Study conducted in the city of São Paulo from January 2001 to July 2002 with the goal of analyzing the profiles of individuals involved in motorcycle accidents, evaluating the rider's profile, the circumstances of the accidents, injuries, and the use of protective gear. 387 patients needing only traumatic orthopedic treatment were found, between 16 and 44 years of age, of which 354 were males (91.0%). The most common mechanism of trauma involved a collision between the motorcycle and another vehicle (67.0%) at a speed between 12.5-37.5 mph (73.0%) involving less experienced riders (67.0%) between 21 and 24 years of age (45%), and in which 532 (53.9%) lower limb injuries occurred. Of the injuries, 393 (39.8%) were wounds, 314 (31.8%) were bruises and 212 (21.5%) were fractures [foot, 34 (16%); femur, 32 (15.1%); ankle, 27 (12.7%); tibia, 25 (11.8%)]. Recurring accidents were observed in 231 (60.0%) cases and only 6.0% of the riders were not using protective equipment. Increased speed showed a higher rate of fractures when the Mann-Whitney test was applied (p = 0.001). Research on mechanical and traffic engineering, in combination with supervision and awareness-raising of the population, should be considered the most effective methods of prevention.

Surgeons using the Weil osteotomy for plantar plate deficient MTP joints may consider adding a flexor tendon transfer to the procedure. Techniques to repair the torn plantar plate directly are needed.

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Objective: To analyze morphological abnormalities of the talus in patients with clubfoot after surgical treatment using the McKay technique. Method: Lateral standing-position radiographs of the feet of 14 patients with unilateral clubfoot who underwent treatment by means of the doubleincision McKay technique were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients were operated by the same surgeon, with an average of 6.53 years between surgery and the radiograph. We compared the radiographic characteristics of the talus between the operated and the contralateral foot. We assessed the presence of deformity of the talar dome and head (sphericity evaluation); the talar length and height; the percentage and degree of navicular subluxation; abnormalities of the Gissane angle; and the trabecular bone pattern. Results: Abnormalities of the talar head occurred in 92.8% of the patients; of the talar dome in 92.8%; and of the trabecular pattern in 100%. The talar length ratio between the operated and the contralateral foot ranged from 0.61 to 0.88 (mean 0.79; SD = 0.09), while the height ratio ranged from 0.57 to 0.98 (mean 0.82; SD = 0.12). The Gissane angle was greater in all of the operated feet, and all of them also showed navicular subluxation, at a rate ranging from 6.43 to 59.75% (mean 26.34%; SD = 16.66%). Conclusion: Talar abnormalities occurred in 100% of the feet treated using the McKay technique. It was shown that establishing radiographic parameters to describe and quantify these deformities was feasible, through simple and easy-to-perform techniques.

Objective: To compare the amplitude of trunk flexion and extension through goniometry among athletes and non-athletes and to correlate these data with the popliteal angle and hamstring muscle tests. Methods: The amplitude of trunk flexion and extension was evaluated in 50 individuals who practiced sports on a regular basis and 50 non-athletes who did not present any painful lumber symptoms or any symptoms that could affect test performance. The measurements were made consecutively by two independent examiners by means of goniometry. The trunk flexion and extension values from the goniometry evaluation were correlated with the popliteal angle and hamstring flexibility tests, and the statistical correlation between them was analyzed. Results: The mean values obtained were 130.7 (101.9) for flexion and 40.2 (36.4) for extension. Statistically significant differences between the athletes and non-athletes were found in relation to the following parameters: goniometer in flexion with examiner 1, goniometer in flexion with examiner 2 and hamstring test. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in relation to the following parameters: goniometer in extension with examiner 1, goniometer in extension with examiner 2 and popliteal angle test. Conclusion: Individuals who practiced sports presented higher trunk flexion values. The use of goniometry to measure trunk amplitude showed variations in measurements between the examiners.