Biceps tendon disorders in athletes.

It has been proposed that the long head of the biceps functions as a humeral head depressor and stabilizer. In addition, in many overhead sports, the biceps helps to accelerate and decelerate the arm. With improper training or fatigue, inordinate stresses can be placed on the biceps as it attempts to compensate for other muscles. This can lead to attrition and failure, either within the tendon substance or at its origin. Bicipital problems in athletes usually occur in conjunction with other types of shoulder disorders, such as rotator cuff impingement and glenohumeral instability, making determination of the role and degree of biceps involvement difficult. Conditions affecting the biceps tendon in athletes can be generally classified as degeneration, instability, and disorders of the origin. Because of the close association of biceps lesions with other abnormalities, a thorough evaluation of the shoulder with a suspected biceps disorder is essential. Treatment of bicipital problems in athletes must often be accompanied by treatment of associated shoulder conditions.

Antegrade drilling for osteochondritis dissecans of the knee.

Twenty-four knees with osteochondritis dissecans of the femoral condyles failed a conservative program and were treated with antegrade drilling. To our knowledge, this represents the largest reported series using this technique. The average age at the time of surgery was 13 years 6 months. Seventeen patients had open physes, and four were skeletally mature. Nineteen lesions involved the medial femoral condyle, and five involved the lateral femoral condyle. The average follow-up was 5 years. Postoperative evaluation included rating by the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) form and the Hughston Rating Scale for osteochondritis dissecans. Twenty of the 24 lesions healed after antegrade drilling, and the average time of healing was 4 months. According to the criteria on the IKDC grading form, 14 were normal, 6 nearly normal, three abnormal, and one severely abnormal. The results of the Hughston Rating Scale were similar: 15 were excellent, seven good, one fair, and one poor. Only two of the four skeletally mature patients healed after antegrade drilling. Antegrade drilling is an effective method of treatment for osteochondritis dissecans of the knee that occurs in adolescents with open physes. This operation is not as likely to result in a successful outcome in patients with closed physes; consequently, other methods should be considered in skeletally mature patients.

Polyglycolide bioabsorbable screws in the treatment of ankle fractures.

Twenty-one patients with unstable medial malleolar, bimalleolar, or trimalleolar ankle fractures underwent open reduction and internal fixation of the medial malleolus with 4.5-mm polyglycolide screws. All lateral malleolar fractures were internally fixed with standard metallic implants. Radiographic and clinical follow-up results were available on 16 of 21 patients. All fractures healed at an average of 3.4 months (range, 3-6 months), and there were no medial wound infections. Eight of 16 patients developed an inflammatory reaction to the biodegradable polyester at 3 to 4 months after implantation, including one who developed a sterile draining sinus tract. No surgical or nonsurgical treatment was required in those eight patients. We conclude that whereas polyester screws yield union rates and functional results similar to those of metallic screws in the treatment of medical malleolar fractures, the use of polyglycolide screws is associated with an unacceptable rate of inflammatory reactions.

An evaluation of cervical orthoses in limiting hyperextension and lateral flexion in football.

Three cervical orthoses often used in football to prophylactically limit motion and prevent the nerve injury known as "burners" were evaluated to determine their performance in limiting both hyperextension and lateral bending of the cervical spine. These orthoses have been used almost entirely on an empiric basis with little objective data to evaluate performance. A rope and pulley mechanism was used to pull the neck into hyperextension and lateral motion, with the only restraint being the various products tested. These trials were videotaped and the restriction provided by the collars was calculated from goniometric analysis of the projected images. These tests were performed to determine which products limit the mechanisms of the "burner" injury and thereby assess which braces might reduce or prevent the occurrence of these injuries. The results of the investigation indicate that all braces studied provided some degree of limitation in one of the mechanisms of injury, hyperextension. One brace performed superiorly in this respect. However, the other mechanism of injury, lateral bending, is inconsistently limited.

Isolated posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Long-term results.

From 1973 to 1987, 28 patients seen at our institution sustained isolated posterior cruciate ligament tears. Of these 28 patients, 25 were reevaluated at an average followup of 7 years and 1 month after secondary reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament using the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons alone or with an extraarticular procedure. Subjectively, 22 of 25 patients related no restrictions regarding activities of daily living, with 14 of 25 patients being able to return to their previous competitive level in sports. Objective evaluation after reconstruction revealed no change in the preoperative and postoperative posterior drawer examination in 13 of 25 patients, a finding confirmed by KT-1000 arthrometer measurements. Radiographic evaluation revealed degenerative changes predominantly involving the medial and patellofemoral compartments in 15 of 25 patients. Despite optimistic subjective reporting, this long-term retrospective study reveals that this procedure inconsistently limits posterior instability and therefore cannot be recommended.