Introduction: Post-operative rehabilitation following rotator cuff tear repair (RCR) is important to promote tendon healing, restore strength, and recover normal function. Aquatic therapy in hot water allows body relaxation, which promotes patient conditioning for efficient rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to assess whether aquatic therapy is more efficient than standard (land-based) rehabilitation in terms of range of motion (ROM), function, and pain after arthroscopic RCR. Methods: We prospectively randomized 86 patients scheduled for arthroscopic RCR to either aquatic therapy (n = 44) or standard rehabilitation (n = 42) using block sizes of four or six. Patients were evaluated clinically at 1.5, 3, 6, and 24 months and using ultrasound (US) at 6 months. Two-way mixed ANOVA tests were performed to evaluate the effects of rehabilitation type (between-subjects factor) on ROM and patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) over time (within-subjects factor). Post-hoc inter-group comparisons at each time point were also conducted using Wilcoxon rank sum tests or unpaired Student t-tests and adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni correction. Results: The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of demographic data or pre-operative characteristics, except for the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) score, which was lower in the aquatic therapy group (37.9 ± 23.6 vs. 55.6 ± 24.9, p = 0.019). The mixed model revealed the absence of interaction effect between the type of rehabilitation and time on PROMs and ROM except on the SANE score (p < 0.001), which was biased by the existing pre-operative difference mentioned above. Furthermore, none of the post-operative outcomes were statistically different between the two groups at 1.5, 3, 6, and 24 months. In addition, no significant difference could be noted regarding tendon healing rate (p = 0.443), complication (p = 0.349), workstop duration (0.585), or patient satisfaction (p = 0.663). Conclusion: Compared to the standard rehabilitation, the aquatic therapy did not yield superior clinical and functional outcomes after arthroscopic RCR when started immediately after the surgery.

This study explores the change in the position of the fragment in isolated, displaced, medial humeral epicondyle fractures in children. In this series, 34 patients (mean age 11.0 years) were treated nonoperatively by cast immobilization with no attempt at closed fracture reduction. A statistically significant association was found between the position of the fracture fragment at the time of initial fracture compared with 3 weeks after fracture (P=0.015). Twenty-six of 34 patients (76.5%) showed spontaneous improvement in fragment position. These findings support the practice of treating significantly displaced medial epicondyle fractures nonoperatively.

Background: Massive rotator cuff tears associated with greater tuberosity bone loss are challenging to treat. Repairing the rotator cuff without addressing the greater tuberosity deficiency may result in poorer clinical outcomes. Hypothesis: Utilizing an Achilles tendon–bone block allograft to address both the massive rotator cuff tear and greater tuberosity bone loss concurrently can result in improved clinical outcomes. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: The authors performed a retrospective study of patients treated between January 2011 and December 2018 with Achilles tendon–bone block allograft for massive rotator cuff tears associated with greater tuberosity bone loss. The inclusion criteria were massive rotator cuff tear and bony deficiency of the greater tuberosity; patients with a history of bony metabolism disease, connective tissue disease, and previous surgery to the wrist or elbow of the affected limb were excluded. Range of motion, visual analog scale for pain, Constant score, and Single Numeric Assessment Evaluation score were assessed preoperatively and at a minimum of 2 years postoperatively. Radiographs and ultrasound images were evaluated to assess allograft union and rotator cuff integrity. Results: Five patients (3 male and 2 female; mean age, 54.0 ± 12.2 years) were included in the study. The mean follow-up was 80.6 ± 33.7 months. Preoperative to postoperative values improved significantly on the visual analog scale (from 45.8 ± 25.5 to 14.5 ± 14.1; P = .04), Constant score (from 36.8 ± 7.9 to 73.5 ± 3.1; P < .001), and Single Numeric Assessment Evaluation score (from 42.5 ± 26.3 to 82.5 ± 10.4; P = .04). Forward flexion improved significantly from 53° ± 47° to 149° ± 17° ( P = .03). Four of the 5 patients achieved bony union. One patient required removal of symptomatic hardware at 6 months postoperatively, and 1 patient required revision surgery at 1 year postoperatively because of progressive osteonecrosis of the humeral head. Conclusion: In patients with massive rotator cuff tears and a greater tuberosity bony deficiency, utilizing an Achilles tendon–bone block allograft to restore the bony defect and reinforce the rotator cuff repair was safe and effective. At a minimum of 2 years postoperatively, most patients demonstrated improved clinical outcomes, tendon healing, and graft incorporation.

Background: Even though pedicle screw application is a common procedure, and in-spite of spine surgeons being proficient with the technique, mal-positioning of pedicle screws can still occur. We intend to determine by postoperative CT analysis, the incidence of pedicle screw breach in the thoracolumbar spine despite satisfactory intraoperative placement confirmed by fluoroscopy. Materials and methods: Consecutive patients diagnosed with thoracolumbar fractures who underwent open or minimally invasive posterior stabilization under fluoroscopic guidance were retrospectively reviewed. Postoperative CT scans of patients were analysed to determine the incidence of pedicle breach despite satisfactory intraoperative placement, and also to determine the factors that can predict a breach during intraoperative assessment. Results: A total of 61 patients with 513 thoracolumbar pedicle screws were available for analysis. Based on our postoperative CT assessment, 28 screws (5.5%; 18 thoracic screws; 10 lumbar screws) had breached the pedicle. There were 14 minor (<3 mm) and 14 major (≥3 mm) breaches. The minimally invasive technique had a significantly lower breach rate compared to open surgery (1.9% vs. 7.9%). By retrospectively analysing the intra-operative fluoroscopic images, we determined certain parameters that could predict a breach during surgery. Conclusion: Pedicle breaches can still be present despite satisfactory placement of screws visualized intra-operatively. A medial breach is most likely when the length of the pedicle screw spans only up to 50% of the vertebral body as seen on the lateral view but the pedicle screw tip has already transgressed the midline as seen on an AP view. A lateral breach is likely when the tip of the pedicle screw is overlapped by the screw head or is only minimally visualized on an AP view.

There are different techniques to address severe glenoid erosion during reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). This study assessed the clinical and radiological outcomes of RSA with combined bony and metallic augment (BMA) glenoid reconstruction compared to bony augmentation (BA) alone. A review of patients who underwent RSA with severe glenoid bone loss requiring reconstruction from January 2017 to January 2019 was performed. Patients were divided into two groups: BMA versus BA alone. Clinical outcome measurements included two years postoperative ROM, Constant score, subjective shoulder value (SSV), and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Shoulder (ASES) score. Radiological outcomes included radiographic evidence of scapular complications and graft incorporation. The BMA group had significantly different glenoid morphology (p < 0.001) and greater bone loss thickness than the BA group (16.3 ± 3.8 mm vs. 12.0 ± 0.0 mm, p = 0.020). Both groups had significantly improved ROM (anterior forward flexion and external rotation) and clinical scores (Constant, SSV and ASES scores) at 2 years. Greater improvement was observed in the BMA group in terms of anterior forward flexion (86.3° ± 27.9° vs. 43.8° ± 25.6°, p = 0.013) and Constant score (56.6 ± 10.1 vs. 38.3 ± 16.7, p = 0.021). The BA group demonstrated greater functional and clinical improvements with higher postoperative active external rotation and ASES results (active external rotation, 49.4° ± 17.0° vs. 29.4° ± 14.7°, p = 0.017; ASES, 89.1 ± 11.3 vs. 76.8 ± 11.0, p = 0.045). The combination use of bone graft and metallic augments in severe glenoid bone loss during RSA is safe and effective and can be considered in cases of severe glenoid bone loss where bone graft alone may be insufficient.