Study Design Descriptive, prospective, longitudinal single-cohort study. Objective To investigate the rate of force development to 30% (RFD30), 50% (RFD50), and 90% (RFD90) of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) as an adjunct outcome measure for determining readiness for return to sport following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Background One criterion of full recovery following an ACL reconstruction is the ability to achieve 85% or 90% of the maximal strength of the contralateral limb. However, the time required to develop muscular strength in many types of daily and sports activities is considerably shorter than that required to achieve maximal strength. Therefore, in addition to maximal strength, neuromuscular functions such as RFD should also be considered in the definition of recovery. Methods Forty-five male professional soccer players who underwent an ACL reconstruction were recruited. Assessment with the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Evaluation Form, Tegner score, and KT1000 instrumented arthrometer was performed postinjury/prereconstruction and at 6 and 12 months after ACL reconstruction. MVIC, RFD30, RFD50, and RFD90 testing was performed preinjury, as part of standard preseason assessment, and at 6 and 12 months post-ACL reconstruction. Results The average MVIC value 6 months postreconstruction was 97% of the preinjury average value. In contrast, at 6 months, the RFD30, RFD50, and RFD90 values were 80% (P = .04), 77% (P = .03), and 63% (P = .007), respectively, of the preinjury values. The mean RFD values for the reconstructed knee attained or exceeded 90% of the preinjury mean values only at the 12-month post-ACL reconstruction assessment (RFD30, P = .86; RFD50, P = .51; RFD90, P = .56). Conclusion Despite the near recovery of MVIC strength to preinjury levels, there were still significant deficits in RFD at 6 months post-ACL reconstruction. An RFD similar to the preinjury RFD was achieved at 12 months post-ACL reconstruction, following a rehabilitation program focusing on muscle power. These results suggest that, following an ACL reconstruction, RFD criteria may be a useful adjunct outcome measure for the decision to return athletes to sports. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2012;42(9):772–780, Epub 19 July 2012. doi:10.2519/jospt.2012.3780

Background and Purpose. Radial shock-wave therapy (RSWT) is a pneumatically generated, low- to medium-energy type of shock-wave therapy. This single-blind, randomized, “less active similar therapy”-controlled study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of RSWT for the management of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder. Subjects. Ninety patients with radiographically verified calcific tendinitis of the shoulder were tested. Methods. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (n=45) or a control group (n=45). Pain and functional level were evaluated before and after treatment and at a 6-month follow-up. Radiographic modifications in calcifications were evaluated before and after treatment. Results. The treatment group displayed improvement in all of the parameters analyzed after treatment and at the 6-month follow-up. Calcifications disappeared completely in 86.6% of the subjects in the treatment group and partially in 13.4% of subjects; only 8.8% of the subjects in the control group displayed partially reduced calcifications, and none displayed a total disappearance. Discussion and Conclusion. The results suggest that the use of RSWT for the management of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder is safe and effective, leading to a significant reduction in pain and improvement of shoulder function after 4 weeks, without adverse effects.

Since tendon injuries and tendinopathy are a growing problem, sometimes requiring surgery, new strategies that improve conservative therapies are needed. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) seems to be a good candidate by virtue of its high content of growth factors, most of which are involved in tendon healing. This study aimed to evaluate if different concentrations of platelets in PRP have different effects on the biological features of normal human tenocytes that are usually required during tendon healing. The different platelet concentrations tested (up to 5 × 106 plt/µL) stimulated differently tenocytes behavior; intermediate concentrations (0.5 × 106, 1 × 106 plt/µL) strongly induced all tested processes (proliferation, migration, collagen, and MMPs production) if compared to untreated cells; on the contrary, the highest concentration had inhibitory effects on proliferation and strongly reduced migration abilities and overall collagen production but, at the same time, induced increasing MMP production, which could be counterproductive because excessive proteolysis could impair tendon mechanical stability. Thus, these in vitro data strongly suggest the need for a compromise between extremely high and low platelet concentrations to obtain an optimal global effect when inducing in vivo tendon healing.

Shoulder instability can be defined as the inability to maintain the normal position of the humeral head on the glenoid during upperlimb movements, which causes apprehension and/or pain.11 Acute traumatic anterior dislocation is the most common cause of shoulder instability. Shoulder instability may not manifest during clinical examination. The symptoms are typically intermittent and variable, thus an accurate assessment of symptoms over time and life circumstances is required to accurately portray the functional impact.Several instruments have been developed to determine the effects of shoulder instability. However, the majority of instability outcome measures consist of physician-rated questionnaires based on clinical information that does not convey T T STUDY DESIGN: Clinical measurement study. T T OBJECTIVES:To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI) into Italian, and to evaluate its measurement properties in patients with shoulder instability secondary to a first-time traumatic anterior dislocation. T T BACKGROUND:The WOSI was developed for English-speaking patients. To date, no Italian version of the WOSI exists. T T METHODS:The WOSI was cross-culturally adapted to Italian according to established guidelines. Sixty-four (16 women, 48 men) patients with unilateral shoulder anterior instability were prospectively recruited for the purposes of this study. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness of the WOSI were evaluated. T T CONCLUSION:The Italian version of the WOSI is a valid, reliable, and responsive tool that can be used to measure function in Italian-speaking patients with shoulder instability due to a first-time traumatic anterior dislocation.

A systematic literature search for evidences comparing treatment effect and harm of resurfacing versus nonresurfacing the patella in total knee arthroplasty was conducted and yielded five meta-analysis (MA), one systematic review (SR) and six randomized controlled trials not included in previous MAs/SR. The evidence suggests that patellar resurfacing would reduce the risk of anterior knee pain, as well as the risk of patella-related reoperation. Furthermore, patients not undergoing patella resurfacing would experience more knee pain during stair climbing and be less satisfied with surgery. No significant difference in range of motion can be expected with or without patellar resurfacing. Importantly, methodological limitations were observed in all retrieved studies and evidences about potential adverse events related to patellar resurfacing are presently undetermined.