Which is worse—shoulder subluxations or dislocations?

Annie Hayashi

Award-winning study of more than 4,000 West Point cadets shows that shoulder subluxations may be as serious as dislocations In a major study of more than 4,000 West Point cadets, researchers found that the incidence of shoulder subluxations was more than five times higher than that of dislocations over the course of a year.

Study finds similar results for both open and arthroscopic shoulder stabilization surgery

Annie Hayashi

Patients had similar postoperative strength, endurance outcomes Patients experienced no significant differences in postoperative strength and endurance, regardless of whether they had open or arthroscopic anter-ior shoulder stability surgery, according to the results of a study presented during the 2007 annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Researchers also discovered that arm dominance played a crucial role in strength recovery in the shoulder.

Surgery for pediatric ACL injuries: Better now than later

Annie Hayashi

AANA master lecture recommends surgery for ACL tears in prepubescent children A 12-year-old basketball player has a badly torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A top player in her middle-school league, she is being courted by several private high schools and could win a scholarship if she continues to drive her team to victory. A magnetic resonance image (MRI) shows open physes and she has not reached menarche.

Dr. Robot enhances patient interaction

Peter Pollack

Orthopaedists find “virtual visits” helpful; patients “love it!” In the film “The Empire Strikes Back,” after hero Luke Skywalker’s hand is severed by a light sabre wielded by the villainous Darth Vader, a robot surgically attaches a fully functional prosthetic to the arm.

Biologics in sports medicine: From BMPs to bone formation

Annie Hayashi

Researchers demonstrate tremendous progress but caution that field is in its ‘infancy’ Researchers are harnessing the power of biologics and cell-based therapies to solve some of today’s most challenging clinical problems in the arena of orthopaedic sports medicine. Augustus D. Mazzocca, MD; Scott A. Rodeo, MD; and Brian J. Cole, MD, MBA, discussed various aspects of this emerging technology at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine.

Second Look

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Conflicting measures are creating problems for doctors, hospitals

Jill Elaine Hughes

Orthopaedic surgeons should be aware of discrepancies between quality measures As orthopaedic surgeons are well aware, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is rapidly moving to the adoption of performance-based measures for determining quality bonuses. Two current programs are the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP).

Meetings and Course Listings

Listed below are upcoming continuing medical education (CME) courses and orthopaedic meetings through December 2007. For more information about AAOS-sponsored courses, contact the AAOS customer service department at (800) 626-6726, visit the CME course section of the AAOS Web site at www.aaos.org/courses, or contact the source listed. For more information about other CME courses or about orthopaedic meetings, contact the source listed.

Aching backs get support from FDA, but not payors

Dennis P. McGowan, MSc, MD; Vijay K. Goel, PhD

Two lumbar disk replacement systems have been approved by the FDA, but payors are backing a noncoverage decision from CMS Low back pain affects as many as 80 percent of all people at some time in their lives; during any single month, approximately 40 percent of Ameri-cans complain of low back pain. As a result, back pain is one of the primary reasons that patients see orthopaedists. Most low back pain is idiopathic and has an excellent prognosis.