings, PE findings, pain, and subject characteristics. RESULTS: The USPRS correlated with age, duration of SCI, and weight (all P<.01), and showed a positive trend with the total Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI) score (r=.258, P=.073). Several US findings related to presence of PE findings for specific structures. The PESS score correlated with the WUSPI (r=.679, P<.001) and duration of SCI (P<.05). The presence of untreated shoulder pain that curtailed activity was noted in 24.5% of subjects, and this was related to increased WUSPI scores (P=.002). CONCLUSIONS: PE and US abnormalities are common in manual wheelchair users with SCI. The USPRS and PESS demonstrated evidence for external validity and hold promise as research tools. Untreated shoulder pain is common in manual wheelchair users with SCI, and further investigation of this pain is indicated.

High-resolution ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging to document tissue repair after prolotherapy: a report of 3 cases.

High-resolution ultrasound imaging of musculoskeletal tissue is increasing in popularity because of patient tolerability, low cost, ability to visualize tissue in real-time motion, and superior resolution of highly organized tissue such as a tendon. Prolotherapy, defined as the injection of growth factors or growth factor production stimulants to grow normal cells or tissue, has been a controversial procedure for decades; it is currently gaining in popularity among physiatrists and other musculoskeletal physicians. This report describes imaging of tendons, ligaments, and medial meniscus disease (from trauma or degeneration). Although these tissues have been poorly responsive to nonsurgical treatment, it is proposed that tissue growth and repair after prolotherapy in these structures can be documented with ultrasound and confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging. Directions for future research application are discussed.