The Passive Mechanical Properties of Muscles and Tendons in Children Affected by Osgood-Schlatter Disease.

BACKGROUND: Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is a sports-related disorder involving apophysitis, which affects the tibial tuberosity. The identification of factors related to OSD is important for its prevention and early recovery from the disease. This study aimed to compare the passive mechanical properties of the muscle-tendon unit in children affected by an OSD and healthy children, by using ultrasound real-time tissue elastography. METHODS: Eighteen legs affected by OSD (OSD group) and 42 healthy legs (control: CON group) were assessed. The elasticity was obtained from the quadriceps muscles and patella tendon (PT) using real-time tissue elastography. The strain ratio (SR; muscle or tendon/reference ratio: strain rate of the muscle or tendon divided by that of the reference material) was calculated as an indicator of the elasticity of the tissue of interest. RESULTS: The SR of the PT in the OSD group was significantly lower than that in the CON group (P<0.05). We found no significant difference between the groups in terms of the SR value of all muscles (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a PT with a lower SR may be associated with an OSD and that the passive mechanical properties of the quadriceps muscles have limited association with an OSD. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Patient compliance with touchdown weight bearing after microfracture treatment of talar osteochondral lesions.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the compliance of our patients with a touchdown weight bearing (without supporting any weight on the affected side by only touching the plantar aspect of the foot to the ground to maintain balance to protect the affected side from mechanical loading) postoperative rehabilitation protocol after treatment of talar osteochondral lesion (TOL). METHODS: Fourteen patients, who had been treated with arthroscopic debridement and microfracture, were followed prospectively. The patients were evaluated for weight bearing compliance with using a stationary gait analysis and feedback system at the postoperative first day, first week, third week, and sixth week. RESULTS: The mean visual analog scale (VAS) scores of the patients at the preoperative, postoperative first day, first week, third week, and sixth weeks were 5.5, 5.9, 3.6, 0.9, and 0.4, respectively. The decrease in VAS scores were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). First postoperative day revealed a mean value of transmitted weight of 4.08% ±0.8 (one non-compliant patient). The mean value was 4.34% ±0.8 at the first postoperative week (two non-compliant patients), 6.95% ±2.3 at the third postoperative week (eight non-compliant patients), and 10.8% ±4.8 at the sixth postoperative week (11 non-compliant patients). In the analysis of data, we found a negative correlation between VAS scores and transmitted weight (Kendall's tau b = -0.445 and p = 0.0228). CONCLUSIONS: Although patients were able to learn and adjust to the touchdown weight bearing gait protocol during the early postoperative period, most patients became non-compliant when their pain was relieved. To prevent this situation of non-compliance, patients should be warned to obey the weight bearing restrictions, and patients should be called for a follow-up at the third postoperative week.

Dolor en el pie y cojera. Osteocondrosis del escafoides tarsiano / Foot pain and limp. Tarsal navicular osteochondrosis

El concepto nosológico de necrosis ósea presupone la existencia de un trastorno circulatorio, aunque este pueda no ser anatómicamente demostrable. La multitud de términos empleados para designar esta entidad demuestra la confusión existente acerca de sus mecanismos y características; incluso el término “necrosis avascular” es erróneo, ya que los vasos siguen estando presentes: el trastorno es circulatorio (funcional), no anatómico (estructural). El término osteocondrosis hace referencia al trastorno isquémico exclusivamente del hueso en crecimiento. El dolor en el pie y la cojera son síntomas comunes de presentación, y cuando la osteocondrosis se localiza en los huesos del pie el diagnóstico puede ser complicado si esa enfermedad no se tiene presente (AU)

The nosologic concept of bony tissue necrosis presupposes the existence of a circulatory derangement, even though this derangement may not be anatomically demonstrable. The multitude of terms used for designating this entity just demonstrate the prevailing confusion regarding its mechanisms and characteristics; even “avascular necrosis”, is erroneous, as the vessels themselves are still present: the derangement is a circulatory (functional), not a structural (anatomic) one. Osteochondrosis is a term used to describe a group of disorders that affect the growing skeleton. Foot pain and a limp are common presenting symptoms, and its diagnosis can be really challenging when ostechondrosis is located on foot bones and this condition is not in our mind (AU)

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.