Sep 28 – Oct 4, 2026 · 31 new studies, 10 reviews · Sports Medicine archive · All weeks
The new Sports Medicine research The Reduction sent the week of Sep 28 – Oct 4, 2026, with the week’s most recent reviews, each with a one-line summary.
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In a mouse subacromial impingement model, CCR2 knockout reduced early macrophage activation and histologic tendinopathy but did not improve tendon biomechanics, flagging CCR2 as a possible target for modulating early inflammation.
From 2013 to 2023 Medicare data, subacromial decompression and distal clavicle excision fell sharply while biceps tenodesis more than doubled, with inflation-adjusted reimbursement declining for all three and persistent regional and rural disparities.
On 3D CT, shoulders with anterior instability had a greater glenoid index and reduced glenoid depth, also seen in the contralateral unaffected shoulder versus controls, suggesting a constitutional bony predisposition.
In 100 post-commercialization BEAR ACL restorations, ipsilateral ACL retear was 5.6% and reoperation 18.9% at 2 years, lower with the modified technique, with good stability and patient-reported outcomes.
Pudendal nerve palsy symptoms affected 83% of hip arthroscopy patients using a perineal post, resolving by 12 months, with longer traction time and force raising risk.
After MLB's 2023 pitch clock, pitcher upper extremity injuries involved about 6 more recovery days and a greater share of elbow injuries, independent of rising fastball velocity.
In a retrospective cohort of 123 patients, biceps tenodesis maintaining physiologic (isotension) tendon tension gave better ASES, Constant, and biceps scores and stronger elbow flexion than low-tension fixation, with similar Popeye sign rates.
Machine learning on wearable IMU gait/running data identified prior knee injury with high specificity but poor sensitivity (0.48) in 90 athletes; unstable across resampling and needs external validation before clinical use.
In 53 patients with irreparable supraspinatus tears, middle trapezius tendon transfer after a failed cuff repair gave pain, function, and motion improvements comparable to primary transfer, with high tendon integrity.
MLB pitchers returning from a nonoperative forearm flexor strain had about 3 times the 1-year hazard of UCL surgery versus matched controls (9.8% vs 4.1%); longer recovery time was associated with lower risk, likely as a marker rather than protective.
In a propensity-matched hip arthroscopy cohort with capsular closure, interportal and T-capsulotomy gave comparable outcome scores, clinically meaningful improvement, and reoperation-free survival (98%) at 2+ years.
In combined ACL-MCL injuries, nonhamstring grafts gave better patient-reported outcomes than hamstring grafts, but MCL treatment status did not significantly change this graft-related effect.
In women with chondromalacia patellae, both dry needling and myofascial release plus exercise reduced pain equally, but myofascial release produced greater gains in quadriceps strength and muscle balance.
In 220 hip arthroscopy patients, MRI-confirmed labral healing was associated with higher rates of clinically significant improvement versus worsened or unchanged labrum, though absolute scores did not differ between groups.
In 101 patients with high-grade trochlear dysplasia undergoing trochleoplasty plus MPFL reconstruction, a higher preoperative sagittal TT-TG distance was independently associated with better function, less pain, and higher BPII 2.0 scores, though explanatory power was modest.
In 46 FAI patients undergoing staged bilateral hip arthroscopy, the contralateral labrum modestly deteriorated between procedures, but this did not affect improved 2-year patient-reported outcomes.
In young taekwondo athletes, trait sport anxiety was the only factor consistently predicting contact, noncontact, and overall injury risk, suggesting psychological screening could aid injury prevention.
Adding lateral extra-articular tenodesis to ACL reconstruction yielded similar graft failure and outcome rates regardless of increased posterior tibial slope, suggesting LET may offset slope-related risk.
A modified MacIntosh ITB technique with gracilis augmentation for primary ACL reconstruction yielded a low 4.9% re-rupture rate and strong return-to-sport outcomes at over 6 years follow-up.
This international expert consensus establishes standardized recommendations for diagnosing, nonoperatively managing, and surgically repairing posterosuperior rotator cuff tears based on strong surgeon agreement.
In a cadaveric irreparable rotator cuff tear model, rotator cable reconstruction combined with biologic tuberoplasty restored muscle forces near intact levels and improved scapular strain distribution versus tuberoplasty alone.
Ehlers-Danlos patients undergoing combined hip arthroscopy and periacetabular osteotomy achieve high satisfaction and clinically meaningful improvements in function, pain, and mental health comparable to non-EDS patients, despite smaller physical function gains.
In a prespecified RCT subgroup of patients under 25, isolated BPTB ACL reconstruction had about fourfold higher 5-year graft failure (16.4% vs 4.8%) than hamstring plus ALL reconstruction, with similar patient-reported outcomes.
A European consensus on partial-thickness posterosuperior rotator cuff tears recommends individualized care, with non-surgical treatment first and no surgical technique consistently superior; trans-tendon repair of articular-sided tears raises postoperative stiffness risk.
Cadaveric and histologic study of six knees showed the meniscofibular ligament and posteroinferior popliteomeniscal fascicle are true ligamentous tissue, supporting repair with trephination or microfracture.
Simulated knee malposition on lateral radiographs causes clinically relevant errors in patellar height measures, with Insall-Salvati least affected; posterior condylar overlap can signal how much error to expect.
In 103 patients followed 10+ years after marrow stimulation for talar osteochondral lesions, outcomes worsened with age over 45, symptoms lasting over 25.5 months, and marrow edema deeper than 10.5 mm.
In 192 arthroscopic Bankart repairs with at least 2 years of follow-up, knotless and knotted all-suture anchors gave comparable revision rates, patient-reported scores, and return to sport (95% of competitive athletes).
Placing the most inferior suture anchor at the 6 o'clock position during arthroscopic Bankart repair significantly reduced recurrence rates and improved clinical outcomes compared to non-6 o'clock placement.
In a large insurance database matched cohort, alcohol use disorder was associated with markedly higher 90-day complications (19% vs 3.4%), readmissions, and costs after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.
The Mistral-NeMo language model correctly matched 90% of true CPT codes and rejected 99.8% of incorrect ones on orthopaedic operative notes, but only when billing descriptions were provided.
Magnetic Resonance Neurography of Sports-Related Peripheral Nerve Injuries of the Shoulder Region.
Narrative review of how MR neurography complements exam and electrodiagnostics in localizing sports-related shoulder nerve injuries, including brachial plexus trauma, thoracic outlet syndrome, axillary nerve stretch, and postsurgical nerve problems.
This scoping review of 34 studies found none defined objective outcome criteria for clearing athletes to return to sport after Achilles repair; measures mostly targeted early rehab, so standardized criteria are needed.
Narrative review supporting anterior opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy to restore posterior tibial slope in PCL insufficiency and genu recurvatum, with 70-90% good-to-excellent outcomes, though evidence is mostly Level III-IV.
Approaching the posterolateral quadrant of the tibial plateau: challenges and strategies.
Reviews surgical approaches to posterolateral tibial plateau fractures, comparing strengths, weaknesses, technical details, and indications for each given the challenging local anatomy and limited fixation footprint.
Subacromial balloon spacers improve pain and function in observational studies, but randomized trials are mixed (noninferior to partial repair, worse than debridement alone), so routine use for massive irreparable cuff tears isn't recommended beyond select elderly patients.
Scoping review of 17 publications found ACL reconstruction rehab guidelines mostly address bone-patellar-tendon-bone grafts, with few covering quadriceps or hamstring harvest sites, so graft-specific guidelines are needed.
Understanding Sex-Based Differences in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk and Management.
This review highlights that while anatomical and hormonal contributors to sex-based ACL injury risk are well studied, psychosocial and access-related factors remain understudied and warrant attention in prevention and rehab planning.
Bucket-Handle Meniscus Tears: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Management, and Outcomes.
Review of bucket-handle meniscus tears covering epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment, favoring repair when feasible over nonoperative care, which risks accelerated osteoarthritis, while noting limited long-term data and heterogeneous rehabilitation protocols.
A modified Delphi expert consensus on posterolateral corner injuries: grade III tears warrant reconstruction rather than isolated repair, no single technique is proven superior, and postoperative varus stress radiographs are unreliable.
A scoping review found major inconsistency in how studies define patellar dislocation patients by osseous risk factors and rarely use dislocation-specific patient-reported outcome measures, complicating treatment comparisons.
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