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Pain is common among athletes at all levels and the treatment of pain can be a challenging and frustrating task. The team physician needs a fundamental knowledge of analgesic strategies as it relates to athletes. It is important to understand the mechanism of action, side effect profile/associated complications, incidence of and indications for use, as well as the controversies associated with the most common analgesic medications used in sports medicine. Several "in vogue" treatment modalities, including cannabidiol, are also becoming more commonly used and are worth discussion.

BACKGROUND Anterior instability has consistently been shown to be the most common type of glenohumeral instability. Recent studies have demonstrated a higher percentage of posterior and combined (anterior and posterior) instability than had previously been reported; however, this work has not been replicated recently in a particularly young military population, which may be representative of an especially athletic or high-demand group. QUESTION/PURPOSE What proportion of arthroscopic shoulder stabilization procedures are performed to address isolated anterior instability, isolated posterior instability, and combined instability in a young, military population? METHODS Between August 2009 and January 2020, two sports medicine fellowship-trained surgeons performed arthroscopic shoulder surgery on 543 patients at a single institution. During that time, the indication to be treated with arthroscopic stabilization surgery was symptomatic glenohumeral instability, as diagnosed by the operative surgeon, that restricted patients from carrying out their military duties. Of those, 82% (443 of 543) could be evaluated in this retrospective study, while 18% (100 of 543) were excluded due to either incomplete data or because the procedure performed was not to address instability. No patient underwent an open stabilization procedure during this period. Of the 443 patients investigated, the mean age was 22 ± 4 years, and 88% (392 of 443 patients) were men. Instability type was characterized as isolated anterior, isolated posterior, or combined (anterior and posterior) according to the physician's diagnosis as listed in the patient's clinical records and operative reports after the particular capsulolabral pathology was identified and addressed. RESULTS Isolated anterior instability occurred in 47% of patients (210 of 443). Isolated posterior instability happened in 18% of patients (80 of 443), while combined anteroposterior instability occurred in 35% of patients (153 of 443). CONCLUSION Shoulder instability is common in the military population. Although anterior instability occurred most frequently, these findings demonstrate higher proportions of posterior and combined instability than have been previously reported. Surgeons should have a heightened suspicion for posterior and combined anteroposterior labral pathology when performing arthroscopic stabilization procedures to ensure that these instability patterns are recognized and treated appropriately. The current investigation examines a unique cohort of young and active individuals who are at particularly high risk for instability and whose findings may represent a good surrogate for other active populations that a surgeon may encounter.Level of Evidence Level III; therapeutic study.

Category: Ankle; Sports Introduction/Purpose: The Modified Brostrom (MB) has become the gold standard for operative management of chronic lateral ankle instability. Despite overall good clinical outcomes with this procedure, recent biomechanical data has called into question the strength and durability of this technique. Accordingly, the addition of suture tape to the MB construct has been described in an attempt to more closely recreate the natural biomechanical properties of the ankle lateral ligament complex. Despite its increasing popularity, the Modified Brostrom with suture tape augmentation (MBA) remains controversial due to a lack of clinical data. The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in clinical outcomes of MB compared to MBA. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed using PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL to identify English-language articles from 2009 - present discussing outcomes with the MBA technique. Total number of patients, patient demographics, follow-up time, subjective and objective outcome measures, return to sport, recurrent instability, and complications were evaluated. Results: A total of 4 studies (2 retrospective cohort studies, 2 case series) involving 156 patients with MBA met inclusion criteria. Average follow-up time was 13.8 months. Of the 3 studies reporting patient-reported outcome measures both pre-and post- operatively, there was a significant improvement in all measures (p0.05) between MB and MBA across studies. One study reported a significantly greater rate of return to sport at 12 weeks in the MBA group versus the MB (82% vs 27%, pConclusion: MBA for chronic lateral ankle instability can produce good short-term clinical outcomes with few complications, comparable to MB. The overall quality of evidence is low, and long-term, prospective, head-to-head comparison data will be needed to determine the clinical efficacy, complication profile, and cost-benefit relationship of the MBA technique as it compares to the MB.

The meniscus has an important role in stabilizing the knee joint and protecting the articular cartilage from shear forces. Meniscus tears are common injuries and can disrupt these protective properties, leading to an increased risk of articular cartilage damage and eventual osteoarthritis. Certain tear patterns are often treated with arthroscopic partial meniscectomy, which can effectively relieve symptoms. However, removal of meniscal tissue can also diminish the ability of the meniscus to dissipate hoop stresses, resulting in altered biomechanics of the knee joint including increased contact pressures. This makes meniscal repair an important treatment consideration whenever possible. Understanding the incidence and mechanism of osteoarthritis development after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy as it relates to different tear morphologies and other treatment alternatives (ie, meniscus repair) is important to appropriately treat meniscus tears.

Objectives: To prospectively determine the amount of bone loss associated with posterior instability and to determine predisposing factors based on pre-instability imaging. Methods: A total of 714 athletes were evaluated prospectively for 4+ years. At baseline, every patient received a subjective history of shoulder instability as well as bilateral noncontrast shoulder magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) regardless of any reported history of shoulder instability. The cohort was prospectively followed during the study period, and those who were diagnosed with posterior glenohumeral instability were identified. Postinjury MRIs with contrast were obtained and compared with the screening MRI. Glenoid version, perfect-circle-based bone loss was measured for each patient’s pre- and post-injury MRI using previously described methods. Results: Of the 714 athletes (1428 shoulders) who were prospectively followed during the 4-year period, 5 athletes (7 shoulders) sustained a first-time posterior instability event (1 dislocation, 5 subluxations), and one athlete (1 shoulder) sustained a recurrent posterior instability event. At baseline, 6 out of 8 shoulders were noted to have some level of dysplasia and/or bone loss. Glenoid bone loss increased significantly after instability event in terms of percentage linear bone loss (6.96 ± 4.66 versus 13.54% ± 4.66, p=0.014) and total area of bone loss (3.51 ± 2.78 versus 8.10 ± 3.25, p= 0.009). Baseline glenoid retroversion >10° was associated with a significant greater percentage of bone loss (2.58 ± 1.94 versus 5.79 ± 1.28, p=0.028). Conclusions: Patients with posterior instability tend to have baseline dysplasia and/or glenoid bone loss. Glenoid bone loss of 8.1% was observed after index posterior instability event, with baseline glenoid retroversion >10° being associated with more bone loss.

Background Recent spread of severe acute respiratory coronavirus syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, resulting in new challenges across all medical specialties. Limb and digit ischemia have been associated with COVID-19 infection. This systematic review includes primary studies of COVID-19 limb ischemia to identify risk factors, comorbidities, case characteristics, and treatment strategies to better understand the nature of this disease and its effects on the extremities. Methods A literature search for studies detailing COVID-19 infected patients with limb or digit ischemia was performed, identifying 157 articles, 12 of which met inclusion criteria, accounting for 47 patients. Inclusion criteria were (1) primary studies, (2) positive disease diagnosis (3) limb ischemia, (4) reported treatment. Demographic data, case characteristics, treatments, outcomes and mortality were collected and pooled. Results The average patient age was 67.6 years, predominantly male (79.6%). Of the 44 cases discussing treatment, 13 (30%) patients underwent medical treatment alone, while 23 (52.3%) patients underwent medical plus surgical treatment. Four patients (9.1%) were treated with observation. In 10 of the 12 studies, lab findings, thrombosis, or conclusions supporting a hypercoagulable state as a cause of limb/digit ischemia were cited. Five patients (10.6%) were on vasopressors and 8 patients (17.0%) were on a ventilator. Of those treated with observation alone, there was 100% resolution of symptoms. Of those treated medically without surgical intervention (17 patients), 6 patients (35.3%) were reported to have revascularization, 6 patients (35.3%) died, and the remaining outcomes were not reported. Medical and surgical treatment resulted in one limb amputation (4.4%) and altogether 74% of patients achieved revascularization of the affected limb/digit. Mortality rate was 45%. Conclusions COVID-19 infection may be associated with increased risk of limb or digital ischemia, although the quality of evidence supporting this theory is limited. Evidence of inflammatory-mediated thrombosis and endothelial injury are possible explanations which would support the use of immunotherapy in addition to anticoagulation for treatment or prevention of thromboembolic events. Current outcomes and treatment strategies are variable. Level of evidence IV.

Background The melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) critically regulates feeding and satiety. Rare variants in MC4R are predominantly found in obese individuals. Though some rare variants in MC4R discovered in patients have defects in localization, ligand binding and signaling to cAMP, many have no recognized defects. Subjects/Methods In our cohort of 1433 obese subjects that underwent Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery, we found fifteen variants of MC4R. We matched rare variant carriers to patients with the MC4R reference alleles for gender, age, starting BMI and T2D to determine the variant effect on weight-loss post-RYGB. In vitro, we determined expression of mutant receptors by ELISA and western blot, and cAMP production by microscopy. Results While carrying a rare MC4R allele is associated with obesity, carriers of rare variants exhibited comparable weight-loss after RYGB to non-carriers. However, subjects carrying three of these variants, V95I, I137T or L250Q, lost less weight after surgery. In vitro, the R305Q mutation caused a defect in cell surface expression while only the I137T and C326R mutations showed impaired cAMP signaling. Despite these apparent differences, there was no correlation between in vitro signaling and pre- or post-surgery clinical phenotype. Conclusions These data suggest that subtle differences in receptor signaling conferred by rare MC4R variants combined with additional factors predispose carriers to obesity. In the absence of complete MC4R deficiency, these differences can be overcome by the powerful weight-reducing effects of bariatric surgery. In a complex disorder such as obesity, genetic variants that cause subtle defects that have cumulative effects can be overcome after appropriate clinical intervention.