Shoulder & Elbow Archive

SUMMARY: This review outlines surgical uses of bone marrow aspirate concentrate as an adjuvant orthobiologic for cartilage repair, though robust randomized trial evidence remains lacking.

SUMMARY: Arthroscopic double-row rotator cuff repair improves repair integrity over open/mini-open techniques, but large/massive tears still have a 40% retear rate with worse outcomes when repair fails structurally.

SUMMARY: Adolescents presenting with shoulder instability commonly show bipolar bone loss and short distance to dislocation, suggesting isolated arthroscopic Bankart repair alone may be inadequate for many in this population.

SUMMARY: In traumatic massive rotator cuff tears, arthroscopic repair within 3 weeks of injury yielded better ASES functional scores than delayed repair, though retear rates were similar.

SUMMARY: Arthroscopic suture anchor fixation of bony Bankart lesions maintained excellent shoulder stability, high satisfaction, and low reoperation rates at a mean 18-year follow-up.

SUMMARY: In 80 reverse shoulder arthroplasty patients, complete release of the long head of triceps preserved triceps strength at 2 years while significantly improving range of motion and patient-reported outcomes, with no dislocations or nerve injuries.

SUMMARY: This review outlines the rationale, potential benefits, and implementation challenges of robotic-assisted reverse shoulder arthroplasty, aimed at improving implant positioning accuracy.

SUMMARY: This review discusses rehabilitating painful shoulders in overhead athletes by combining pathoanatomic and movement-impairment assessments to guide more individualized, evidence-based treatment.

SUMMARY: In 11 cases, P. acnes shoulder arthroplasty infection was often subtle with normal-ish labs and slow-growing cultures (up to 2 weeks), complicating diagnosis; penicillin/clindamycin remained effective while metronidazole did not.

SUMMARY: In a large claims database study, preoperative sepsis within two years of total shoulder arthroplasty—especially within 3 months and from gram-positive/Staphylococcal organisms—significantly raised risks of postoperative infection and other complications, informing preoperative risk counseling.

SUMMARY: Arthroscopic debridement and synovectomy combined with antitubercular therapy effectively treated shoulder joint tuberculosis, improving pain and function scores with low recurrence over a mean 54-month follow-up.

SUMMARY: This review covers current arthroscopic management of anterior shoulder instability, emphasizing glenoid track concept, remplissage indications, and Latarjet versus distal tibial allograft reconstruction for bone loss.

SUMMARY: This review critically evaluates superior capsular reconstruction for irreparable rotator cuff tears, noting promising early outcomes but insufficient long-term data, unclear mechanism, and undefined optimal indications.

SUMMARY: A scoping review finds deep learning models for sports medicine imaging show excellent internal diagnostic accuracy but are narrowly focused, rarely externally validated, and have limited current clinical applicability.

SUMMARY: An overview of meta-analyses found corticosteroid hydrodilatation/distension gives superior short-term pain relief and better long-term range of motion for frozen shoulder than steroid injection or physiotherapy alone.

SUMMARY: This scoping review finds snapping scapula syndrome is best diagnosed clinically, with 3D CT aiding structural evaluation, and shows nonoperative treatment is as effective as surgery for pain relief before considering operative options.

SUMMARY: This systematic review of 39 studies found ASES was the most-used shoulder arthroplasty outcome measure, but MCID, SCB, and PASS thresholds vary widely and lack standardization.

SUMMARY: This technical review covers essential positioning, anatomy, and portal placement principles for safe and effective elbow arthroscopy across its range of surgical indications.

SUMMARY: This review outlines sex-specific biologic and biomechanical factors underlying shoulder and elbow injuries in female athletes, an area less studied than other sex-based orthopaedic differences.

SUMMARY: Reverse shoulder arthroplasty improves functional hand-behind-back task performance by 6 months mainly through increased trunk/lumbar compensation and altered muscle activation, despite persistent internal rotation deficits.

SUMMARY: A horizontal plate fixation technique for isolated greater tuberosity fractures achieved reliable union and good UCLA shoulder scores in 11 patients.

SUMMARY: In this RCT of chronic tennis elbow, 'therapeutic-dose' radial shockwave therapy showed no benefit over minimal-dose treatment when combined with a home exercise program, arguing against high-dose ESWT protocols.

SUMMARY: A Delphi consensus among ASES shoulder experts found agreement on surgery for certain complex proximal humerus fractures in healthy patients and nonoperative care in sicker patients, but no consensus on rehabilitation protocols or many fracture patterns.

SUMMARY: In this 1974 series of 48 shoulders with glenohumeral osteoarthritis treated with Vitallium hemiarthroplasty, most patients had good pain relief and function over an average 6-year follow-up, though strength recovery was slow.

SUMMARY: 3D CT with humeral head subtraction showed 50% of shoulders with recurrent anterior instability had an osseous Bankart fragment and 40% showed glenoid rim erosion without a discrete fragment, aiding surgical assessment.

SUMMARY: At ≥5-year follow-up, combined endoscopic gluteal tendon and labral repair produced patient outcomes and reoperation rates comparable to isolated labral repair despite greater abductor pathology.

SUMMARY: In anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty, having two or more patient-reported allergies (especially non-antibiotic/pain medication allergies) independently predicted worse outcomes, though a single allergy did not.

SUMMARY: In 64 patients with rTSA for proximal humerus fractures, pain relief and function were largely achieved by one year, with only modest further gains by two years, supporting one-year outcomes as sufficient for most patients.

SUMMARY: This narrative review finds diagnostic ultrasound to be a valid adjunct to electrodiagnostic studies for diagnosing upper extremity nerve entrapments, though standardized clinical guidelines are still lacking.

SUMMARY: This review details ultrasonography's technique and diagnostic value for common athletic elbow injuries, especially stress ultrasound for evaluating ulnar collateral ligament laxity.