Aims

The aim of this study was to explore parents’ experience of their child’s recovery, and their thoughts about their decision to enrol their child in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of surgery versus non-surgical casting for a displaced distal radius fracture.

The February 2024 Trauma Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Posterior malleolus fractures: what about medium-sized fragments?; Acute or delayed total hip arthroplasty after acetabular fracture fixation?; Intrawound antibiotics reduce the risk of deep infections in fracture fixation; Does the VANCO trial represent real world patients?; Can a restrictive transfusion protocol be effective beyond initial resuscitation?; What risk factors result in avascular necrosis of the talus?; Pre-existing anxiety and mood disorders have a role to play in complex regional pain syndrome; Three- and four-part proximal humeral fractures at ten years.

Aims. Acetabular fractures are associated with long-term morbidity. Our prospective cohort study sought to understand the recovery trajectory of this injury over five years. Methods. Eligible patients at a level I trauma centre were recruited into a longitudinal registry of surgical acetabular fractures between June 2004 and August 2019. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), including the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) physical component summary (PCS), were recorded at baseline pre-injury recall and six months, one year, two years, and five years postoperatively. Comparative analyses were performed for elementary and associated fracture patterns. The proportion of patients achieving minimal clinically important difference (MCID) was determined. The rate of, and time to, conversion to total hip arthroplasty (THA) was also established. Results. We recruited 251 patients (253 fractures), with a 4:1 male to female ratio and mean age of 46.1 years (SD 16.4). Associated fracture patterns accounted for 56.5% of fractures (n = 143). Trajectory analysis showed all timepoints had significant disability versus baseline, including final follow-up (p < 0.001). Elementary fractures had higher SF-36 PCS at six months (p = 0.023) and one year (p = 0.007) compared to associated fractures, but not at two years (p = 0.135) or five years (p = 0.631). The MCID in SF-36 PCS was observed in 37.3% of patients (69/185) between six months and one year, 26.9% of patients (39/145) between one and two years, and 23.3% of patients (20/86) between two and five years, highlighting the long recovery potential of these injuries. A significant proportion of patients failed to attain the MCID after five years (38.1%; 40/105). Conversion to THA occurred in 13.1% of patients (11/110 elementary and 22/143 associated fractures). Approximately two-thirds of THAs (21/33 patients; 63.6%) were performed within two years of index surgery. Conclusion. Acetabular fractures significantly impact physical function. Recovery trajectory is often elongated beyond one year, with two-thirds of our patients displaying persistent clinically relevant long-term disability. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2024;106-B(1):69–76

Aims

The aim of this study was to prepare a scoping review to investigate the use of biologic therapies in the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries in professional and Olympic athletes.

INTRODUCTION. Physical therapy(PT) is an integral component in the management of musculoskeletal conditions. On the other hand, there have been few reports exclusively dedicated to studying PT interventions on the same day of total hip arthroplasty(THA). In this study, we investigate the role of rehabilitation in the early postoperative period on length of stay (LOS), total medical cost, and physical recovery following total hip arthroplasty. METHODS. A prospective cohort study was carried out 104 consecutive patients who underwent 107 primary THA performed by two surgeons. Data were gathered on all patients who underwent operative management from June2016 to June 2017. Institutional review board approval was obtained before performing this study. Patient demographic, physical, and clinical dates were collected for all patients, including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), diagnosis, Japan Orthopedic Association (JOA) hip score, Japanese Orthopedic Association Hip-Disease Evaluation Questionnaire (JHEQ) score, 3min walk test, and Timed up and go (TUG) test. The patient population consisted of 5men and 99women, with an average age of 66.0 years (range, 50–84 years). There were no statistically significant differences between patients who did and did not receive PT with regard to demographic, medical, and surgical data, including gender, age, BMI, JOA hip score, JHEQ score, preoperative 3min walk test, preoperative TUG test(Table 1). All patients underwent direct anterior approach THA through navigation system. Postoperative day (POD) 0 was defined as the same day of surgery. There were no standardized criteria by which patients were selected for participation in rehabilitation with physical therapists. Patient selection for POD 0 rehabilitation was based on the end of surgery time. For instance, when the end of surgery time was in the forenoon, the patients were received POD 0 PT. In contrast, patients who ended operation in the afternoon were classified POD 1 PT. Rehabilitation protocol was adjusted based on surgical approach, and all patients were weight bearing as tolerated. TUG test and 3min walk test was done by a physiotherapist on the seventh day postoperatively. RESULTS. Patients who received PT on POD 0 were compared with patients who received PT on POD 1. (Table2) Using the operative start time to determine LOS, patients who received therapy on POD 0 stayed an average of 14.1±4.8 days, and those who received therapy on POD 1 stayed an average of 19.2±9.1 days. The LOS was statistically significantly different between groups (P = .01). In terms of physical recovery, the TUG test received therapy on POD 0 was taken an average of 14.0±6.0 seconds, and the TUG test received therapy on POD 1 was an average of 17.6±9.4 seconds. (P=.04) Furthermore, Total cost on POD0. Day 0 patients had a mean cost of ¥1,970,000±21,000 and Day 1 had a mean cost of 2,190,000±49,600, which remained significance difference(P=.01). CONCLUSION. This study suggests that early rehabilitation and patient mobilization on the date of surgery is important to shorten length of hospital stay, decrease total medical cost and to achieve faster physical recovery

Introduction

Following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), patients experience pain relief and report improved physical function and activity. However, there is paucity of evidence that patients are truly more active in daily life after TKA. The aims of this study were: 1) to prospectively measure physical activity with a wearable motion sensor before and after TKA; 2) to compare patient-reported levels of physical activity with objectively assessed levels of physical activity before and after TKA; 3) to investigate whether differences in physical activity after TKA are related to levels of physical function.

Aims. To synthesise the literature and perform a meta-analysis detailing the longitudinal recovery in the first two years following a distal radius fracture (DRF) managed with volar plate fixation. Materials and Methods. Three databases were searched to identify relevant articles. Following eligibility screening and quality assessment, data were extracted and outcomes were assimilated at the post-operative time points of interest. A state-of-the-art longitudinal mixed-effects meta-analysis model was employed to analyse the data. Results. The search identified 5698 articles, of which 46 study reports met the selection criteria. High levels of disability and impairment were reported in the immediate post-operative period with subsequently a rapid initial improvement followed by more gradual improvement for up to one year. The results highlight that the period associated with the greatest physical recovery is in the first three months and suggest that the endpoint of treatment outcomes is best measured at one year post-surgery. Conclusion. Clinically meaningful improvements in outcomes can be expected for 12 months, after which progress plateaus and reaches normal values. This paper adopted a novel approach to meta-analyses in that the research question was of a longitudinal nature, which required a unique method of statistical analysis. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:1665–76

Aims

The purpose of this study was to assess early physical function after total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA), and the correlation between patient-reported outcome measures, physical performance and actual physical activity (measured by actigraphy).

Aims

This is the first prospective study to report the pre- and post-operative patient reported outcomes and satisfaction scores following excision of interdigital Morton’s neuroma.

Objectives

To define Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS) thresholds for the Oxford hip score (OHS) and Oxford knee score (OKS) at mid-term follow-up.

Objectives

Lower limb muscle power is thought to influence outcome following total knee replacement (TKR). Post-operative deficits in muscle strength are commonly reported, although not explained. We hypothesised that post-operative recovery of lower limb muscle power would be influenced by the number of satellite cells in the quadriceps muscle at time of surgery.

We sought to determine whether smoking affected the outcome of reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament. We analysed the results of 66 smokers (group 1 with a mean follow-up of 5.67 years (1.1 to 12.7)) and 238 non-smokers (group 2 with a mean follow-up of 6.61 years (1.2 to 11.5)), who were statistically similar in age, gender, graft type, fixation and associated meniscal and chondral pathology. The assessment was performed using the International Knee Documentation Committee form and serial cruciometer readings.

Poor outcomes were reported in group 1 for the mean subjective International Knee Documentation Committee score (p < 0.001), the frequency (p = 0.005) and intensity (p = 0.005) of pain, a side-to-side difference in knee laxity (p = 0.001) and the use of a four-strand hamstring graft (p = 0.015). Patients in group 1 were also less likely to return to their original level of pre-injury sport (p = 0.003) and had an overall worse final 7 International Knee Documentation Committee grade score (p = 0.007).

Despite the well-known negative effects of smoking on tissue healing, the association with an inferior outcome after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament has not previously been described and should be included in the pre-operative counselling of patients undergoing the procedure.