The Thrower's Shoulder.

Overhead athletes subject their shoulders to extreme repetitive torque, compression, distraction, and translation stresses, resulting in adaptive changes of the soft tissues and osseous structures within and around the glenohumeral joint. These anatomic adaptations result in biomechanical enhancements, which improve performance. Understanding the difference between necessary and adaptive changes and pathologic findings is critical when making treatment decisions. Injuries to the shoulder of the overhead athlete can be generally classified into three groups: internal impingement, internal impingement with acquired secondary anterior instability, and primary anterior or multidirectional instability. Although advances in surgical techniques have allowed surgeons to address the pathology in these groups, merely attempting to restore the shoulder to so-called normal can adversely alter adaptive changes that allow high levels of performance.

The Weight-Bearing Shoulder.

The shoulder achieves a wide spectrum of motion, and in a subset of patients, including those who use manual wheelchairs and upper extremity walking aids, the shoulder also serves as the primary weight-bearing joint. Because the weight-bearing shoulder is subject to considerable joint reaction forces and overuse, a broad spectrum of pathology can affect the joint. The combination of muscle imbalance and repetitive trauma presents most commonly as subacromial impingement syndrome but can progress to other pathology. Patients with high-level spinal cord injury, leading to quadriplegia and motor deficits, have an increased incidence of shoulder pain. Understanding the needs of patients who use manual wheelchairs or walking aids can help the physician to better comprehend the pathology of and better manage the weight-bearing shoulder.

Outcomes After Arthroscopic Bankart Repair: Patients With First-Time Versus Recurrent Dislocations.

BACKGROUND: The young athletic population makes up the largest portion of shoulder instability and, when treated nonoperatively, has a recurrent dislocation rate as high as 71%. It is unknown how the outcomes of those who have a recurrent dislocation are affected versus those who have a stabilization procedure after a first-time dislocation. PURPOSE: To report the postoperative outcomes of patients with first-time dislocations versus patients with recurrent dislocations before surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: Current Procedural Terminology codes were used to identify patients who had arthroscopic Bankart repair between 2003 and 2013. A total of 173 eligible patients were identified across 8 fellowship-trained surgical practices. The first phase of the study was a retrospective chart review. Patients were identified as having a first-time dislocation or as having recurrent dislocations when they had >1 dislocation before surgical intervention. The second phase consisted of a survey to record a Simple Shoulder Test score and return to sport and to report postoperative instability and whether patients had further surgery on the shoulder. RESULTS: A total of 121 patients participated, providing 70% follow-up at an average of 51 months. There were 53 patients in the recurrent dislocation group and 68 in the first-time dislocation group. The postoperative instability rate was 29% in the first-time dislocation group and 62% in the recurrent dislocation group; this difference was significant ( P < .001). The odds of postoperative instability were 4 times higher in the recurrent dislocation group (odds ratio = 4.14). The first-time dislocation group reported a 7% rate of repeat operation to address instability, whereas the recurrent dislocation group reported a rate of 32%; this difference was significant ( P < .001). The odds of needing additional surgery on the index shoulder was 6 times higher in the recurrent dislocation group (odds ratio = 6.01). CONCLUSION: Patients with first-time dislocations had lower postoperative instability rates and reoperation rates when compared with patients with recurrent dislocations before surgery. Young patients with shoulder instability should be offered early surgical intervention to lower the risk of postoperative instability and reoperation.

Frequency and complications after operative fixation of clavicular fractures.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to analyze whether a recent trend in evidence supporting operative treatment of clavicular fractures is matched with an increase in operative fixation and complication rates in the United States. METHODS: The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery database was reviewed for cases with Current Procedural Terminology (American Medical Association, Chicago, IL, USA) code 23515 (clavicle open reduction internal fixation [ORIF]) from 1999 to 2010. The procedure rate for each year and the number of procedures for each candidate performing clavicle ORIF were calculated to determine if a change had occurred in the frequency of ORIF for clavicular fractures. Complication and outcome data were also reviewed. RESULTS: In 2010 vs, 1999, there were statistically significant increases in the mean number of clavicle ORIF performed among all candidates (0.89 vs. 0.13; P < .0001) and in the mean number of clavicle ORIF per candidate performing clavicle ORIF (2.47 vs. 1.20, P < .0473). The difference in the percentage of part II candidates performing clavicle ORIF from the start to the end of the study (11% vs. 36%) was significant (P < .0001). There was a significant increase in the clavicle ORIF percentage of total cases (0.11% vs. 0.74%, P < .0001). The most common complication was hardware failure (4%). CONCLUSION: The rate of ORIF of clavicular fractures has increased in candidates taking part II of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, with a low complication rate. The increase in operative fixation during this interval may have been influenced by literature suggesting improved outcomes in patients treated with operative stabilization of their clavicular fracture.

Early range of motion of the scorpio non-restrictive geometry cruciate-retaining total knee system.

Flexion following total knee arthroplasty in the US population generally falls between 100° and 120°. Because of these relatively low flexion arcs, total knee arthroplasty prosthetic designs emerged allowing "high flexion" (≥125°). We hypothesized that a high-flexion implant design, Scorpio Non-Restrictive Geometry cruciate-retaining knee prosthesis, would allow clinical early maximum flexion of at least 125°. A prospective observational cohort study enrolled 87 unselected patients (94 knees) evaluated preoperation and 3 months and 1 year postoperation for clinical flexion, arc of motion, and Knee Society scores. At 1 year, 67% of knees had improved flexion and 23% achieved flexion of at least 125°. Clinically, flexion improved by 6.9° and total arc of motion improved by 10.6° from preoperation to 1-year postoperation. Although this high-flexion design allows increased flexion, many patients fail to achieve flexion of at least 125°.