Knee

Implementing a coach-led neuro-muscular warm-up for female high school soccer and basketball players at predominantly low-income, inner city schools is an extremely cost-effective way to reduce the number of non-contact leg injuries, including ACL injuries, among an under-served, at-risk population, a new study finds.

Nearly half of Canadian doctors and physical therapists surveyed were willing to return a child to sport even if they were experiencing more than minimal pain, a new study finds.

Less than half of athletes return to their pre-injury level or to competitive sports in the period 2 to 7 years after ACL reconstruction surgery, although younger athletes return at a higher rate.  Return to sport at 12 months was not predictive of participation at the pre-injury level in the medium term, reports a new Australian study.

Male athletes are at increased risk of cartilage lesions in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-injured knees, placing them at higher risk of developing the debilitating joint condition osteoarthritis (OA), says a new study presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's 2011 Annual Meeting in San Diego.  A delay to reconstructive surgery did not increase the risk of developing full-thickness cartilage lesions, as long as surgery occurred within 12 months of injury. 

Parents and coaches can help prevent common volleyball injuries by promoting proper warm-up, stretching and strengthening exercises, as well as paying close attention to the proper techniques, footwear, braces and pads to play volleyball safely.

A new Australian study appears to pour cold water on the widely held belief that most athletes can return to their pre-injury level of competition within 12 months after reconstructive surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.  Instead, fully two-thirds of the athletes studied were found not to have returned to their pre-injury level of competition one year after surgery.

Tears to the medial meniscus require surgical repair, but the repaired meniscus can easily be torn with only small amounts of pressure, so allowing it to fully heal after surgery before walking is critical for a full recovery.

The period between the end of physical therapy and the start of sports-specific conditioning is a critical time frame for young athletes following an an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear or rupture, reconstructive surgery, and months of rehabilitation.