Biceps Chondromalacia: The Diagnostic Role of MRI

Terry Stanton

Biceps chondromalacia suggests the presence of symptomatic biceps-labrum complex (BLC) disease, and certain MRI features may be useful in identifying features of biceps chondromalacia on preoperative imaging that are not always detected with arthroscopy, according to a study presented at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) in Orlando, Fla. Samuel A.

SRS Celebrates Golden Anniversary

Jennie McKee

50 years of education and outreach have enhanced spine care, at home and abroad Jennie McKee The Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) helps advance care for patients with spinal deformities by educating the next generation of spine surgeons,” said SRS President John Dormans, MD, regarding the many contributions of SRS throughout its 50-year history.

Resident Education with Mobile Technology

Nathan Skelley, MD

Nathan Skelley, MD Many orthopaedic residency programs used to have educational curricula based around textbooks, photocopied pages, and handwritten notes. Today, programs are commonly replacing printed educational materials with mobile tablets and smartphones. Most residents own and rely on these devices as an orthopaedic library.

Update on Changes to ACGME Requirements

Lisa K. Cannada, MD

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) affects orthopaedic surgeons, especially those of us who work in residency and fellowship programs in many different ways. This article provides a primer on recent changes that are directly affecting orthopaedic surgical training today. For more details and the exact language of these changes, refer to the ACGME website (www.acgme.org).

Instant Topical Anesthetics Gaining Fans Among Both Physicians and Patients

Robert J. Dimeff, MD

The fear of needles is a real condition and one that doesn’t discriminate by size or age. In my many years working in sports medicine, I’ve seen. professional athletes exhibit the same anxiety over a needle stick as my smallest pediatric patients. Because injections are a common form of pain relief for musculoskeletal conditions and ailments, needle phobia can be an especially challenging problem in orthopaedics.

Overtreating and Overtesting

George L. Lucas, MD

During the 2015 NBA finals, Kyrie Irving, the Cleveland Cavaliers star guard, sustained a season-ending knee injury. According to news reports, an MRI “revealed the injury,” and Irving was scheduled for surgery to repair a fractured patella. I have spent all of my adult life learning and practicing musculoskeletal medicine, and I know that a patellar fracture can be diagnosed without an MRI.

Second Look – Clinical News and Views

These items originally appeared in AAOS Headline News Now, a thrice-weekly enewsletter that keeps AAOS members up to date on clinical, socioeconomic, and political issues, with links to more detailed information. Subscribe at www.aaos.org/news/news.

Who Calls the Shots on the Playing Field?

Terry Stanton

Remember when sport injuries were just “part of the game” and knockout blows on the playing field were treated as near-comic “bell ringers” that never prevented a player from returning to the contest? Athletes at all levels—high school, college, and professional—and their families let coaches, trainers, and team physicians make decisions about injuries and health status. Often, players or coaches had the deciding word on a return to play—and that word was “play.”