The Advantages of Outpatient ACL Reconstruction...

A recent study highlighted some of the advantages of outpatient ACL reconstruction. The study compared levels of discomfort in both inpatient and outpatient ACL reconstructions. During the first night after surgery, the outpatient participants experienced less difficulty sleeping and were less often woken up by pain. Further, the outpatient participants walked more frequently. The study authors concluded outpatient ACL reconstruction is not associated with any additional postoperative discomfort.

Rehab Before ACL Surgery May Improve Outcomes

A recent study suggests that preoperative rehabilitation prior to ACL reconstruction may improve postoperative outcomes for up to 2 years following surgery. The researchers compared outcomes from two groups. One group was treated with extended preoperative rehabilitation, including neuromuscular training. The second group did not undergo extended preoperative rehabilitation. After adjustment for baseline scoring, the research team found that the group treated with pre-op rehab displayed significant and clinically meaningful differences in scoring at 2-year follow-up.

Concussion impacts the brain for many months after initial injury...

The data from a recent study showed that young athletes with concussion may still exhibit changes in white matter of their brains 6 months after injury.  The researchers conducted imaging on 17 high school and college football players with concussion, and compared the scans with those from 18 matched controls who did not have a concussion. At 6-month follow-up, they found no difference between groups in self-reported concussion symptoms, cognition, or balance. However, they noted widespread decreased mean diffusivity in the concussion cohort compared with controls, which was similar to acute findings at 24 hours and 8 days.

Track and Field Injuries...

Track and field remains one of the most popular high school sports among boys and girls. The majority of track and field injuries are overuse injuries due to chronic repetitive stresses. A recent study demonstrated that sprints, distance running, and jumps accounts for over 65% of all track injuries...

Risk Factors for Elbow Injury in Baseball Pitchers...

A recent study investigated 104 MLB pitchers who underwent Tommy John surgery (UCL reconstruction). The authors found the following six factors may increase the likelihood for the need for UCL surgery in high level baseball pitchers:
  -fewer days rest between consecutive games
  -smaller repertoire of pitches
  -less pronounced horizontal release location
  -small stature
  -greater mean pitch speed
  -greater mean pitch counts per game

High School Athletes and Over-Specialization...

Over specialization is a term used when referring to athletes who focus on one sport all year round. An example would be a high school pitcher who throws all year round and does not take an off-season. A study suggests that highly specialized high school athletes may be more likely to report a history of overuse knee or hip injury. The high school athletes were classified as low specialization (n = 105), moderate specialization (n = 87), or high specialization (n = 110). They found that athletes in the high specialization group were more likely to report a history of overuse knee injuries (n = 18) compared with moderate (n = 8) or low specialization (n = 7) athletes. Overall, athletes who trained in one sport for more than 8 months out of the year were more likely to report a history of knee injuries, overuse knee injuries, and hip injuries.

Female Soccer Athletes and Recurrent ACL Injury...

A recent study reported that female soccer players treated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction who returned to the sport had an increased rate of graft re-tear and contralateral ACL injury, compared to a similar group of non-soccer female athletes.