Can I drive in a sling?

Can I drive in a sling?

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Patients seem to suffer from amnesia after shoulder surgery in one specific area: driving. I tell my patients before they undergo shoulder surgery that, if I perform a repair, they will be in a sling for a minimum of four weeks — and this means no driving. I realize how difficult this is, but there is no way around it.

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Compartment Syndrome

Compartment Syndrome

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Compartment syndrome is a painful condition that occurs when pressure within the muscles builds to dangerous levels. This pressure can decrease blood flow, which prevents nourishment and oxygen from reaching nerve and muscle cells.

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Osteoarthritis of the Hip

Osteoarthritis of the Hip

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Sometimes called “wear-and-tear” arthritis, osteoarthritis is a common condition that many people develop during middle age or older. In 2011, more than 28 million people in the United States were estimated to have osteoarthritis. It can occur in any joint in the body, but most often develops in weight-bearing joints, such as the hip. Read more

Arthritis of the Wrist

Arthritis of the Wrist

Having painful arthritis in your wrist can make it hard to do many everyday activities. Although there is no cure for arthritis, there are several treatment options available to help relieve your painful symptoms and stay active.

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Top five tips for getting through a sports injury

Top five tips for getting through a sports injury

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Most athletes will suffer an injury at some point in their sports career, but almost all obstacles can be overcome.

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Ankle sprains: What's normal and What's not?

Ankle sprains: What’s normal and What’s not?

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Ankle sprains are the most common sports injuries, with an estimated 25,000 occurring every day in the US. Sprains can happen with any sport, including just walking across the yard! Ankle sprains are most common in ball sports such as basketball, soccer, volleyball and others.

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Elbow Fractures in Children

Elbow Fractures in Children

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Elbow fractures are common childhood injuries, accounting for about 10% of all childhood fractures. In many cases, a simple fracture will heal well with conservative cast treatment. Some types of elbow fractures, however, including those in which the pieces of bone are significantly out of place, may require surgery. Other structures in the elbow—such as nerves, blood vessels, and ligaments—may also be injured when a fracture occurs and may require treatment, as well.

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A Guide to Safety for Young Athletes

A Guide to Safety for Young Athletes

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For young athletes, sports activities are more than play. Participation in athletics improves physical fitness, coordination, and self-discipline, and gives children valuable opportunities to learn teamwork. Read more

First Good Sam robotic-assisted knee surgery patient excited for future

First Good Sam robotic-assisted knee surgery patient excited for future

For as long as she can remember, Janis McClain loves to swim. “I love the water – I love swimming!” exclaims McClain. “I feel it’s totally part of relaxing. It’s the best on my joints – that’s the reason I do it.”

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THA survivorship with highly crosslinked liners was 93% at 15 years among young patients

THA survivorship with highly crosslinked liners was 93% at 15 years among young patients

Data presented at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Annual Meeting showed total hip arthroplasty performed with a highly crosslinked acetabular liner in patients younger than 50 years of age was associated with Kaplan-Meier overall survivorship of 93% at 15 years when revision due to failure was the endpoint.

“The non-highly crosslinked group showed 87% [survivorship]. This was significantly different,” said Andrew J. Bryan, MD, who presented the results.

Six patients in the group treated with non-highly crosslinked polyethylene and no patients in the group treated with highly crosslinked polyethylene underwent revision surgery, according to Bryan’s presentation.

THA was performed in 273 patients in the study for indications that included osteoarthritis (62%), avascular necrosis (22%) and dysplasia (5%).

“There was no wear in the highly crosslinked group as noted by our method, and there was no osteolysis in the highly crosslinked group,” Bryan said.

The six revisions performed in the non-highly crosslinked polyethylene group (10.5%) were for wear.

According to Bryan, the two groups’ clinical outcomes were similar.

“The use of highly crosslinked polyethylene led to a significant reduction in risk of failure in patients less than 50 years old,” he said. – by Susan M. Rapp

Reference:

Bryan AJ, et al. Paper 22. Presented at: American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Annual Meeting; Nov. 1-4, 2018; Dallas.

Disclosure: Bryan reports no relevant financial disclosures.