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.

ACL Reconstruction and Long-Term Changes to the Knee...

A recent study examined changes in knee osteoarthritis (OA), symptoms, and function after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The authors conducted a prospective study of 210 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction, with 168 available at 20-year follow-up. At 20 years, the authors noted that 42 percent of patients had radiographic tibiofemoral OA and 21 percent had radiographic patellofemoral OA.

The Potential Key To Long Term Relief From Plantar Fasciitis... Stretching?

Plantar fasciitis is a very common condition of the heel. While there are many various treatment modalities, steroid injections and stretching are the most common. A recent study specifically compared the effectiveness of joint mobilization combined with stretching exercises against steroid injection for the treatment of plantar fasciitis. The study involved 43 patients with plantar fasciitis who were treated with joint mobilization and stretching or a single steroid injection. Compared to baseline, they noted significant improvement in pain relief and functional outcomes across both groups at 3-, 6-, and 12-week follow-ups. However, at the 12-week and 1-year follow-ups, pain and functional outcomes were significantly improved in only the mobilization and stretching group.

Returning to basketball following Achilles tendon rupture...

A recent study showed how devastating an Achilles tendon rupture can be for the competitive basketball player. This study examined postoperative performance for injured National Basketball Association (NBA) players. The researchers found that return-to-play rates were highest among patients with hand/wrist fractures (98.1 percent) and lowest for players with Achilles tendon tears (70.8 percent). Players who underwent Achilles tendon repair and arthroscopic knee surgery displayed a significantly greater decline in postoperative performance outcomes at 1- and 3-year time points, and had shorter career lengths compared to those who underwent other procedures.

Low Vitamin D Level and Stress Fracture Risk...

A recent study found that reduced levels of vitamin D many be associated with an increased risk of stress fracture for active patients. In the study, they found 83% of patients with a stress fracture had insufficient or deficient vitamin D levels...