OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the static positioning of the scapula on the rib cage in healthy subjects by means of clinical and radiographic evaluation to assess inter-examiner reliability of clinical examination and verify the reliability of this evaluation method compared to the radiographic examination. METHODS: We selected 30 adult individuals of both sexes with no diagnosis of shoulder pathology. The static clinical examination, following the protocol suggested by Burkhart et al, was performed repeatedly by two independent examiners, followed by the radiographic examination, which was later examined by the first evaluator. RESULTS: 73.3% of the subjects showed positioning of the scapula considered normal. The inter-examiner reliability and that of the clinical examination in relation to radiography were considered low and very low, respectively. CONCLUSION: The reproducibility of the evaluation performed by Burkhart was considered satisfactory to good, while the inter-examiner reproducibility of the clinical examination and the static reproducibility of the clinical examination with radiography were considered poor to satisfactory. Level of Evidence III, Study of Nonconsecutive Patients.

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological aspects of proximal humerus fractures and describe the profile of patients with proximal humerus fractures hospitalized and treated at Hospital São Paulo, between 2008 and 2013. Methods: Hospital records were retrospectively analyzed for surgically treated patients diagnosed with proximal humerus fracture. Age, gender, injury mechanism, length of hospital stay, performed treatment and associated diseases were considered. Results: From all patients studied, 52 were female at their sixth decade of life. As for the injury mechanism, fall from height was the main cause for women (88.46%) and for man it was motorcycle accidents (31.42%). Fixation with locked plate was the most frequently used treatment. Conclusion: Most patients were female in their fifth decade of life, injured mainly by fall from height. Fixation with locked plate was the most frequently used treatment and the patients were admitted for 7 days, on average. Level of Evidence II, Retrospective Study.

Knee osteoarthritis presents pain, loss of function, and joint swelling as its main symptoms. The joint swelling is defined as an accumulation of fluid in the joint due to the inflammatory process that contributes to progressive joint damage; it causes limitation in the range of knee motion, decreases proprioception, and affects the functional capacity and the quality of life of the individual. The measurement of articular cartilage volume is essential in clinical practice. The measurement of knee circumference using a measuring tape is a widely used, inexpensive, and accessible technique. However, as it is considered subjective, there is no evidence to support its use. Objective: To examine the reproducibility of this technique in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Method: Participants underwent two evaluations performed by two independent raters, at different times. The measurement of knee circumference was performed using a measuring tape 150 cm in length, taking as reference the superior pole of the patella. Results: The knee circumferences of 114 individuals were measured. According to the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), we observed a strong correlation (ICC = 0.98) between raters. Conclusion: The use of a measuring tape as a resource to measure knee circumference in individuals with osteoarthritis is a reliable and reproducible method.

Objective To outline the epidemiological profile and identify the hospital outcomes of patients submitted to neuromuscular scoliosis correction surgery. Methods This was a descriptive study that included 50 patients hospitalized following surgery for neuromuscular scoliosis in a tertiary-level hospital in São Paulo from January 2017 to July 2017. The variables were collected retrospectively from the patients’ medical records: age, sex, main diagnosis, length of hospital stay, duration of surgery, hospital complications, and mobility. Results Surgeries were performed in boys and girls in similar proportions, adolescents, many with cerebral palsy (42%), with mean hospital stay of 10.8 days. Fifty-two percent presented some complication, such as constipation. Infection of the surgical site was present in 12% of the sample. Forty-two percent had moderate to intense pain and only 2% did not achieve the proposed mobility goals. Conclusion We observed that the epidemiological profile presented data consistent with the scarce literature available, while the definitions of complications, incidence, and hospital outcomes available in the literature were varied quite a bit from the findings in this study. Level of evidence III; Retrospective study.

O Ultrassom terapêutico (UST) é um recurso frequentemente utilizado na prática clinica do fisioterapeuta. Entretanto, não há consenso na literatura em relação à efetividade desse recurso. Objetivo: Os objetivos do presente estudo foram verificar e sintetizar as informações contidas nas revisões sistemáticas Cochrane relacionadas ao tratamento das afecções musculoesqueléticas com o UST. Método: Foi realizada uma busca na base de dados “Cochrane Library” e selecionadas as revisões sistemáticas que abordavam o UST como modalidade de tratamento. Resultados: Foram incluídas seis revisões sistemáticas Cochrane que analisaram a efetividade do UST em diferentes afecções musculoesqueléticas demonstrando redução significativa da dor apenas na osteartrite de joelho; não há relatos de eventos adversos decorrentes do UST em todas as revisões incluídas, sendo considerado um tratamento seguro. Conclusão: Os resultados apresentados nesse estudo devem ser analisados com cautela, pois a baixa qualidade metodológica e a heterogeneidade dos ensaios clínicos randomizados (ECRs) incluídos nas revisões sistemáticas são fatores limitantes para a confiabilidade dos dados apresentados.