Here are five new studies impacting sports medicine. The studies were published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, unless otherwise noted.
1. Hyperhydration has risk of complications for NFL players. While 75 percent of National Football League teams use pregame hyperhydration with intravenous fluid for an average of five to seven players per game, a study published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine shows that the process may not meet the perceived efficacy and has the potential for complications. On average, players undergoing hyperhydration receive 1.5 liters of fluid for an average of 2.5 hours before game time, with the most common cited reason for the treatment being muscle cramps. The primary reason for administering the hyperhydration was recorded as player request, and two trainers reported mental dependence of their players on pregame hyperhydration.
Of the 27 head athletic trainers who used hyperhydration with IVF, 48 percent reported complications during the 2009-2010 season. These complications included superficial venus clots, air emolus, pulmonary edema, peripheral edema and arterial puncture. Nineteen of the athletic trainers felt that the hyperhydration with IVF was effective or very effective and eight felt the process improved the team's overall performance.
2. Professional football careers are shorter among athletes with shoulder stabilization. Using a database containing NFL statistics for athletes between 1987 and 2000, researchers identified 42 athletes with a history of shoulder stabilization and matched them with a control group. The stabilization group reported a shorter career (5.2 years) than the control group (6.9 years). The stabilization group also reported fewer games than the control group.
Linemen and linebackers were most likely to have had shoulder stabilization, and their careers were significantly shorter (4.7 years) than their counterparts in the control group (6.7 years).
3. Rotator cuff tears likely to increase without surgery. Full thickness rotator cuff tears in about half of patients who are 60 years or younger will increase if they aren't treated surgically. In a study of 61 patients who with rotator cuff tears who were treated non-operatively, 49 percent experienced an increase in tear size at a two-year follow-up. For 25 percent of the patients, a new full-thickness rotator cuff was diagnosed at that time.
4. Shockwave therapy after ACL reconstruction beneficial. Applying extracorporeal shock wave therapy to the bone tunnel can significantly enhance the early tendon-bone healing and decrease tibial tunnel enlargement after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. A study of 34 patients who underwent single-bundle ACL reconstruction with or without ESWT showed that patients in the shock therapy group had significantly better Lysholm scores than the control group one and two years after surgery.
There was no significant difference in the International Knee Documentation Committee scores, bone appearance and bone mineral density values between the two groups. However, patients in the shockwave therapy group reported smaller middle third tibial tunnels two years after surgery and their MRIs showed better integration of tendon graft to bone than the control group.
5. Hip MRI of asymptomatic hockey players can predict future disability. A study examining the MRI evaluations of 21 asymptomatic collegiate hockey players showed the potential for future disability. Adductor-abdominal rectus dysfunction was apparent in 36 percent, and hip pathological changes were reported in 64 percent of the participants. Overall, the researchers found evidence of hip or groin pathologic abnormalities in 77 percent of the hockey players. The interreliability was the lowest in reported hip osteochondral lesions and fluid in the primary clef.
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8 New Studies Influencing Youth Sports Medicine
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Study: Monitor Abnormalities in Uninjured Pitcher's MRI
1. Hyperhydration has risk of complications for NFL players. While 75 percent of National Football League teams use pregame hyperhydration with intravenous fluid for an average of five to seven players per game, a study published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine shows that the process may not meet the perceived efficacy and has the potential for complications. On average, players undergoing hyperhydration receive 1.5 liters of fluid for an average of 2.5 hours before game time, with the most common cited reason for the treatment being muscle cramps. The primary reason for administering the hyperhydration was recorded as player request, and two trainers reported mental dependence of their players on pregame hyperhydration.
Of the 27 head athletic trainers who used hyperhydration with IVF, 48 percent reported complications during the 2009-2010 season. These complications included superficial venus clots, air emolus, pulmonary edema, peripheral edema and arterial puncture. Nineteen of the athletic trainers felt that the hyperhydration with IVF was effective or very effective and eight felt the process improved the team's overall performance.
2. Professional football careers are shorter among athletes with shoulder stabilization. Using a database containing NFL statistics for athletes between 1987 and 2000, researchers identified 42 athletes with a history of shoulder stabilization and matched them with a control group. The stabilization group reported a shorter career (5.2 years) than the control group (6.9 years). The stabilization group also reported fewer games than the control group.
Linemen and linebackers were most likely to have had shoulder stabilization, and their careers were significantly shorter (4.7 years) than their counterparts in the control group (6.7 years).
3. Rotator cuff tears likely to increase without surgery. Full thickness rotator cuff tears in about half of patients who are 60 years or younger will increase if they aren't treated surgically. In a study of 61 patients who with rotator cuff tears who were treated non-operatively, 49 percent experienced an increase in tear size at a two-year follow-up. For 25 percent of the patients, a new full-thickness rotator cuff was diagnosed at that time.
4. Shockwave therapy after ACL reconstruction beneficial. Applying extracorporeal shock wave therapy to the bone tunnel can significantly enhance the early tendon-bone healing and decrease tibial tunnel enlargement after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. A study of 34 patients who underwent single-bundle ACL reconstruction with or without ESWT showed that patients in the shock therapy group had significantly better Lysholm scores than the control group one and two years after surgery.
There was no significant difference in the International Knee Documentation Committee scores, bone appearance and bone mineral density values between the two groups. However, patients in the shockwave therapy group reported smaller middle third tibial tunnels two years after surgery and their MRIs showed better integration of tendon graft to bone than the control group.
5. Hip MRI of asymptomatic hockey players can predict future disability. A study examining the MRI evaluations of 21 asymptomatic collegiate hockey players showed the potential for future disability. Adductor-abdominal rectus dysfunction was apparent in 36 percent, and hip pathological changes were reported in 64 percent of the participants. Overall, the researchers found evidence of hip or groin pathologic abnormalities in 77 percent of the hockey players. The interreliability was the lowest in reported hip osteochondral lesions and fluid in the primary clef.
Related Articles on Sports Medicine Studies:
8 New Studies Influencing Youth Sports Medicine
Study: Shockwave Therapy Safe for Treating Hamstring Injury
Study: Monitor Abnormalities in Uninjured Pitcher's MRI