The first sport injuries in the history of medicine.

Medical science is as old as human history and the need for disease treatment. Archivists, researchers and historians are collaborating in the project to preserve the documentary inheritance and make the medical science useful to the public. This research aims to identify and analyze the first registered sport injuries in the history of medicine. After a review of the literature, the Homeric epics, the texts of the first historical period of ancient Greece, were identified and analyzed as the texts which contain the first sport injuries in world history.

The use of deep friction massage with olive oil as a means of prevention and treatment of sports injuries in ancient times.

The aim of this research was to analyse the use of olive oil as a means of prevention and treatment of sports injuries in the ancient world. The method adopted was based on a thorough study of Greek and world literature. Writings of major ancient philosophers and physicians such as Hippocrates, Aristotle, Philostratus, and Lucian have been analysed in depth. According to the results, the use of massage, together with olive oil rub, helped to reduce muscle fatigue, to remove lactic acid, and to prevent the occurrence of sports injuries through flexibility provided to the skin of athletes. The therapeutic use of oil in the ancient world was fully recognized; and as a result Athenian athlothetes (sponsors of sporting events) provided free oil to all sport facilities where athletes could make free use of it [1].

Wear debris pseudotumor following total knee arthroplasty: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: In patients who have undergone a total joint replacement, any mass occurring in or adjacent to the joint needs thorough investigation and a wear debris-induced cyst should be suspected. CASE PRESENTATION: An 81-year-old man presented with a painful and enlarging mass at the popliteal fossa and calf of his right knee. He had had a total right knee replacement seven years previously. Plain radiographs showed narrowing of the medial compartment. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic lesion at the postero-medial aspect of the knee joint mimicking popliteal cyst or soft tissue sarcoma. Fine needle aspiration was non-diagnostic. A core-needle biopsy showed metallosis. Intraoperative findings revealed massive metallosis related to extensive polyethylene wear, delamination and deformation. Revision knee and patella arthroplasty was carried out after a thorough debridement of the knee joint. CONCLUSION: Long-term follow-up is critical for patients with total joint replacement for early detection of occult polyethylene wear and prosthesis loosening. In these cases, revision arthroplasty may provide a satisfactory knee function.

Early experience with biodegradable implants in pediatric patients.

UNLABELLED: We retrospectively studied nine children and adolescents with congenital malformations, large reconstruction after tumor excision, fractures and osteotomies of the upper extremity, and hand trauma with bone and soft tissue defects treated by internal synthesis using a biocopolymer of L- and DL-stereoisomers of lactic acid polymers and trimethylenecarbonate. A total of 52 biodegradable implants were placed in bone. At a minimum followup of 7 months (mean, 17 months; range, 7-22 months), wound healing was uncomplicated; local or systemic inflammatory tissue reactions, foreign body reactions, and infections were not observed. Bone healing was complete. Six biodegradable screws broke during insertion because of inadequate drilling and tapping, and three biodegradable screws had to be replaced because of damage to the screw head during assembly with the screwdriver. Biodegradable copolymers of poly-L-lactic-poly-DL-lactic acid and trimethylenecarbonate can be used safely and effectively for reconstruction and fixation of bone in children and adolescents. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Severe upper limb injuries with or without neurovascular compromise in children and adolescents--analysis of 32 cases.

The healing and regeneration capacity of the injured tissues in childhood, adolescence, and adult life differs significantly. As a result, the prognosis of compound injuries of the upper limb in different age groups varies; therefore, the decision making and management of these cases should be age-specific. This article presents a series of 32 patients aged 1.5-14 years, with compound injuries of the upper limb that have been treated in our hospital during the period of the last 6 years. Ten of the above cases involved major vascular lesions that required revascularization or replantation. The injuries were classified according to the SATT (Severity, Anatomy, Topography, Type) classification system. This study shows that the outcome of compound upper limb injuries is age-related, while the SATT classification system is a valuable tool in the decision making process. Further research should be undertaken to determine age group-specific indications for the management of compound upper limb injuries, based on the SATT classification system.

Distal radial and ulnar arteries perforator-based adipofascial flaps for covering hand traumatic defects.

AIM: The clinical value of adipofascial flaps based on distal ulnar or radial-artery perforators is demonstrated in a series of 14 patients with severe hand injuries and significant soft tissue defects requiring coverage. MATERIAL AND METHODS: There were 10 male and 4 female patients, aged between 23 and 72 years. The defects were 7 dorsal, 4 palmar, 1 combined dorsal-palmar, and 2 with thumb or total digit amputation. In the patients with a dorsal defect, the extensor tendons were intact in 2 cases, reconstructed in 2 cases, and reconstructed in 3 cases using silicon rods. Following debridement, a fascial flap based on a distal ulnar (12) or radial (4, 2 primarily and 2 secondarily) artery perforator was fashioned and used to cover the defect. A split thickness skin graft was used to cover the defect and the hand was immobilized for 2 weeks. RESULTS: All cases were followed up for at least 6 months. The donor and recipient sites healed uneventfully, and the functional result was very good in terms of wrist and hand joint range of motion, which approximated the normal rates. The extension or flexion deficit was less than 25 degrees. The esthetic result was satisfactory. Two ulnar flap partial (involving approximately 35% of the area) necroses have been treated using reversed radial-distal perforator flaps. CONCLUSION: The described fascial flaps offer several advantages over other local flaps, and are rather easy to perform and cover effectively both dorsal and palmar hand defects without causing significant functional deficits to the upper limb.