Objective: To establish the injury profile of soccer players from a first division Brazilian soccer team. In addition, we investigated the association between the characteristics of the injuries and the player's age and position. Method: Forty-eight players from a Brazilian first division soccer team were followed during one season. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the injury profile. Spearman's tests were used to verify the association between the number and severity of injuries and the player's age. Chi-square test was used to verify the association between type of injury and player's position. Fisher's exact test was used to verify the association between the severity of injuries and player's position. Results: The incidence of injuries was 42.84/1000 hours in matches and 2.40/1000 hours in training. The injury severity was 19.5±34.4 days off competition or training. Lower limb was the most common location of injury and most injuries were muscular/tendinous, overuse, non-recurrent, and non-contact injuries. Player's age correlated with the amount and severity of muscle and tendon injuries. Defenders had more minimal injuries (1-3 days lost), while forwards had more moderate (8-28 days lost) and severe injuries (>28 days lost). Furthermore, wingbacks had more muscle and tendon injuries, while midfielders had more joint and ligament injuries. Conclusion: The injury profile of the Brazilian players investigated in this study reflected regional differences in soccer practices. Results confirm the influence of the player's age and position on the soccer injuries profile.

PURPOSEThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative importance of the different static stabilizers of the posterolateral corner of the knee in cadavers.METHODSTests were performed with the application of a varus and external rotation force to the knee in extension at 30 and 60 degrees of flexion using 10 cadaver knees. The forces were applied initially to an intact knee and then repeated after a selective sectioning of the ligaments into the following: section of the lateral collateral ligament; section of the lateral collateral ligament and the popliteofibular complex; and section of the lateral collateral ligament, the popliteofibular complex and the posterolateral capsule. The parameters studied were the angular deformity and stiffness when the knees were submitted to a 15 Newton-meter varus torque and a 6 Newton-meter external tibial torque. Statistical analysis was performed using the ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) and Tukey’s tests.RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONOur findings showed that the lateral collateral ligament was important in varus stability at 0, 30 and 60 degrees. The popliteofibular complex was the most important structure for external rotation stability at all angles of flexion and was also important for varus stability at 30 and 60 degrees. The posterolateral capsule was important for varus stability at 0 and 30 degrees and for external rotation stability in extension. Level of evidence: Level IV (cadaver study).

Objective: To assess the reproducibility of the Outerbridge and the French Society of Arthroscopy classifications between different observers, and to establish a comparison between them. Method: Thirty videos on randomly selected knee arthroscopy procedures demonstrating chondral lesions were used. These were classified by six observers: two third-year orthopedics residents and four orthopedic surgeons, of whom two were knee surgery specialists. The intraobserver and interobserver reliability was evaluated by means of the kappa index. Results: The result from the complete evaluation on the Outerbridge classification with all the observers gave a kappa index of 0.434411. For the classification proposed by the French Society of Arthroscopy, the kappa index was 0.45166. Conclusion: The Outerbridge and French Society of Arthroscopy classifications for chondral lesions are moderately reproducible between observers. Comparing the two classifications, the proposal from the French Society of Arthroscopy was shown to be more reproducible, and the authors suggest that this classification should be used preferentially in clinical practice for evaluations on chondral lesions of the knee.

A 34-year-old male patient presented severe pain in his left knee in association with functional incapacitation, with no apparent triggering factor. He sought medical attention in December 2006, at which time he was prescribed NSAIDs. After a year, he reported increased swelling and pain at the site. He was referred to a knee specialist with a suspected meniscal injury. Upon examination, severe swelling of the joint, with movement limitation, severe pain and negative joint aspiration, was found. Since the simple radiographic results were normal, an MRI of the knee was requested. The MRI revealed a large accumulation of fluid inside the joint, together with marked synovial proliferation, especially focal thickening in clumps with an intermediate signal in T1 and T2, and a discrete hyposignal in T2 that was suggestive of pigmented villonodular synovitis with intact meniscus and ligaments. The patient underwent arthroscopy on the left knee, which revealed whitish irregular fragments, and then underwent arthrotomy with removal of the lesion and extensive synovectomy. The material was sent for anatomopathological examination, which showed the presence of synovial chondromatosis. Eight months after the surgery, the patient does not have any complaints, with a range of motion of 130° in the left knee without joint effusion or signs of inflammation. Synovial chondromatosis is a rare benign type of metaplasia of the synovial membrane that leads to the formation of cartilaginous free bodies in the joint space. It is difficult to diagnose because 95% of the nodules, when not calcified, can be overlooked radiologically.

Objectivethe aim of this study was to radiologically evaluate the femoral tunnel position in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions using the isometric and anatomical techniques.Methodsa prospective analytical study was conducted on patients undergoing ACL reconstruction by means of the isometric and anatomical techniques, using grafts from the knee flexor tendons or patellar tendon. Twenty-eight patients were recruited during the immediate postoperative period, at the knee surgery outpatient clinic of FCMMG-HUSJ. Radiographs of the operated knee were produced in anteroposterior (AP) view with the patient standing on both feet and in lateral view with 30° of flexion. The lines were traced out and the distances and angles were measured on the lateral radiograph to evaluate the sagittal plane. The distance from the center of the screw to the posterior cortical bone of the lateral condyle was measured and divided by the Blumensaat line. In relation to the height of the screw, the distance from the center of the screw to the joint surface of the lateral condyle of the knee was measured. On the AP radiograph, evaluating the coronal plane, the angle between the anatomical axis of the femur and a line traced at the center of the screw was measured.Resultswith regard to the p measurement (posteriorization of the interference screw), the tests showed that the p-value (0.4213) was greater than the significance level used (0.05); the null hypothesis was not rejected and it could be stated that there was no statistically significant difference between the anatomical and isometric techniques. With regard to the H measurement (height of the screw in relation to the lower cortical bone of the knee), the p-value observed (0.0006) was less than the significance level used (0.05); the null hypothesis was rejected and it could be stated that there was a statistically significant difference between the anatomical and isometric techniques. It can be concluded that the latter difference occurred because the isometric technique generated greater values for the H measurement than the anatomical technique. With regard to the MED variable (position of the screw on the AP radiograph), the observed p-value (0.000) was less than the significance level (5%); the null hypothesis was rejected and it could be stated with 95% confidence that there was a significant difference between the anatomical and isometric techniques.Conclusionsthere were statistically significant differences in the radiological evaluations of the femoral tunnel, both in the sagittal and in the coronal plane, between the ACL reconstruction techniques.