The American journal of sports medicine
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The time between an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and ACL reconstruction (ACLR) may influence baseline knee-related and general health-related patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Despite the common use of PROMs as main outcomes in clinical studies, this variable has never been evaluated. ⋯ After controlling for age, sex, competition level, smoking, and BMI, patients in the chronic ACLR group participated in less pivoting and cutting sports but reported better pain/function. Whether decreased activity is deliberate after an ACL injury or patients who undergo chronic ACLR are simply less active and may be treated successfully without surgery warrants further investigation. Nonrandomized studies that utilize PROMs should consider time from injury in study design and data interpretation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Electrophysiological Study of Femoral Nerve Function After a Continuous Femoral Nerve Block for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Randomized, Controlled Single-Blind Trial.
A continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB) is an effective analgesic treatment after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction but may result in transient femoral nerve injuries and quadriceps muscle weakness, which in turn contribute to worsened functional outcomes. ⋯ Despite prior contrary reports, a CFNB did not result in femoral nerve injuries or worsened functional outcomes after ACL reconstruction. The improvement of analgesia with a CFNB was only marginal and not clinically relevant beyond 24 hours. Registration: NCT01321138 ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).
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Observational Study
Descriptive Characteristics of Concussions in National Football League Games, 2010-2011 to 2013-2014.
Despite a high reported incidence rate of concussion, little is known about the on-field characteristics of injurious head impacts in National Football League (NFL) games. ⋯ In-game concussions in the NFL occurred through a diverse variety of mechanisms, surprisingly tended to be well-anticipated, and, also surprisingly, occurred with <10 yards of closing distance. The impacts causing concussion were broadly distributed over the helmet. More concussions occurred during the second half of game play, but we do not have evidence to explain this finding.
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Arthroscopic surgery of the knee is one of the most frequently performed orthopaedic procedures. One-third of these procedures are performed for meniscal injuries. It is essential that this commonly performed surgery be supported by robust evidence. ⋯ Further evidence is required to determine which patient groups have good outcomes from each intervention. Given the current widespread use of arthroscopic meniscal surgeries, more research is urgently needed to support evidence-based practice in meniscal surgery in order to reduce the numbers of ineffective interventions and support potentially beneficial surgery.
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There is increasing interest in defining meaningful improvement in patient-reported outcomes. Knowledge of the thresholds and determinants for successful femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) outcomes is evolving. ⋯ The HOS had excellent predictive ability for identifying patient thresholds of achieving the MCID; patients with preoperative scores below identified thresholds were most likely to achieve the MCID. Additionally, anterior acetabular undercoverage, chondral injuries, and relative femoral retroversion were clinically significant negative modifiers of outcomes. These findings have implications for managing preoperative expectations of FAI surgery.