Acute shoulder injuries: A clinical review of diagnosis and management in the deployed Naval environment.

Musculoskeletal injuries of the shoulder are a common presentation in primary care. Injuries to this highly mobile region can have a profound impact on the range of movement, resulting in severe functional limitation. The shoulder can also be one of the more complicated regions to examine due to its high mobility, poor localisation of pain and numerous supporting structures. This article aims to review the anatomy of the shoulder, examination technique and the pathology underlying common acute injuries in order to provide guidance to medical personnel deployed with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

The acutely swollen knee. Part two--management of traumatic pathology.

The acutely swollen knee is a common presentation of knee pathology in the emergency department and the primary care setting, whether on board ship, in a Regimental Aid Post, or in a Medical Centre. The swollen knee has both traumatic and atraumatic (systemic) causes, all of which can be accurately diagnosed with an understanding of the underlying injury patterns and patho-anatomy. In Part 2 of this paper we consider the traumatic causes and also suggest a combined approach to managing an acutely swollen knee. The taking of a detailed history combined with thorough clinical examination will establish the diagnosis or at least the narrow differential diagnosis in the majority of cases. The use of specialist examination techniques, diagnostic imaging and arthrocentesis can further assist the clinician in confirming the correct diagnosis and thus prescribing the appropriate treatment. This review will endeavour to give a consensus of opinion and structured guidelines in the diagnosis and initial management of patients presenting with acute or recent onset swelling of the knee.

The acutely swollen knee. Part 1: Management of atraumatic pathology.

The acutely swollen knee is a common presentation of knee pathology in the Emergency Department and the primary care setting whether on board ship, a Regimental Aid Post or Medical Centre. The swollen knee has both traumatic and atraumatic (systemic) causes, all of which can be accurately diagnosed with an understanding of the underlying injury patterns and patho-anatomy. In Part One, we will be examining the management of non-traumatic causes, followed by Part Two, looking at traumatic causes, in the next issue of the Journal. A detailed clinical history combined with thorough clinical examination will establish the diagnosis, or at least the narrow differential diagnosis in the majority of cases. The uses of specialist examination techniques, diagnostic imaging and arthrocentesis can further assist the clinician in confirming the correct diagnosis and thus prescribing the appropriate treatment. This review will endeavour to give a consensus of opinion and structured guidelines in the diagnosis and initial management of patients presenting with acute or recent-onset swelling of the knee related to atraumatic pathology.

Handheld ultrasound diagnosis of extremity fractures.

Hand portable ultrasound has been validated in trauma patients using the FAST technique. The machine's light and rugged design make it suitable for military deployment and they have been successfully used on deployments in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Ultrasound is widely accepted in the diagnosis of abdominal and thoracic trauma, however, little work exists on its use in extremity trauma. Although the diagnosis of fractures usually relies on X-ray this may not be readily available at Role 1 or 2. We successfully identified long bone fractures in three patients using hand portable ultrasound during Operation Telic. The technique and ultrasound findings are described and the current literature on this technique is reviewed.

Association between anatomical features and anterior knee pain in a "fit" service population.

Anterior knee pain and overuse sports type injuries have been associated with anatomical factors. Specific diagnosis in knee pain is difficult, most service patients are grouped together as "Patello-Femoral Stress Syndrome". Knee pain incidence within the service population is unknown, but thought to be greater than those presenting to General Practitioners. 293 active duty service men (100 Army and 193 Royal Navy) were interviewed and examined in relation to their knees. 138 measurements were made on each subject. 118 admitted to knee problems. Six had specific diagnoses, ranging from patellar tendonitis to ACL deficiency (with marked anterior instability). The remaining 112 individuals formed the study group and examination findings were compared with the 175 without Patello-Femoral Stress Syndrome. The results have been analysed to determine normal ranges and predictors of knee pain. Age, years in the military and results of patello-femoral compression tests were consistently significantly different between the groups. This survey provides useful information on normal values at examination. Q angle measurement was a poor predictor of knee pain. There was no clinically detectable anatomical variant that correlated with the Patello-Femoral Stress Syndrome. There was poor correlation between Tegner activity score and the perceived limitation on sport or work, as assessed on a visual analogue scale.

Three year review following bone anchor repair of acute biceps tendon insertion rupture.

Three patients with acute biceps brachii tendon insertion ruptures were treated (less than 7 days post injury) using bone anchor anatomical repair. Dynamometer assessment of strength in both limbs was performed after completion of rehabilitation and again at 3.3 years after surgery. All patients were male, age 34, 35 and 53 years. Early isokinetic assessment was performed at 6, 7 and 12 months post surgery and medium assessment at 3.3 years post surgery. A full range of movement was achieved at early assessment and maintained into medium term assessment. All patients returned to their full premorbid occupation and sporting activity. Dynamometer strength of a repaired dominant limb equated to two thirds of a normal non dominant limb at early assessment, equal power was found at medium term assessment and a measurable increase in strength in both affected and unaffected arms was seen.

Middle-term results of a cementless threaded self-tapping acetabular cup.

Various designs of acetabular cup are available for cementless fixation in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. Conflicting results have been reported in the literature about the middle to long-term outcomes with the use of these cups. We present our experience of a design of self-tapping threaded acetabular cup with metal backing (the ACSYS acetabular cup). This is a study of 41 hips with average follow up of 6.43 years. Functional grading of the hips was very satisfactory and none of the patients needed revision for aseptic loosening. No case of significant cup migration or osteolysis was noted. The paper also reviews the literature.

Orthopaedic implant removal at Royal Naval Hospital Stonehouse: a three-year review.

A recent study stated that 11% of all elective orthopaedic procedures performed at a Regional Orthopaedic Unit involved removal of orthopaedic implants. Indications for certain orthopaedic implant removal remain unclear. As budgets are squeezed even tighter throughout all branches of the Royal Navy, we looked at each operation performed for orthopaedic implant removal at Royal Naval Hospital Stonehouse and questioned their effectiveness with respect to finance and working days lost for serving personnel.