The American journal of sports medicine
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Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction (UCLR) has been studied and shown to be a successful procedure for returning overhead athletes to sport. Many studies of Major League Baseball (MLB) players have shown high levels of return to play with successful statistical performance. No study has followed professional advancement of drafted pitchers who underwent UCLR as amateurs when compared with drafted pitchers who did not undergo the procedure before selection in the MLB draft. ⋯ There was no difference in the rate of professional advancement among pitchers drafted by the MLB who had undergone UCLR as amateurs compared with controls. Both groups had similar statistical performance. Pitchers in the UCLR group had an increased risk of DL assignment but no increase in the number of days on DL or risk of DL placement for elbow injury.
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The role of the anterolateral capsule (ALC) as a secondary restraint to quantitative rotatory laxity of patients with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is currently debated. ⋯ MRI evidence of a concomitant injury to the ALC, medial meniscus, or lateral meniscus is associated with increased knee rotatory laxity in patients with an ACL injury. These structures may function as important secondary stabilizers in an ACL-injured knee. Careful assessment and proper treatment of injuries to these secondary stabilizers should be considered, especially in knees with a high level of the pivot shift.
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Shoulder pain is a common problem in competitive swimmers, but the structural alterations in elite-level competitive swimmers are not well known. ⋯ We found a high prevalence of rotator cuff and biceps tendinopathy, which was associated with increased symptoms. Tendinosis was also more common in swimmers with a positive sulcus sign, suggesting a role for shoulder laxity.
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Sports-related concussions (SRCs) have gained increased societal interest in the past decade. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has implemented legislation and rule changes to decrease the incidence and risk of head injury impacts. The "targeting" rule forbids initiating contact with the crown of a helmet and targeting defenseless players in the head and neck area; however, there are concerns that this rule change has unintentionally led to an increased incidence of lower extremity injuries. ⋯ The lower extremity injury rate has increased in NCAA football athletes. Similarly, SRC rates have increased, although this may be caused by concurrent policies related to better education, identification, and management. Targeting rule changes may be contributing to increased rates of player contact-related ankle injuries. Alongside continued surveillance research to examine longitudinal time trends, more in-depth individual-level examinations of how targeting rule changes influence coaching and player behaviors are warranted.
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There is increasing concern about the possible long-term effects of multiple concussions, particularly on the developing adolescent brain. Whether the effect of multiple concussions is detectable in high school football players has not been well studied, although the public health implications are great in this population. ⋯ In the largest study to date, high school football players with multiple past concussions performed the same on cognitive testing as those with no prior concussions. Concussion history was one of several factors that were independently related to symptom reporting.