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Pathology affecting the long head of the biceps tendon and its insertion is a frequent cause of shoulder pain in the active duty military population. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate functional outcomes of subpectoral biceps tenodesis in an active duty population. A retrospective case series of 22 service members who underwent biceps tenodesis was performed and Shoulder Pain and Disability Indexes (SPADI) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scores were obtained preoperatively and at 6 months. Additionally, a review of each subject's physical profile was performed 6 months after surgery to determine continued physical limitations and one's ability to deploy. There was a statistically significant improvement in SPADI and DASH scores comparing preoperative versus postoperative outcomes. Although five subjects (22%) continued to have a restriction to performing push-ups on the Army Physical Fitness Test, all were deemed deployable from a physical standpoint. The results of this review suggest that active duty personnel undergoing biceps tenodesis have significant functional improvement at 6 months. Additionally, very few have long-term physical limitations or deployment restrictions.

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INTRODUCTION: Little objective evidence is available to guide rehabilitation protocols in regard to the sling weaning process following arthroscopy surgery of the shoulder. The purpose of this study was to establish an objective, criterion based protocol for accelerated sling weaning following shoulder arthroscopy. METHODS: 82 active duty service members (ADSM) underwent elective shoulder arthroscopic surgery by three orthopaedic staff surgeons. One physical therapist progressed patients through the criterion based sling weaning progression (SWEAP) protocol for each surgery and documented pain levels, sleep habits, and decrease in sling use. Preoperative and six month postoperative Quick Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (qDASH) and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) scores were obtained. The ability to perform an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) was recorded at six months postoperative. RESULTS: Patients completed sling weaning at an overall mean of 16.6 ± 5.0 days with continued use in unprotected military settings only beyond this timeframe. As patients steadily progressed out of the sling for 1 hour, 2-3 hours, and half-day periods, average pain scores decreased during these time periods at 5.0±1.2, 3.7±1.2, and 2.1±1.3 (0-10 pain scale), respectively. Patients obtained 6-7 hours of sleep or normal sleep habits at an average of 10.9±4.4 days postoperative. Overall, preoperative qDASH and SPADI scores improved from 39.8±13.0 to 2.4±2.0 and 46.4±16.1 to 3.3±3.2, respectively, at 6 months follow up. All 82 patients were able to return to deployable status. 30 (36.6%) patients required formal restrictions for the push-up portion of the APFT at six months postoperative. 7 of these 30 patients required running restrictions. CONCLUSIONS: Early improvement in quality of life indicators can be obtained in the initial postoperative period with a progressive, criterion based SWEAP protocol. Patients demonstrated favorable outcomes with return to occupational and physical fitness activities. This study will guide orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists to enhance the sling weaning process during rehabilitation protocols and improve preoperative counseling sessions for accurate postoperative expectations. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective Case Series; Level of evidence 4.

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Semmes-Weinstein monofilament (SWM) evaluation for protective sensation in diabetic feet is a widely used tool to guide patient care. Little evidence is available for alternative testing modalities for use when monofilament is not available or is deformed. Multiple varieties of intravenous angiocatheter tubing were subjected to biomechanical testing on a digital scale to assess the force generated once bending was observed by five independently tested raters. A 5.07 SWM (10 g) was tested in similar manner to establish a baseline and validate testing methodology. The 24 gauge × 0.75 in angiocatheter measured the closest to the 5.07 SWM (10 g) at an average force of 22 ± 0.91 g compared with 10.2 ± 0.13 g. Large-gauge angiocatheters measured greater forces. High intra-rater and inter-rater reliability was observed with all values greater than 0.98 (p < 0.001). A 24 gauge × 0.75 in angiocatheter tubing can be used as an alternative to the standard 5.07 SWM (10 g) for testing protective sensation in diabetic feet. Reviewing previously published receiver operating characteristics, this modality would yield estimated sensitivity and specificity values greater than 0.8 and 0.7, respectively, for detecting insensate feet tested at the bilateral metatarsal heads.

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In immunocompetent patients, septic arthritis of the acromioclavicular (AC) joint is a rare entity. It can be difficult to discern from glenohumeral septic arthritis and AC joint impingement syndrome. The usual symptoms are fever, erythema, swelling, palpable pain over the AC joint, and pain with shoulder motion. The most commonly reported causative organism is a Staphylococcus or Streptococcus species. Haemophilus parainfluenzae is a rare cause of septic arthritis in any joint. Although limited to case reports in the literature, most H parainfluenzae skeletal infections occur after surgical intervention. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of AC septic arthritis with H parainfluenzae.

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OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of a new clinical test (Thessaly) as a means of detecting meniscal tears of the knee by comparing arthroscopic findings to a clinical examination finding. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: All preoperative examinations were performed in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, a secondary care center, Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, Georgia. PARTICIPANTS: 116 consecutive patients undergoing knee arthroscopy for suspected meniscal pathology. INTERVENTION: The Thessaly test was performed during the preoperative examination as previously described. The clinician supports the patient by holding their outstretched hands while the patient stands flatfooted. The patient then rotates their knee and body, internally and externally, three times, keeping the knee flexed at 20 degrees. Patients with suspected meniscal tears will experience joint-line discomfort. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Thessaly test performed at 20 degrees of flexion and arthroscopic surgical diagnosis. RESULTS: Of the 66 patients with a positive Thessaly test, 65 had an arthroscopically verified meniscal tear. The Thessaly test revealed a sensitivity of 90.3%, specificity of 97.7%, positive predictive value of 98.5%, negative predictive value of 86.0%, likelihood ratio for a positive test of 39.3, likelihood ratio for a negative test of 0.09, and diagnostic accuracy of 88.8%. The resulting kappa coefficient revealed a statistically significant level of agreement (P < 0.001) for the surgical diagnosis and the Thessaly test. CONCLUSIONS: The Thessaly test is a valid and reproducible physical examination technique for predicting meniscal tears. The Thessaly test shows promise as an easily performed maneuver that may have better diagnostic accuracy than traditional tests. However, this study was performed at a referral center; therefore, the diagnostic relevance cannot be appropriately applied to a more generalized population.

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