Here are five studies about shoulder injuries and treatments. For points two through five, the information was gathered from studies published in American Journal of Sports Medicine.
1. New shoulder surgery for osteoarthritis. Peter Millett, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo., recently developed a new treatment for patients with osteoarthritis in the shoulder: the Comprehensive Arthroscopic Management procedure. During the procedure, damaged cartilage and labral tissue is removed and regenerated. The surgeon also releases scarred ligaments and capsular tissues to restore mobility before decompressing the axillary nerve. Data gathered at the practice from the initial patients receiving this procedure show that the majority experience improvement in pain, stiffness and overall weakness related to the disease.
2. Most recurrent rotator cuff tears occur within three months of surgery. When patients experience a recurrent rotator cuff tear, it will most likely occur within three months of the initial surgery and have long term implications for patient outcomes. In the study, researchers examined 107 consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopic mini-open rotator cuff repair and followed most patients for a maximum of 11 years. Among those patients, there was a 33 percent failure rate and 74 percent of the failures occurred atraumatically within the first three moths of surgery. Of the remaining failures, 11 percent occurred between the third and sixth month after surgery.
3. Nonoperative treatment effective for MLB pitchers. When pitchers sustain latissimus dorsi and teres major injuries, they can be effectively treated non-operatively and return to play successfully. In the retrospective study of 16 MLB pitchers diagnosed and treated for LD or TM between 2002 and 2008, 15 were able to return to the same or higher level of play. Nine of the athletes experienced season-ending injuries and the average time lost was 82.4 days. When the pitchers returned, the average pitching was approximately 62 days and mean throwing time was 35.6 days.
4. SLAP lesions can be detected using common clinical tests. A recent study shows that SLAP lesions can be evaluated in the clinical setting with active compression, Speed's, pronated load, biceps load I, biceps load II, resisted supination external rotation and Yergason's tests. The Speed's, active compression palm up, bicep I and bicep II tests produced higher long head activations, while the other tests produced higher long head of the biceps branchii proportion.
5. Shoulder injuries decreases total rotation. Among the 246 injured and uninjured athletes who participated in a study examining shoulder total rotation, researchers found that injuries made a big difference in internal rotation and horizontal adduction for softball and baseball athletes. There were 27 shoulder and elbow injuries during the season when the athletes were monitored, and all athletes with injuries showed significant decrease in HA and IR. Those who had a decrease of greater than 25 degrees in IR in the dominant shoulder were at four times greater risk of further upper extremity injury.
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2. Most recurrent rotator cuff tears occur within three months of surgery. When patients experience a recurrent rotator cuff tear, it will most likely occur within three months of the initial surgery and have long term implications for patient outcomes. In the study, researchers examined 107 consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopic mini-open rotator cuff repair and followed most patients for a maximum of 11 years. Among those patients, there was a 33 percent failure rate and 74 percent of the failures occurred atraumatically within the first three moths of surgery. Of the remaining failures, 11 percent occurred between the third and sixth month after surgery.
3. Nonoperative treatment effective for MLB pitchers. When pitchers sustain latissimus dorsi and teres major injuries, they can be effectively treated non-operatively and return to play successfully. In the retrospective study of 16 MLB pitchers diagnosed and treated for LD or TM between 2002 and 2008, 15 were able to return to the same or higher level of play. Nine of the athletes experienced season-ending injuries and the average time lost was 82.4 days. When the pitchers returned, the average pitching was approximately 62 days and mean throwing time was 35.6 days.
4. SLAP lesions can be detected using common clinical tests. A recent study shows that SLAP lesions can be evaluated in the clinical setting with active compression, Speed's, pronated load, biceps load I, biceps load II, resisted supination external rotation and Yergason's tests. The Speed's, active compression palm up, bicep I and bicep II tests produced higher long head activations, while the other tests produced higher long head of the biceps branchii proportion.
5. Shoulder injuries decreases total rotation. Among the 246 injured and uninjured athletes who participated in a study examining shoulder total rotation, researchers found that injuries made a big difference in internal rotation and horizontal adduction for softball and baseball athletes. There were 27 shoulder and elbow injuries during the season when the athletes were monitored, and all athletes with injuries showed significant decrease in HA and IR. Those who had a decrease of greater than 25 degrees in IR in the dominant shoulder were at four times greater risk of further upper extremity injury.
Related Articles on Shoulder Surgery:
67 Outstanding Shoulder Surgeons and Specialists
Dr. Anthony Romeo: 6 Techniques and Treatments Revolutionizing Shoulder Surgery
8 Trends for Shoulder Surgeons to Know in 2011