Clinical assessment of antero-medial rotational knee laxity: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: To inventory the examination methods available to assess antero-medial rotational laxity (AMRL) of the knee following medial collateral ligament injury. METHODS: Searches were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and using four online databases: WEB OF SCIENCE, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and AMED. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme guidelines for Diagnostic Test Studies were used for the quality assessment of the articles. RESULTS: A total of 2241 articles were identified from the database searches. From this, four articles were included in the final review. All were case-control studies, considered a combined ACL/MCL injury and had small study populations. Specialised equipment was required in all studies, and one needed additional imaging support before measurements could be taken. Two employed commercially available measuring equipment as part of the assessment process. CONCLUSION: Clinical assessment of AMRL in relation to a MCL injury remains challenging. Although methods have been developed to support clinical examination, they are limited by a number of factors, including the need for additional time in the clinical environment when setting up equipment, the need for specific equipment to produce and measure rotational movement and imaging support. In addition, there are patient safety concerns from the repeated imaging. A reliable and valid clinical examination remains to be found to truly assess antero-medial rotational laxity of the knee. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

The morphology and symptom history of the Achilles tendons of figure skaters: an observational study.

This cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence of Achilles tendinopathy symptoms and ultrasound (US) abnormalities in male and female ice skaters, and compared this to age-matched controls. The 20 skaters of mean (sd) age 17.3 (7.9) were recruited from British figure skating clubs. The 17 non-skaters of mean age 18.0 (3.7) were recruited from a secondary school and university. Each group had 12 females. All participants completed a questionnaire, and Achilles tendons were ultrasound-scanned for thickening, hypoechoic areas, paratenon blurring and neovascularization. Skaters experienced significantly more lifetime symptoms (p=0.012) than the control group but there were no differences in present symptoms. Mid-tendon longitudinal thickness and the coefficient of variation (CoV) for longitudinal tendon thickness were significantly greater in the skaters (p=0.001 and p=0.017 respectively). No other ultrasound abnormalities were detected in either group. Figure skaters may be at a greater risk of Achilles tendon problems than the general population and have adaptive changes in their tendons.

So you want to be ... a sport and exercise medicine physician.

Have you ever dreamed of working at an Olympic games? Perhaps your passion is health promotion? Not activities you might expect to find in the same working week, but that's what you could be doing if you choose a career in sport and exercise medicine.