Bone mineral density, as well as FI of the infraspinatus and amount of retraction, was an independent determining factor affecting postoperative rotator cuff healing. Further studies with prospective, randomized, and controlled design are needed to confirm the relationship between BMD and postoperative rotator cuff healing.

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The Neer type II distal clavicle fracture is notorious for its high nonunion rate, and surgical treatment is usually recommended. We reviewed articles from January 1990 to September 2009, and among them, 425 cases from 21 studies were included. According to the 425 cases in the literature, sixty patients were treated nonsurgically and 365 surgically. From 365 patients who were treated surgically, 105 were identified as receiving the coracoclavicular stabilization, 162 hook plate, 42 intramedullary fixation, 16 interfragmentary fixation, and 40 K-wire plus tension band wiring. The nonsurgical treatment resulted in 20 (33.3%) nonunions and 4 (6.7%) other complications. The surgical treatment resulted in 6 (1.6%) nonunions, 81 (22.2%) complications other than nonunion. The nonunion rate was significantly high with nonsurgical treatment (p < 0.001), and the complication rate was statistically high with surgery (p = 0.002). With surgical treatment, the nonunion rate was not significantly different among the modalities (p = 0.391). The complication rate was significantly higher in cases of the hook plate (40.7%) and the K-wire plus tension band wiring (20.0%) than those of the coracoclavicular stabilization (4.8%), the intramedullary (2.4%) and the interfragmentary fixation (6.3%). For the nonsurgical treatment, the functional outcomes were generally acceptable despite the high nonunion rate. The nonsurgical treatment could be considered as the first line treatment after sufficient counsel with the patient. The nonunion rate is high, however, the functional outcome is acceptable in most of the cases with nonunion. If the surgical treatment is considered, the intramedullary screw fixation, CC stabilization and interfragmentary fixation would be preferred because of their low complication rate.

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Osteoporotic fractures are one of the most common causes of disability and a major contributor to medical care costs worldwide. Prior osteoporotic fracture at any site is one of the strongest risk factors for a new fracture, which occurs very soon after the first fracture. Bone mineral density (BMD) scan, a conventional diagnostic tool for osteoporosis, has clear limitations in diagnosing osteoporotic fractures and identifying the risk of subsequent fractures. Therefore, early and accurate diagnosis of osteoporotic fractures using the clinical definition which is applicable practically and independent of BMD, is essential for preventing subsequent fractures and reducing the socioeconomic burden of these fractures. Fractures caused by low-level trauma equivalent to a fall from a standing height or less at major (hip, spine, distal radius, and proximal humerus) or minor (pelvis, sacrum, ribs, distal femur and humerus, and ankle) sites in adults over age 50, should be first regarded as osteoporotic. In addition, if osteoporotic fractures are strongly suspected on history and physical examination even though there are no positive findings on conventional X-rays, more advanced imaging techniques such as computed tomography, bone scan, and magnetic resonance imaging are necessary as soon as possible.

Handgrip strength (HGS) is associated with several chronic diseases, cognitive decline, length of hospital-stay, and mortality. More importantly, HGS is one of the diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia and gaining attention because of its relevance to bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporotic fractures. As the measurement of HGS is widely used in clinical practice as well as in research, its accurate measurement and interpretation are becoming more crucial. This review describes how to use different types of dynamometers accurately, the impact of body and arm positions and anthropometric parameters on HGS, the current reference values of HGS for sarcopenia research, and the updates on the relationship between HGS and BMD and osteoporotic fractures.

Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.