ABSTRACT
Unfortunately, the spelling of the names Daniel Haverkamp and Ákos Kynsburg were incorrect in the original online publication of the article.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Disorders around the patella are the most frequent knee complaints seen in adolescents. In the literature many intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors have been linked to Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), but the role of these risk factors is controversial. AIM: The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of PFPS in a group of adolescents aged 12-20 years in Hungary, and to gain more information on the relationship between the biomechanical anomalies of the lower extremity and the PFPS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this epidemiological study the authors investigated the effect of sporting activity in the maturation of symptoms among 586 randomly selected students. Different physical examinations, anthropometric measurements, stability tests, footscan analysis were performed. RESULTS: Concerning the prevalence of this syndrome they could not find any differences between males (n = 60, 20.41%) and females (n = 61, 20.89%). The authors could not identify any statistically significant intrinsic risk factors, although changes in the Q angle may be linked to increased prevalence of PFPS. The study supports the theory of the importance of "overload", for there was a significant correlation between the prevalence of PFPS and the different levels of sporting activities (competitive, recreational and non-athletes). CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that the prevalence of PFPS among Hungarian students is 20.65%.
Subject(s)
Motor Activity , Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome/epidemiology , Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome/physiopathology , Sports , Adolescent , Adult , Ankle Joint/physiopathology , Biomechanical Phenomena , Child , Female , Hip Joint/physiopathology , Humans , Hungary/epidemiology , Knee Joint/physiopathology , Male , Prevalence , Range of Motion, ArticularABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Tegner and Lysholm described their generally acknowledged activity score in 1985. It was originally tested for knee ligament injuries, but for the past 17 years it has been used for other joint evaluations as well. The development of already existing and new kinds of sports, differences between knee and ankle loading, and different injury rates provided reasons for developing an ankle-specific activity score. HYPOTHESIS: The new score should have a higher reliability, validity, and sensitivity than the Tegner score when evaluating ankle-related activity changes. STUDY DESIGN: Methodological study. METHODS: Fifty-three sports, 3 working activities, and 4 general activities were inserted into a 0-to-10 category system based on the rankings of a 7 x 2-point pre-evaluation system, followed by a direct comparison with the Tegner score and reliability, validity, and sensitivity testing on 2 different patient populations. RESULTS: In direct comparison, there is a strong overall correlation of the 2 activity-scoring systems (r = 0.7565), but the ankle activity score proved to be different from the Tegner score in the higher categories, especially in the top 4 ankle score categories (r = 0.1450). Further tests demonstrated the high reliability (1.00) of the new score. Analysis of variance proved that activity changes measured by the ankle score correspond well to the difference between the patients' subjective results and their Karlsson functional scores (P =.0119). This is not the case when we measure ankle activity changes using the knee-specific Tegner score (P =.0987). Furthermore, ankle score differences spread over a wider range (-1.18 +/- 2.12) than did Tegner score differences (-0.68 +/- 1.29), which demonstrates the higher sensitivity of the new score. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, the new ankle activity score could be a better complement in the complex evaluation of ankle instability.
Subject(s)
Athletic Injuries/diagnosis , Joint Instability/diagnosis , Sports/classification , Adult , Athletic Injuries/physiopathology , Female , Health Status Indicators , Humans , Joint Instability/physiopathology , Male , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , PrognosisABSTRACT
The application of gene therapy to sports medicine is in its infancy, but it holds much promise as a novel procedure to improve the clinical management of sports injuries. Gene therapy will be particularly useful in initiating and accelerating the repair of cartilage, meniscus, tendon, and ligament. Several growth factors and other cytokines have been identified as important mediators of a successful healing process. Such molecules have promise as novel agents for the treatment of sports injuries, but there is presently no clinically useful way to deliver them. Gene transfer may be used to serve this purpose. Gene therapy functions as a type of local biological drug delivery system. Recent studies have shown the feasibility of transferring marker genes to synovium, chondrocytes, meniscal fibrochondrocytes, tenocytes and ligamental fibroblasts, prompting optimism about the eventual success of this approach.
