WHATʼS NEW IN ORTHOPAEDIC REHABILITATION

Orthopaedic rehabilitation is a unique subspecialty of orthopaedic surgery that incorporates surgeons and allied health professionals from several disciplines and regional subspecialties. The subspecialty deals with problems associated with neuromuscular disorders (stroke, brain injury, cerebral palsy, and ­poliomyelitis), spinal injury and deformity, total joint reconstruction, sports injury, pediatric orthopaedic surgery, hand surgery, and foot and ankle surgery. The diversity of orthopaedic rehabilitation is reflected by the many diverse subspecialists found in the membership of the Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Association (ORA). Because of the diverse nature of this orthopaedic subspecialty, a discussion on advances in orthopaedic ­rehabilitation can be accomplished by coverage or separate discussions of several topics. The following report highlights some of the advancements in orthopaedic rehabilitation within the last year. It reviews several of the topics presented at the most recent Annual Meetings of the ORA as well as topics covered on ORA Specialty Day during the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual Meeting. In addition, recent information from published abstracts and manuscripts pertinent to orthopaedic rehabilitation is included. This information covers diverse topics, such as neuromuscular disorders (stroke and brain injury as well as poliomyelitis), spine surgery (vertebroplasty and kypho­plasty), adult reconstruction (total knee arthroplasty and ­associated rehabilitation), and several aspects of hand re­habilitation after surgery. We conclude the discussion with “What’s New in the Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Association,” including a brief background and an update on the society. ### Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury Several new operative procedures for the management of patients with acquired spasticity and paralysis have been recently discussed1-3. The shoulder, which has traditionally received r­elatively little attention in patients with stroke or traumatic brain injury, was among the main topics covered at the recent ORA Specialty Day held in San Francisco on March 3, 20011-3. There were discussions on evaluation, management …