Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA
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Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc · Sep 2009
Back pain and MRI changes in the thoraco-lumbar spine of top athletes in four different sports: a 15-year follow-up study.
A total 71 male athletes (weight lifters, wrestlers, orienteers, and ice-hockey players) and 21 non-athletes were randomly selected, for a baseline MRI study. After 15 years all the participants at baseline were invited to take part in a follow-up examination, including a questionnaire on back pain and a follow-up MRI examination. Thirty-two athletes and all non-athletes had disc height reduction at one or several disc levels. ⋯ The study confirmed our hypothesis, i.e. that most of the spinal abnormalities in athletes seem to occur during the growth spurt, since the majority of the abnormalities demonstrated at follow-up MRI after the sports career were present already at baseline. The abnormalities found at young age deteriorated to a varying degree during the 15-year follow-up, probably due to a combination of continued high load sporting activities and normal ageing. Preventive measures should be considered to avoid the development of these injuries in young athletes.
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Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc · Sep 2009
Are oral contraceptive use and menstrual cycle phase related to anterior cruciate ligament injury risk in female recreational skiers?
Oral contraceptive use and menstrual cycle phase are suggested to influence the risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female athletes. However, only few data are available for recreational sports. ⋯ Our findings suggest that oral contraceptive use did not show any protective effect against ACL injuries nor did self-reported previous knee injuries show any association with ACL injury rate in recreational alpine skiing. Analysis of menstrual history data revealed that recreational skiers in the preovulatory phase were significantly more likely to sustain an ACL injury than were skiers in the postovulatory phase.
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Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc · Sep 2009
Surgical outcomes after traumatic open knee dislocation.
The purpose of this study is to describe the types of injuries and surgical treatments associated with open knee dislocations and to present the functional outcomes of these patients. Between 2001 and 2005, the medical records of patients that sustained traumatic open knee dislocations at our Level 1 Trauma Center were retrospectively reviewed. Initial surgical intervention was performed in all patients including placement of spanning external fixator, repair of vascular injuries if necessary, and irrigation and debridement of the open wounds. ⋯ Most patients (86%) report some residual symptomatic or functional deficit. Due to the injury complexity in open traumatic knee dislocations, the surgical treatment is extensive and challenging. While infection rates are high, aggressive, individualized treatment can lead to satisfactory outcome although full return to activity is difficult to achieve using current treatment methods.