Search

The aim of the study was to record shoulder and trunk stability of elite female handball players and to investigate their effect on throwing velocity and accuracy. 151 female handball players (9 teams in total) from the Hungarian first league participated in a mid-season conditional survey. The study included tests of trunk and shoulder stability, and measurements of factors affecting shoulder stability, as well as throwing speed and throwing accuracy. After the conditional survey, 18 players were selected for the intervention group (IG) and 18 players for the control group (CG). Significant relationships were found between the medial stability of the shoulder joint (Y-balance) and throwing accuracy (upper right corner) (r = 0.766; p < 0.001), throwing accuracy (upper left corner) (r = 0.729; p < 0.001), total throwing accuracy (r = 0.907; p < 0.001). The IG showed significant improvement in trunk stability (p < 0.001), shoulder joint stability (p < 0.001), throwing velocity (p < 0.001), and throwing accuracy (p = 0.002), compared to the CG. These findings support the idea that trunk and shoulder stability are related to throwing performance of female handball players. Measuring and training these aforementioned factors, particularly medial shoulder stability, may be a valuable adjunct to improving throwing accuracy and throwing velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surgical treatment of the ACL-deficient knee has been controversial among orthopaedic surgeons. The success of the surgery depends on several factors including the timing of the surgery, graft choice, [...], Background: The security of the graft fixation is an important factor of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, especially in the early postoperative period. Hypothesis: The femoral press-fit fixation technique is a safe, alternative technique for the fixation of the bone-patellar tendon-bone graft. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Between January 1, 1998, and June 30, 2002, 285 patients, with a mean age of 29.1 years, underwent operation and observation in our department. All patients had arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using bone-patellar tendon-bone graft with femoral press-fit and tibial interference screw fixation. The mean follow-up period was 35.8 months (range, 24-77 months). During each patient's evaluation, a physical examination, a subjective evaluation, the International Knee Documentation Committee and Lysholm scores, KT-1000 arthrometer testing, and radiological evaluation were performed. The paired Student t test or [chi square] test was used for statistical analysis. Results: According to the International Knee Documentation Committee score, 241 patients (85%) had good (46 normal and 195 nearly normal) results, whereas 39 patients had abnormal and 5 patients had severely abnormal overall results. The preoperative mean Lysholm score was 63.5 ± 12.7 points. At the final examination, the mean value was 93.5 ± 7.8 points (P < .01). One hundred ninety-seven athletes could return to their previous sports activity level, whereas 13 patients gave up their sports career. The KT-1000 arthrometer results showed a side-to-side difference of 1.91 ± 2.1 mm at the maximum manual strength tests. Conclusion: The femoral press-fit fixation is an alternative fixation method for the bone-patellar tendon-bone graft and provides good stability for the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The use of press-fit fixation technique avoids most interference screw or other hardware-induced complications at the femoral side. Keywords; ACL reconstruction; patellar tendon; press-fit fixation; follow-up study

Dear Editor: We read with great interest 'Recalcitrant Patellar Tendinosis in Elite Athletes: Surgical Treatment in Conjunction With Aggressive Postoperative Rehabilitation,' published in the July 2006 issue (pages 1141-1146), and [...]

Introduction: The histological properties of the femoral press-fit fixation in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction have not been extensively examined. The purpose of the study was to analyse the histological properties of the bone-patellar tendon graft in the bone tunnel area during the early stages of healing in an animal model. Furthermore the authors wanted to draw conclusions for the postoperative rehabilitation program on the basis of their data., Material and Methods: ACL reconstruction was performed in pigs using femoral press-fit fixation. After 3 and 6 weeks the incorporation of the bone block in the femur in 2 pigs was histological and radiological evaluated., Results: After 3 and 6 weeks the examination showed almost similar histology on the bony side the grafts except (1) a higher amount of fibrotic tissue in-between the lamellae of the inserted patellar bone after 6 weeks, (2) the presence of direct osseous unions between the two lamellar systems and (3) thicker lamellae at the base than toward the condylar tissue., Conclusions: Concerning the progression of graft healing by histological findings our study showed, that after 6 weeks the femoral press-fit fixation appear to have good incorporation after ACL reconstruction.

Introduction: Disorders around the patella are the most frequent knee complaints seen in adolescents. In the literature many intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors have been linked to Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), but the role of these risk factors is controversial., Aim: The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of PFPS in a group of adolescents aged 12-20 years in Hungary, and to gain more information on the relationship between the biomechanical anomalies of the lower extremity and the PFPS., Material and Methods: In this epidemiological study the authors investigated the effect of sporting activity in the maturation of symptoms among 586 randomly selected students. Different physical examinations, anthropometric measurements, stability tests, footscan analysis were performed., Results: Concerning the prevalence of this syndrome they could not find any differences between males (n = 60, 20.41%) and females (n = 61, 20.89%). The authors could not identify any statistically significant intrinsic risk factors, although changes in the Q angle may be linked to increased prevalence of PFPS. The study supports the theory of the importance of "overload", for there was a significant correlation between the prevalence of PFPS and the different levels of sporting activities (competitive, recreational and non-athletes)., Conclusion: The authors concluded that the prevalence of PFPS among Hungarian students is 20.65%.

Unlabelled: The authors have reported the experiences at femoral press-fit fixation technique used in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft. Their surgical technique have been described and early results have been compared with those from anterior cruciate ligament plasties with the interference screw fixation technique during a prospective study., Patients and Methods: 665 anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions were performed between September 1997 and August 1999 at the Department of Sports Surgery of the National Institute for Sports Medicine. 418 of them were operated on by transtibial technique using free bone--patellar tendon--bone autografts with 265 femoral press-fit and 153 interference screw fixations. 110 patients from the press-fit and 72 from the interference screw group could be followed-up (average follow-up period: 19 months). Physical examination, evaluation by International Knee Documentation Committee and Lysholm scores, radiology, and stability test by KT-1000 arthrometer were used as follow-up tests with statistical comparison., Results: According to the International Knee Documentation Committee score, 77% of the patients with the interference screw and 87% of the patients from the press-fit group turned out to get to the normal or nearly normal categories. Neither the Lachman, anterior drawer and pivot shift tests, nor the results of the KT-1000 measurements have shown statistically significant difference between the two groups of patients. Mild (3-5 degrees) extension deficit has been detected at 14% of the patients with interference screw and 8% of the patients in the press-fit group. Mild (6-15 degrees) flexion deficit has been observed at 22% of the patients with interference screw and 24% of the patients from press-fit group with moderate (16-25 degrees) of flexion deficit at 4% of the patients. The subjective opinions of more than 90% of the patients were that the operation proved to be excellent or good. Based on the functional and stability data of the follow-up study, 87% of the patients operated on with femoral press-fit autograft fixation technique for their anterior cruciate ligament have shown excellent or good results., Conclusions: When compared with the interference screw technique well-accepted in the literature, no statistically significant difference could be found, therefore this method can be recommended as alternative one for the femoral fixation of the anterior cruciate ligament graft.