The Cochrane Collaboration has produced five new reviews relevant to bone and joint surgery since the publication of the last Cochrane Corner These reviews are relevant to a wide range of musculoskeletal specialists, and include reviews in Morton’s neuroma, scoliosis, vertebral fractures, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lower limb arthroplasty

The Cochrane Collaboration has produced three new reviews relevant to bone and joint surgery since the publication of the last Cochrane Corner. These are relevant to a wide range of musculoskeletal specialists, and include reviews in lateral elbow pain, osteoarthritis of the big toe joint, and cervical spine injury in paediatric trauma patients

In 2006, approximately 1.3 million peer-reviewed scientific articles were published, aided by a large rise in the number of available scientific journals from 16 000 in 2001 to 23 750 by 2006. Is this evidence of an explosion in scientific knowledge or just the accumulation of wasteful publications and junk science? Data show that only 45% of the articles published in the 4500 top scientific journals are cited within the first five years of publication, a figure that is dropping steadily. Only 42% receive more than one citation. For better or for worse, “Publish or Perish” appears here to stay as the number of published papers becomes the basis for selection to academic positions, for tenure and promotions, a criterion for the awarding of grants and also the source of funding for salaries. The high pressure to publish has, however, ushered in an era where scientists are increasingly conducting and publishing data from research performed with ‘questionable research practices’ or even committing outright fraud. The few cases which are reported will in fact be the tip of an iceberg and the scientific community needs to be vigilant against this corruption of science

This edition of Cochrane Corner looks at some of the work published by the Cochrane Collaboration, covering pharmacological interventions for the prevention of bleeding in people undergoing definitive fixation or joint replacement for hip, pelvic, and long bone fractures; interventions for reducing red blood cell transfusion in adults undergoing hip fracture surgery: an overview of systematic reviews; and pharmacological treatments for low back pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews

The December 2023 Trauma Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Distal femoral arthroplasty: medical risks under the spotlight; Quads repair: tunnels or anchors?; Complex trade-offs in treating severe tibial fractures: limb salvage versus primary amputation; Middle-sized posterior malleolus fractures – to fix?; Bone transport through induced membrane: a randomized controlled trial; Displaced geriatric femoral neck fractures; Risk factors for reoperation to promote union in 1,111 distal femur fractures; New versus old – reliability of the OTA/AO classification for trochanteric hip fractures; Risk factors for fracture-related infection after ankle fracture surgery.

The April 2023 Children’s orthopaedics Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: CT scan of the ipsilateral femoral neck in paediatric shaft fractures; Meniscal injuries in skeletally immature children with tibial eminence fractures: a systematic literature review; Post-maturity progression in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis curves of 40° to 50°; Prospective, randomized Ponseti treatment for clubfoot: orthopaedic surgeons versus physical therapists; FIFA 11+ Kids: challenges in implementing a prevention programme; The management of developmental dysplasia of the hip in children aged under three months: a consensus study from the British Society for Children's Orthopaedic Surgery; Early investigation and bracing in developmental dysplasia of the hip impacts maternal wellbeing and breastfeeding; Hip arthrodesis in children: a review of 26 cases with a mean of 20 years’ follow-up

The February 2024 Wrist & Hand Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Occupational therapy for thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis?; Age and patient-reported benefits from operative management of intra-articular distal radius fractures: a meta-regression analysis; Long-term outcomes of nonsurgical treatment of thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis: a cohort study; Semi-occlusive dressing versus surgery in fingertip injuries: a randomized controlled trial; Re-fracture in partial union of the scaphoid waist?; The WALANT distal radius fracture: a systematic review; Endoscopic carpal tunnel release with or without hand therapy?; Ten-year trends in the level of evidence in hand surgery.

The December 2023 Shoulder & Elbow Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Clavicle fractures: is the evidence changing practice?; Humeral shaft fractures, and another meta-analysis…let’s wait for the trials now!; Hemiarthroplasty or total elbow arthroplasty for distal humeral fractures…what does the registry say?; What to do with a first-time shoulder dislocation?; Deprivation indices and minimal clinically important difference for patient-reported outcomes after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair; Prospective randomized clinical trial of arthroscopic repair versus debridement for partial subscapularis tears; Long-term follow-up following closed reduction and early movement for simple dislocation of the elbow; Sternoclavicular joint reconstruction for traumatic acute and chronic anterior and posterior instability.

The August 2023 Trauma Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: A comparison of functional cast and volar-flexion ulnar deviation for dorsally displaced distal radius fractures; Give your stable ankle fractures some AIR!; Early stabilization of rib fractures – an effective thing to do?; Locked plating versus nailing for proximal tibia fractures: A multicentre randomized controlled trial; Time to flap coverage in open tibia fractures; Does tranexamic acid affect the incidence of heterotropic ossification around the elbow?; High BMI – good or bad in surgical fixation of hip fractures?

The June 2024 Oncology Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Chondrosarcoma of the femur: is local recurrence influenced by the presence of an extraosseous component?; Diagnostic challenges in low-grade central osteosarcoma; Single osteotomy technique for frozen autograft (pedicled freezing) in patients with malignant bone tumours; Unplanned resection for small superficial soft-tissue sarcomas: disastrous or simply bad?; Inactivation and replantation of the knee joint: an infeasible surgical method; Active surveillance of diffuse-type tenosynovial giant cell tumours: a retrospective, multicentre cohort study.

The February 2024 Knee Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Do patients with hypoallergenic total knee arthroplasty implants for metal allergy do worse? An analysis of healthcare utilizations and patient-reported outcome measures; Defining a successful total knee arthroplasty; Incidence, microbiological studies, and factors associated with periprosthetic joint infection after total knee arthroplasty; A modified Delphi consensus statement on patellar instability; Cause for concern? Significant cement coverage in retrieved metaphyseal cones after revision total knee arthroplasty; Prevalence of post-traumatic osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament injury remains high despite advances in surgical techniques; Cost-effectiveness of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy versus physical therapy for traumatic meniscal tears in patients aged under 45 years.

The February 2023 Oncology Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Is the number of national database research studies in musculoskeletal sarcoma increasing, and are these studies reliable?; Re-excision after unplanned excision of soft-tissue sarcoma is associated with high morbidity; Adjuvant radiation in atypical lipomatous tumours; The oncological outcomes of isolated limb perfusion and neoadjuvant radiotherapy in soft-tissue sarcoma patients - a nationwide multicentre study; Can low-grade chondrosarcoma be treated with intralesional curettage and cryotherapy?; Efficacy and safety of carbon ion radiotherapy for bone sarcomas: a systematic review and meta-analysis; Doxorubicin-polymeric meshes prevent local recurrence after sarcoma resection while avoiding cardiotoxicity; How important are skip lesions in Ewing’s sarcoma?; Improving outcomes for amputees: the health-related quality of life and cost utility analysis of osseointegration prosthetics in transfemoral amputees.

The February 2023 Spine Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: S2AI screws: At what cost?; Just how good is spinal deformity surgery?; Is 80 years of age too late in the day for spine surgery?; Factors affecting the accuracy of pedicle screw placement in robot-assisted surgery; Factors causing delay in discharge in patients eligible for ambulatory lumbar fusion surgery; Anterior cervical discectomy or fusion and selective laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathy; Surgery for cervical radiculopathy: what is the complication burden?; Hypercholesterolemia and neck pain; Return to work after surgery for cervical radiculopathy: a nationwide registry-based observational study.

The October 2024 Foot & Ankle Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Hemiarthroplasty for hallux rigidus; Fixed or mobile-bearing ankle arthroplasty? A meta-analysis; Bone grafting for periprosthetic bone cysts following total ankle arthroplasty; Diabetic foot ulcer after first-ray amputation; Early motion after ankle surgery: the path to faster recovery?; Are podiatrists and orthopaedic surgeons approaching zone 2 fifth metatarsal fractures in the same way?.