Background: There is a paucity of literature regarding risk factors and mechanisms of Achilles tendon (AT) ruptures in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Purpose: To identify the risk factors and outcomes of AT ruptures in NBA athletes. Furthermore, using video analysis, to characterize the mechanisms of rupture by identifying the most common playing situations and lower extremity positions at the time of injury. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: AT ruptures in the NBA that occurred between the seasons of 1969-1970 and 2017-2018 were identified. Player data collected included age, position, body mass index, total games started before and after injury, and Player Efficiency Rating. Injury-related variables collected included date of injury, laterality, minutes played before injury, operative versus nonoperative treatment, and time to return to play. Available video footage was analyzed for the mechanism and body position at the time of injury. Univariable and multivariable linear regression was used to compare changes in performance before and after AT rupture. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. Results: Forty-four ruptures were identified between 1970 and 2018. The mean age was 28.3 years, with players averaging 6.8 seasons before AT rupture. AT ruptures were most prevalent during early-season game play (27.3%), followed by preseason (18.2%) and late season (18.2%). More than a third (36.8%) of players either did not return to play or started in fewer than 10 games in the remainder of their career, with 21% of ruptures leading to retirement. The mean time to return to play was 10.5 months. The Player Efficiency Rating declined by an average of 2.9 points (range, –11.5 to +2.3) ( P < .001). Analysis of available injury footage (n = 12) demonstrated all ruptures to be noncontact in nature, most commonly occurring just before takeoff as the player began to push off from a stopped position, with the foot in dorsiflexion, the knee in early flexion, and the hip in extension. Conclusion: In the NBA, a majority of AT ruptures occur early in the season, in veteran players, with almost half not returning to play or starting fewer than 10 games in the remainder of their career. The most common mechanism of injury is taking off from a stopped position just before toe-off in a dorsiflexed foot.
valve calcification (AVC) is predictive of mortality after adjustment for cardiovascular risk, aortic stenosis (AS), and coronary artery calcification (CAC), in patients with history of smoking.• AVC is also predictive of nonfatal myocardial infarction and nonfatal cerebrovascular accident in this population.• There is prognostic value in reporting AVC from low dose lung cancer screening computed tomography.
Raynaud's phenomenon of the nipple (RPN) is a cause of nipple pain scarcely reported in the literature and frequently missed by physicians. We present a case of RPN in a pregnant mother who sought breast surgical consultation for episodic nipple pain. Review of the literature reveals RPN is predominant in lactating and pregnant patients and missed diagnosis can cause cessation of breastfeeding or mistreatment with antifungals. Clinical suspicion should be raised if symptoms are precipitated by cold, associated with color change, occur during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or with a history of Raynaud's. Treatment is generally supportive, with nifedipine used for severe cases.
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