Senior Athletes and Rotator Cuff Surgery...

A recent study showed arthroscopic rotator cuff repair may help elderly athletes return to sports. The data from this study suggest that arthroscopic rotator cuff repair may reduce pain and improve function among active elderly patients. The researchers collected information on 44 patients aged 70 years or older who were recreational athletes and who had undergone a primary or revision arthroscopic repair of full-thickness tears. At mean 3.6-year follow-up of 43 shoulders, they found significant improvements in both pain and function. In addition, 24 of 31 patients were able to return to their sport at a similar level of intensity to preinjury levels.

Only about half of athletes are at the top of their game after repeat ACL surgery...

A recent analysis of previous ACL reconstruction research suggests many athletes continue to play after multiple surgeries to fix a damaged knee ligament, but only about half of them perform as well as they did before their injury. This study examined data on athletes who had one surgery to address the ACL tear and then a second procedure to revise the surgery or address a new injury. After an average of 5 years, 84% of athletes still participated in sports, but only half of them returned to high level competition.

Overuse Injuries More Common in High School Females...

Young female athletes face greater risk for repetitive injuries than males. A recent study showed the highest overuse injury rate was found in girls who ran track. This was followed by field hockey and lacrosse. For boys, most overuse injuries occurred in swimmers and divers.

Concussions At Football Practice Too...

A recent study found football practice may be a major source of concussions, not games. Findings from a study suggest that football practice may be a major source of concussions. The authors reviewed injury data on about 20,000 players, collected by athletic trainers at youth, high school, and collegiate football practices and games. They found that the game concussion rate was higher than the practice concussion rate across all three competitive levels. However, due to the increased time spent in practice compared to games, the authors note that more than 57 percent of concussed high school and college players were injured at practice, not games.

Injury Prevention Programs Unpopular With High School Coaches...

Although injury prevention programs have been shown to help reduce leg and foot injuries in sports, less than 10% of high school coaches implement the programs as designed, according to a new survey.

Half of coaches are aware of the programs, but many believe they're too complex or do not offer an advantage over existing practices, researchers found.

ACL Reconstruction and Improved Function...

Study: ACL reconstruction surgery linked to improved function in younger patients.

A recent study found that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery may significantly improve physical health and function among younger patients. The research team evaluated 1,411 patients (median age at enrollment 23 years) enrolled in a prospective multicenter cohort. The research team noted that significant predictors of a higher outcomes score were a higher baseline score, younger age, lower baseline body mass index, having >50 percent of the lateral meniscus excised, or having no treatment done on a lateral meniscal tear. Significant predictors of lower scores were a shorter follow-up time since surgery, revision ACL reconstruction, smoking at baseline, fewer years of education, and chondromalacia of the lateral tibial plateau.

Meniscal Repair and PRP...

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) remains a hot topic in sports medicine... A recent study showed similar outcomes for meniscal repair with or without PRP... Data from a small study suggest little efficacy for the use of PRP in meniscal repair. The authors reviewed data from 26 isolated arthroscopic meniscus repairs. Of those, 11 were augmented with PRP, and 15 were performed without PRP augmentation. The authors write that during the study period, PRP was used for patients with meniscus tears in the setting of no anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. At mean 4-year follow-up, the authors found no significant difference across cohorts in reoperation, functional outcome measures (IKDC score, Tegner Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale), return to work, or return to sports. The authors point out that larger prospective studies may be needed to definitively determine whether PRP should be used with meniscal repair.