Non-surgical treatments are usually the first choice for the management of knee degeneration, especially in the early osteoarthritis (OA) phase when no clear lesions or combined abnormalities need to be addressed surgically. Early OA may be addressed by a wide range of non-surgical approaches, from non-pharmacological modalities to dietary supplements and pharmacological therapies, as well as physical therapies and novel biological minimally invasive procedures involving injections of various substances to obtain a clinical improvement and possibly a disease-modifying effect. Numerous pharmaceutical agents are able to provide clinical benefit, but no one has shown all the characteristic of an ideal treatment, and side effects have been reported at both systemic and local level. Patients and physicians should have realistic outcome goals in pharmacological treatment, which should be considered together with other conservative measures. Among these, exercise is an effective conservative approach, while physical therapies lack literature support. Even though a combination of these therapeutic options might be the most suitable strategy, there is a paucity of studies focusing on combining treatments, which is the most common clinical scenario. Further studies are needed to increase the limited evidence on non-surgical treatments and their combination, to optimize indications, application modalities, and results with particular focus on early OA. In fact, most of the available evidence regards established OA. Increased knowledge about degeneration mechanisms will help to better target the available treatments and develop new biological options, where preliminary results are promising, especially concerning early disease phases. Specific treatments aimed at improving joint homoeostasis, or even counteracting tissue damage by inducing regenerative processes, might be successful in early OA, where tissue loss and anatomical changes are still at very initial stages.

Despite similar success in returning to competitive sport, microfracture allows a faster recovery but present a clinical deterioration over time, whereas arthroscopic second-generation autologous chondrocyte implantation delays the return of high-level male soccer players to competition but can offer more durable clinical results.

BackgroundAim of this prospective study was to evaluate mid-term clinical and radiographic outcomes in total hip arthroplasty using an acetabular cup made of an innovative biomaterial, Trabecular Titanium™, whose highly porous structure and mechanical properties have been designed to mimic those of the natural bone, thus promoting a more physiological load transfer and a more durable fixation.MethodsBetween September 2007 and November 2009, 134 total hip replacements and eight revisions were carried out using DELTA-TT primary cups (Lima Corporate, Villanova di San Daniele del Friuli, Italy) in 133 consecutive patients. Mean age was 57.5 ± 14.7 SD (18–92) years. Diagnosis was primarily hip osteoarthritis in 85 (63 %) cases, developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in 24 (18 %) and hip avascular necrosis (AVN) in 10 (7 %). All the revision procedures were due to aseptic loosening of the original implant. Approval of the Institutional Review Board of the IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia was obtained for this study.ResultsMean follow-up was 72.7 ± 7.9 SD (60–86) months. Average Harris Hip Score (HHS) significantly increased from 44.2 ± 5.4 SD (35–52) preoperatively to 95.9 ± 3.5 SD (88–100) at the last follow-up. No major post-operative complications were observed. 99.3 % of the acetabular components were radiographically stable at the last follow-up, without any radiolucent lines, sclerotic areas or periprosthetic osteolysis. Kaplan-Meier survival rate was 99.3 % at 5 years (95 % confidence interval).ConclusionsThis first account on the mid-term clinical performance of the DELTA-TT cup shows primary and secondary stability, thus representing an optimal solution for patients with high demands or affected by severe hip conditions.

Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is an acquired idiopathic lesion of subchondral bone that can produce delamination and sequestration with or without articular cartilage involvement and instability. The cause of OCD is still debated: the most recognized etiology is the occurrence of repetitive micro-traumas associated with vascular impairment, causing progressive ankle pain and dysfunction in skeletally immature and young adult patients. Ankle OCD is classically located in the medial part of the talus, while lateral and posterior involvement is less frequent. Diagnosis of OCD, based on MRI findings, is quite straightforward; MRI examination can also be very useful for dating the defect and obtaining information about the associated bone bruise. Osteochondritis dissecans, if not recognized and treated appropriately, may lead to secondary osteoarthritis with pain and functional limitation. Surgical treatment is mandatory especially in young patients with unstable cartilage fragments. There are various surgical options: fixation, microfracture, or substitution using autologous chondrocyte implantation techniques.

Pre-clinical studies have shown that treatment by pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) can limit the catabolic effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines on articular cartilage and favour the anabolic activity of the chondrocytes. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is usually performed by arthroscopic procedure that, even if minimally invasive, may elicit an inflammatory joint reaction detrimental to articular cartilage. In this study the effect of I-ONE PEMFs treatment in patients undergoing ACL reconstruction was investigated. The study end-points were (1) evaluation of patients' functional recovery by International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Form; (2) use of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), necessary to control joint pain and inflammation. The study design was prospective, randomized and double blind. Sixty-nine patients were included in the study at baseline. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 30, 60 and 180 days, followed by 2-year follow-up interview. Patients were evaluated by IKDC Form and were asked to report on the use of NSAIDs. Patients were randomized to active or placebo treatments; active device generated a magnetic field of 1.5 mT at 75 Hz. Patients were instructed to use the stimulator (I-ONE) for 4 h per day for 60 days. All patients underwent ACL reconstruction with use of quadruple hamstrings semitendinosus and gracilis technique. At baseline there were no differences in the IKDC scores between the two groups. At follow-up visits the SF-36 Health Survey score showed a statistically significant faster recovery in the group of patients treated with I-ONE stimulator (P \ 0.05). NSAIDs use was less frequent among active patients than controls (P \ 0.05). Joint swelling resolution and return to normal range of motion occurred faster in the active treated group (P \ 0.05) too. The 2-year follow-up did not shown statistically significant difference between the two groups. Furthermore for longitudinal analysis the generalized linear mixed effects model was applied to calculate the group 9 time interaction coefficient; this interaction showed a significant difference (P \ 0.0001) between the active and placebo groups for all investigated variables: SF-36 Health Survey, IKDC Subjective Knee Evaluation and VAS. Twenty-nine patients (15 in the active group; 14 in the placebo group) underwent both ACL reconstruction and meniscectomy; when they were analysed separately the differences in SF-36 Health Survey scores between the two groups were 123Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc (2008) 16:595-601 DOI 10.1007 larger then what observed in the whole study group (P \ 0.05). The results of this study show that patient's functional recovery occurs earlier in the active group. No side effects were observed and the treatment was well tolerated. The use of I-ONE should always be considered after ACL reconstruction, particularly in professional athletes, to shorten the recovery time, to limit joint inflammatory reaction and its catabolic effects on articular cartilage and ...

BackgroundProximal hamstring tendinopathy typically afflicts athletes. The poor knowledge of this pathology can lead to late diagnosis and late treatment, which in chronic cases could be challenging. Surgical treatment could resolve the symptoms and could permit the return to full sport activity also in chronic cases.Materials and methodsWe retrospectively evaluated 17 high-level athletes surgically treated for proximal hamstring tendinopathy. Symptoms lasted for an average of 23 months and were resistive to conservative treatment.ResultsThe follow-up period averaged 71 months. Return to run without pain occurred at a mean of 2.4 months (range 1–4) after surgery. All patients returned to sports at their pre-symptom level at a mean of 4.4 months after surgery. Results were excellent in 15 patients (88 %) and good in two patients (12 %). No results were fair or poor.ConclusionsSurgical treatment to manage chronic proximal hamstring tendinopathy in high-level athletes showed excellent results in terms of relief from symptoms and return to previous sport level.

Purpose: muscle injuries have a high incidence in professional football and are responsible for the largest number of days lost from competition. several in vitro studies have confirmed the positive role of plateletrich plasma (PRP) in accelerating recovery and in promoting muscle regeneration, and not fibrosis, in the healing process. this study examines the results of intralesional administration of PRP in the treatment of primary hamstring injuries sustained by players belonging to a major league football club. Methods: twenty-five hamstring injuries (grade 2 according to MRi classification) sustained by professional football players during a 31-months observation period were treated with PRP and analyzed. sport participation absence (sPA), in days, was considered to correspond to the healing time, and we also considered the re-injury rate, and tissue healing on MRi. the mean follow-up was 36.6 months (range 22-42). Results: there were no adverse events. the mean sPA for the treated muscle injuries was 36.76±19.02 days. the re-injury rate was 12%. tissue healing, evaluated on MRi, was characterized by the presence of excellent repair tissue and a small scar. Conclusions: this study confirmed the safety of PRP in treating hamstring lesions in a large series of professional football players. PRP-treated lesions did not heal more quickly than untreated lesions described in the literature, but they showed a smaller scar and excellent repair tissue. Level of evidence: Level iV, therapeutic case series.

Without thromboprophylaxis, knee arthroscopy (KA) carries a low to moderate risk of venous thromboembolism. Over 5 million arthroscopies are performed worldwide yearly. It was our study objective to assess the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban for thromboprophylaxis after therapeutic KA. Patients undergoing KA in nine Italian teaching or community hospitals were allocated to once-daily rivaroxaban (10 mg) or placebo for seven days in a phase II, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial. The primary efficacy outcome was a composite of all-cause death, symptomatic thromboembolism and asymptomatic proximal DVT at three months; major bleeding represented the primary safety outcome. All patients underwent whole-leg ultrasonography at day 7(+1), or earlier if symptomatic. A total of 241 patients were randomised (122 rivaroxaban, 119 placebo), and 234 completed the study. The primary efficacy outcome occurred in 1/120 of the rivaroxaban group and in 7/114 of the placebo group (0.8 % vs 6.1 %, respectively, p=0.03; absolute risk difference, -5.3 %, 95 % CI, -11.4 to -0.8; crude relative risk 0.14, 95 % CI, 0.02 to 0.83; number-needed-to-treat=19). No major bleedings were observed. We found no association between different arthroscopic procedures and thrombotic events. Small sample size, high exclusion rate, and low number of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction procedures are the main limitations of our study. In conclusion, a seven-day course of 10-mg rivaroxaban may be safely employed for thromboprophylaxis after KA. Whether prophylaxis after KA should be given to all patients, or to selected "high-risk" subjects, remains to be determined. A larger trial to verify our preliminary results is warranted.