Injuries to the foot in athletes are often subtle and can lead to a substantial loss of function if not diagnosed and treated appropriately. For these injuries in general, even after a diagnosis is made, treatment options are controversial and become even more so in high level athletes where limiting the time away from training and competition is a significant consideration.

In this review, we cover some of the common and important sporting injuries affecting the foot including updates on their management and outcomes.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:1299–1311.

There is a disparity in sport-related injuries between sexes, with females sustaining non-contact musculoskeletal injuries at a higher rate. Anterior cruciate ligament ruptures are between two and eight times more common than in males, and females also have a higher incidence of ankle sprains, patellofemoral pain, and bone stress injuries. The sequelae of such injuries can be devastating to an athlete, resulting in time out of sport, surgery, and the early onset of osteoarthritis. It is important to identify the causes of this disparity and introduce prevention programmes to reduce the incidence of these injuries. A natural difference reflects the effect of reproductive hormones in females, which have receptors in certain musculoskeletal tissues. Relaxin increases ligamentous laxity. Oestrogen decreases the synthesis of collagen and progesterone does the opposite. Insufficient diet and intensive training can lead to menstrual irregularities, which are common in female athletes and result in injury, whereas oral contraception may have a protective effect against certain injuries. It is important for coaches, physiotherapists, nutritionists, doctors, and athletes to be aware of these issues and to implement preventive measures. This annotation explores the relationship between the menstrual cycle and orthopaedic sports injuries in pre-menopausal females, and proposes recommendations to mitigate the risk of sustaining these injuries. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2023;105-B(7):723–728

Traditionally, sports Injuries have been sub-optimally managed through Emergency Departments (ED) in the public health system due to a lack of adequate referral processes. Fractures are ruled out through plain radiographs followed by a reactive process involving patient initiated further follow up and investigation. Consequently, significant soft tissue and chondral injuries can go undiagnosed during periods in which early intervention can significantly affect natural progression. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess the efficacy of an innovative Sports Injury Pathway introduced to detect and treat significant soft tissue injuries. A Sports Injury Pathway was introduced at Fiona Stanley Hospital (WA, Australia) in April 2019 as a collaboration between the ED, Physiotherapy and Orthopaedic Departments. ED practitioners were advised to have a low threshold for referral, especially in the presence of a history of a twisting knee injury, shoulder dislocation or any suggestion of a hip tendon injury. All referrals were triaged by the Perth Sports Surgery Fellow with early follow-up in our Sports Trauma Clinics with additional investigations if required. A detailed database of all referrals was maintained, and relevant data was extracted for analysis over the first 3 years of this pathway. 570 patients were included in the final analysis. 54% of injuries occurred while playing sport, with AFL injuries constituting the most common contact-sports injury (13%). Advanced Scope Physiotherapists were the largest source of referrals (60%). A total of 460 MRI scans were eventually ordered comprising 81% of total referrals. Regarding Knee MRIs, 86% identified a significant structural injury with ACL injuries being the most common (33%) followed by isolated meniscal tears (16%) and multi-ligament knee injuries (11%). 95% of Shoulder MRI scans showed significant pathology. 39% of patients required surgical management, and of these 50% were performed within 3 months from injury. The Fiona Stanley Hospital Sports Injury Pathway has demonstrated its clear value in successfully diagnosing and treating an important cohort of patients who present to our Emergency Department. This low threshold/streamlined referral pathway has found that the vast majority of these patients suffer significant structural injuries that may have been otherwise missed, while providing referring practitioners and patients access to prompt imaging and high-quality Orthopaedic sports trauma services. We recommend the implementation of a similar Sports Injury Pathway at all secondary and tertiary Orthopaedic Centres

Sporting injuries around the ankle vary from simple sprains that will resolve spontaneously within a few days to severe injuries which may never fully recover and may threaten the career of a professional athlete. Some of these injuries can be easily overlooked altogether or misdiagnosed with potentially devastating effects on future performance. In this review article, we cover some of the common and important sporting injuries involving the ankle including updates on their management and outcomes.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:874–83.

Incomplete avulsion of the proximal hamstrings can be a severely debilitating injury that causes weakness, pain while sitting and inability to run. The results of the surgical treatment of 23 consecutive patients with such injuries at least two years after surgery are described. The surgery consisted of the repair of the hamstrings directly onto the ischial tuberosity. At review, using a visual analogue scale (VAS, 0 to 100), pain while sitting improved from a mean of 40 (0 to 100) to 64 (0 to 100) (p = 0.024), weakness from a mean of 39 (0 to 90) to 76 (7 to 100) (p = 0.0001) and the ability to run from a mean of 24 (0 to 88) to 64 (0 to 95) (p = 0.0001). According to a VAS, satisfaction was rated at a mean of 81 (0 to 100) and 20 patients (87%) would have the same procedure again. Hamstring strength measured pre- and post-operatively had improved significantly from a mean of 64% (0% to 95%) to 88% (50% to 114%) compared with the normal side.

Most of these patients with symptomatic incomplete hamstring avulsions unresponsive to conservative treatment had an improved outcome after surgical repair.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disabling disease depriving the quality of life of patients. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are recently used to modify the inflammatory and degenerative cascade of the disease. Source of MSCs could change the progression and symptoms of OA due to their different metabolomic activities. We asked whether MSCs derived from the infrapatellar fat (IPF), synovium (Sy) and subcutaneous (SC) tissues will decrease inflammatory and degenerative markers of normal and OA chondrocytes and improve regeneration in culture. Tissues were obtained from three male patients undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery due to sports injuries after ethical board approval. TNFa concentration decreased in all MSC groups (Sy=156,6±79, SC=42,1±6 and IPF=35,5±3 pg/ml; p=0,036) on day 14 in culture. On day seven (Sy=87,4±43,7, SC=23±8,9 and IPF=14,7±3,3 pg/ml, p=0,043) and 14 (Sy=29,1±11,2, SC=28,3±18,5 and IPF=20,3±16,2 pg/ml, p=0,043), MMP3 concentration decreased in all groups. COMP concentration changes however were not significant. Plot scores of tissues for PC2-13,4% were significantly different. Based on the results of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics coupled with recent data processing strategies, clinically relevant seven metabolites (L-fructose, a-tocotrienol, coproporphyrin, nicotinamide, bilirubin, tauro-deoxycholic acid and galactose-sphingosine) were found statistically different (p<0.05 and fold change>1.5) ratios in tissue samples. Focusing on these metabolites as potential therapeutics could enhance MSC therapies. Acknowledgment: Hacettepe University, Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (#THD-2020-18692) and Turkish Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology (#TOTBID-89) funded this project. Feza Korkusuz MD is a member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic public health measures were implemented to limit virus spread. After initial implementation of a province-wide lockdown (Stage 1), there followed a sequential ease of restrictions through Stages 2 and 3 over a 6-month period from March to September 2020 (Table 1). We aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 public health measures on the epidemiology of operative paediatric orthopaedic trauma and to determine differential effects of each stage of lockdown. A retrospective cohort study was performed comparing all emergency department (ED) visits for musculoskeletal trauma and operatively treated orthopaedic trauma cases at a Level-1 paediatric trauma center during Mar-Sep 2020 (pandemic), compared with Mar-Sep 2019 (pre-pandemic). All operative cases were analyzed based on injury severity, mechanism of injury (MOI) and anatomic location (AL). Comparisons between groups were assessed using chi-square testing for categorical variables, and student t-tests and Fisher's exact tests for continuous variables. During the pandemic period, ED visits for orthopaedic trauma decreased compared to pre-pandemic levels by 23% (1370 vs 1790 patients) and operative treatment decreased by 28% (283 vs 391 patients). There was a significant decrease in the number of operative cases per day in lockdown Stage 1 (1.25 pandemic vs 1.90 pre- pandemic; p < 0 .001) and Stage 2 (1.65 pandemic vs 3.03 pre-pandemic; p< 0.001) but no difference in operative case number during Stage 3 (2.18 pandemic vs 2.45 pre-pandemic; p=0.35). Significant differences were found in MOI and AL during Stage 1 (p < 0 .001) and Stage 2 (p < 0 .001) compared to pre-pandemic. During Stage 1 and 2, playground injuries decreased by 95% and 82%, respectively; sports injuries decreased by 79% and 13%, and trampoline injuries decreased 44% and 43%, compared to pre-pandemic. However, self-propelled transit injuries (bicycles/skateboards) increased during Stage 1 and Stage 2 by 67% and 28%, respectively compared to pre- pandemic. During lockdown Stage 3 there were no differences in MOI nor AL. There were no significant differences in injury severity in any lockdown stage compared to pre-pandemic. COVID-19 lockdown measures significantly reduced the burden of operative paediatric orthopaedic trauma. Differences in volume, mechanism and pattern of injuries varied by lockdown stage offering evidence of the burden of operative trauma related to specific childhood activities. These findings will assist health systems planning for future pandemics and suggest that improvements in safety of playgrounds and self-propelled transit are important in reducing severe childhood injury requiring operative intervention. For any figures or tables, please contact the authors directly

Introduction: The health benefits of physical exercise are well recognised. In recent years the department of health has been encouraging the UK population to exercise more. We aimed to determine if there was any change in the number and pattern of sport and exercise related injuries attending a city Emergency Department (ED) over the past two decades. Methods: We undertook a prospective comparative study of patients attending an ED over two time periods: Aug 85 – April 86 and Aug 04 – April 05. All identified patients had a standardised proforma inserted into their notes which was prospectively completed by the attending clinician at the time of consultation. Results: We observed a 35% increase in sporting injuries over the 19 year period (1000 injuries out of 37036 new patients vs 1351 out of 37526, p< 0.0001). The total number of new patients attending the ED remained unchanged during this time. Males remain the majority of patients with sports injuries (86%). We noted a change in age distribution with a relative increase in patients under 16 yrs (p< 0.0001), a decrease in 16–24 yrs (p=0.0002) and an increase in patients over 40yrs (p< 0.001). There was a significant reduction in patients presenting out of hours and a significant increase in the delay to presenting at ED with the majority of patients presenting over 4 hours after the injury. Football remains the commonest cause of sports injury accounting for half of all sports injuries, followed by rugby but there has been a relative decline in skiing, martial arts jogging and squash as a cause of injury and a significant increase in injuries due to snowboarding, skateboarding and basketball. Conclusion: There has been an increase in the number of sports injuries attending hospital, which may represent a general increase in sport and exercise participation among our population

Introduction and Objective. The rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament is a common sports injury and surgical reconstruction is often required to restore full function of the knee. Hamstring tendons are usually used as autografts. In addition to knee pain and stiffness, infections are feared complications after surgery. Incubation of the autograft in a vancomycin solution until implantation reduced the infection rate by about ten-fold. Recent studies showed no negative effect of vancomycin on the biomechanical properties of porcine tendons. A negative effect of high vancomycin concentrations on chondrocytes and osteoblast is reported, but the effect on tendon and tenocytes is not known. Materials and Methods. Rat Achilles tendons or isolated tenocytes were incubated with an increasing concentration of vancomycin (0 – 10 mg). Tendons were incubated for 0 – 40 minutes, while tenoyctes were incubated for 20 minutes followed by culturing for up to 7 days. Cell viability was assessed with PrestoBlue Assay and live/dead stain. The potential effect of vancomycin on the expression of tendon specific genes and extracellular matrix (ECM) genes was quantified. Possible structural changes of the tendon are analyzed. Results. Incubation of the tendons or tenocytes with 5 mg vancomycin for 20 minutes (clinical use) had no negative effects on the cell viability in the tendons or the isolated tenocytes, while incubation with the toxic control (ethanol) significantly reduced cell viability. Even twice the concentration and a longer incubation time had no negative effect on the cells in the tendons or the isolated cells. Vancyomycin did not affect the expression of Col1a1, Col3a1, and the tenocyte markers mohawk, scleraxis and tenomodulin. Conclusions. The results showed that clinical practice of wrapping the autograft in vancomycin did not impair the tenocyte viability. The expression of collagens and tenocyte markers was also not affected, neither in the incubated tendons nor in the isolated cells. This indicates that vancomycin had no effect on cell phenotype and the formation of the extracellular matrix, which, in addition to cell viability, is important for the performance of the autograft

Aims. To determine the impact of COVID-19 on orthopaediatric admissions and fracture clinics within a regional integrated care system (ICS). Methods. A retrospective review was performed for all paediatric orthopaedic patients admitted across the region during the recent lockdown period (24 March 2020 to 10 May 2020) and the same period in 2019. Age, sex, mechanism, anatomical region, and treatment modality were compared, as were fracture clinic attendances within the receiving regional major trauma centre (MTC) between the two periods. Results. Paediatric trauma admissions across the region fell by 33% (197 vs 132) with a proportional increase to 59% (n = 78) of admissions to the MTC during lockdown compared with 28.4% in 2019 (N = 56). There was a reduction in manipulation under anaesthetic (p = 0.015) and the use of Kirschner wires (K-wires) (p = 0.040) between the two time periods. The median time to surgery remained one day in both (2019 IQR 0 to 2; 2020 IQR 1 to 1). Supracondylar fractures were the most common reason for fracture clinic attendance (17.3%, n = 19) with a proportional increase of 108.4% vs 2019 (2019 n = 20; 2020 n = 19) (p = 0.007). While upper limb injuries and falls from play apparatus, equipment, or height remained the most common indications for admission, there was a reduction in sports injuries (p < 0.001) but an increase in lacerations (p = 0.031). Fracture clinic management changed with 67% (n = 40) of follow-up appointments via telephone and 69% (n = 65) of patients requiring cast immobilization treated with a 3M Soft Cast, enabling self-removal. The safeguarding team saw a 22% reduction in referrals (2019: n = 41, 2020: n = 32). Conclusion. During this viral pandemic, the number of trauma cases decreased with a change in the mechanism of injury, median age of presentation, and an increase in referrals to the regional MTC. Adaptions in standard practice led to fewer MUA, and K-wire procedures being performed, more supracondylar fractures managed through clinic and an increase in the use of removable cast. Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-7:424–430

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are one of the most common ligament injury occurring in young and active individuals. Reconstruction of the torn ligament is the current standard of care. Of the many factors which determine the surgical outcome, fixation of the graft in the bony tunnels has significant role. This study compared the clinical and functional outcome in patients who underwent ACL reconstruction by standard anteromedial portal technique with single bundle hamstring graft anchored in the femoral tunnel using rigidfix and cortical button with adjustable loops. The tibial fixation and rehabilitation protocol were same in both groups. 107 patients underwent ACL reconstruction over a two-year period (87 males, 20 females, 44 after motor vehicle accident, 34 after sports injuries, 79 isolated ACL tear, 21 associated medial meniscus tear, 16 lateral meniscus tear and 11 both menisci). Rigid fix group had 47 patients and adjustable loop 60 patients. Clinical evaluation at end of one year showed better stability in rigid fix group regarding Lachman, anterior drawer, pivot shift tests, KT 1000 arthrometer side to side difference and hop limb symmetry index. However, the differences were not statistically significant. Functional evaluation using IKDC 2000 subjective score and Lysholm score showed better results in rigidfix group than variable loop, but was not statistically significant. However, lower scores were noted in patients with concomitant meniscal injury than in isolated acl tear patients and this was statistically significant in both groups. Rigidfix seems to give better graft fixation on femoral side than variable loop, but by the end of one year the functional outcome is comparable in isolated acl reconstructions

A prospective study was performed to develop a clinical prediction rule that incorporated demographic and clinical factors predictive of a fracture of the scaphoid. Of 260 consecutive patients with a clinically suspected or radiologically confirmed scaphoid fracture, 223 returned for evaluation two weeks after injury and formed the basis of our analysis. Patients were evaluated within 72 hours of injury and at approximately two and six weeks after injury using clinical assessment and standard radiographs. Demographic data and the results of seven specific tests in the clinical examination were recorded. There were 116 (52%) men and their mean age was 33 years (13 to 95; . sd. 17.9). In 62 patients (28%) a scaphoid fracture was confirmed. A logistic regression model identified male gender (p = 0.002), sports injury (p = 0.004), anatomical snuff box pain on ulnar deviation of the wrist within 72 hours of injury (p < 0.001), and scaphoid tubercle tenderness at two weeks (p < 0.001) as independent predictors of fracture. All patients with no pain at the anatomical snuff box on ulnar deviation of the wrist within 72 hours of injury did not have a fracture (n = 72, 32%). With four independently significant factors positive, the risk of fracture was 91%. Our study has demonstrated that clinical prediction rules have a considerable influence on the probability of a suspected scaphoid fracture. This will help improve the use of supplementary investigations where the diagnosis remains in doubt

This project determines the numbers of UK service personnel with sports related injuries requiring physiotherapy or admission to Bastion Role 3 facility. We identified the trend of the injuries and how they were sustained during. The outcomes were recorded to determine the cost to the mission. Data was collected from April to September 2013. Results included 123 (29% of the deployed contingent in BSN catchment) were unfit for role whilst receiving treatment and 27 personnel (6%) were unable to return to their role in theatre due to their injury. 19 personnel were evacuated to UK, 7 to RCDM and 12 DAH to RRU. The mean length of hospital stay was 2.5 days, the total number of overnight stays was 58. The cost of an overnight stay in a Role 3 hospital bed is £200 and the cost of an escorted Aeromed £8,020. Incidence of sports injuries of UK personnel during H18, requiring role 1 or role 3 interventions was 6.3%. Individual PT accounted for 84% of injuries and 16% due to duty PT. 50% were lower limb injuries (UL – 25%, spine – 25%). Following treatment 94% patients remained in BSN in role, 4% Aeromed to UK. The potential cost was estimated at a minimum of £163,980

A retrospective review of all patients presenting to the multinational integrated medical unit at Sipovo in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the period 1 June 2000 to 30 November 2000 was carried out. During this 6-month period, 203 new patients presented to the orthopaedic surgeon; these patients form the basis of this study. Of the 203 patients, 54 (26.6%) presented with chronic problems, but of these 18 (33.3%) had been exacerbated by sporting activities during the tour. The remaining 149 (73.4%) presented with acute problems, and of these sports injury was the most common cause. Traffic accidents, military training injuries, non-specific trauma (falls, crush injures etc) and acute orthopaedic problems such as sciatica accounted for the remainder of the causes. These data are presented in table 1. Football was again the most common cause of injury accounting for 34.4% of all sporting injuries, and the lower limb, particularly the ankle, was the most common site of injury. The wisdom of allowing this sport, during operational tours, must be questioned. Only 5 (8.2%) of the patients presenting with sports injuries were discharged straight back to full duties. The majority (70.5%) received light duties (mean 14.4 days), but 13 patients (21.3%) required admission to hospital of which 9 were subsequently evacuated out of theatre. The total number of patients used for this review was 203 of which 13 were trauma from traffic accidents, 61 were sporting injuries, 7 from military training, 52 were non specific trauma, 11, the cause was not recorded, 5 were acute non traumatic orthopedic problems, 18 were chronic and exacerbated by sport and 36 were not related to sport at all

The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in The United States is approximately 40 million cases, and this number is expected to rise to 60 million by the year 2020. Multiple non-operative treatment options are available for patients, including bracing. Braces can also be used for “pre-habitation” prior to total knee arthroplasty (TKA), after TKA, after traumatic sports injuries, and in neurologic patients. Although, the AAOS recommendations for brace use for treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) are “inconclusive”, recent studies have shown improved functional outcomes with the use of off-loader braces for the treatment of uni-compartmental knee OA. In addition, supplemental modalities such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) have demonstrated improved subjective and functional outcomes. These off-loader braces and supplemental modalities are easy to use, may decrease pain, delay TKA, and improve clinical outcomes following surgery. In addition, they may decrease the use of other costly knee OA treatment options such as pain medications and intra-articular injections