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The article focuses on a 19-year-old nonverbal female with autism and anxiety disorder presenting with right wrist pain, affecting her ability to perform daily tasks and hold a pencil, where diagnostic ultrasound revealed a persistent median artery near the median nerve.

The article presents the discussion on case study of 39-yr-old female teacher with 6-month history of radial-sided wrist pain at her dominant right hand. Topics include magnetic resonance imaging of the right wrist was performed, which revealed extensive peritendinous edema and fluid around the first and second extensor compartments; and leads to inflammation and tenosynovitis of the involved compartments.

Background: Individuals with lateral epicondylalgia (LE) have delayed upper limb reaction time (RT); however, it is unknown if the mechanisms of this dysfunction are related to neural processing or the affected forearm muscles. The aim of this study was to examine the timing of processes that occur before and after forearm muscles are activated during the RT task. Methods: Eleven LE (42 ±11 yr) and 11 healthy controls (42 ± 11 yr) performed rapid wrist extension in response to an audio cue. Intramuscular EMG was obtained from extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB), extensor digitorum communis (EDC), extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU), and anconeus. Premotor time (PMT) was the duration from an audio cue to the onset of muscle activity, and motor time (MT) was the onset of muscle activity to the onset of wrist extension. Standard clinical assessments of LE were also performed. Results: RT was significantly slower (33; 95% CI, 1-66 ms) in the LE group. There were no group differences in PMT and the order of muscle activation. Instead, the MT of ECRB (18; 95% CI, 6-31 ms), EDC (12; 95% CI, 1-23 ms), ECU (28; 95% CI, 9-46 ms), and anconeus (33; 95% CI, 11-56 ms) showed significant delay in LE group. Regression analyses revealed that the duration of LE could predict RT, ECRB, and anconeus PMT, whereas cold pain threshold predicted ECRB MT. Conclusions: Delayed RT in LE was predominantly caused by deficits in ECRB and EDC MT. This study provides preliminary evidence that in the people with longer LE symptoms, duration appeared to have faster RT, although confirmation of this finding is required before firm conclusions can be drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint orchestrates pinch in its various positions, and thumb CMC osteoarthritis (OA) is a major source of orthopaedic morbidity. Self-reported pain, weakness, and physical examination may not correspond to radiographic findings when diagnosing early thumb CMC OA. Weakness is a prominent feature of the disease, but little evidence exists to quantify self-reported loss of strength with time, or to compare weakness with that of a nonarthritic population during early disease.Questions/purposes: We asked: (1) Is pinch strength in subjects with early thumb CMC OA less than that in asymptomatic control subjects; and (2) weakness in which pinch position (key, tripod, or tip pinch) has the strongest association with early OA diagnosis?Methods: For this case-control study, we recruited 23 subjects who were asymptomatic and 91 with early OA for comprehensive history, physical examination, strength measurements, pain surveys, and radiographic evaluation. We used multivariate logistic regression to quantify the association between declining pinch strength and early OA diagnosis after controlling for age, sex, and BMI. This analysis was performed for three different pinch positions (key, tripod, and tip pinch) to evaluate which measurement was most closely associated with diagnosis.Results: Pinch strength was less in patients with early thumb CMC OA. Key pinch had the most robust association with OA diagnosis, in which a 20% decrease in key pinch strength from the control subjects' baseline was associated with a 10% increase in the OA diagnosis (95% CI, 3%-16%; p = 0.004). This had a stronger association with OA diagnosis than tip pinch, in which a 20% decrease in strength was associated with a 6% increase in early CMC OA (95% CI, 1.0%-11%; p = 0.031). Tripod pinch also was associated to a lesser extent; a 20% reduction in tripod pinch led to a 5% increase in OA (95% CI, 1.3%-9%; p = 0.048).Conclusions: Decreasing pinch strength, especially key pinch, is associated with early CMC arthritis before the development of extensive radiographic disease.Clinical Relevance: Weakness in pinch strength, especially key pinch, is an important feature in the pathogenesis of early CMC OA and may appear before radiographic disease is present or advanced. These findings suggest a role for intervention in early disease for promoting nonoperative joint protection and strengthening, and designing surgical procedures aimed to delay or prevent clinical and radiographic progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wrist injuries are a common complaint in the emergency setting. Any disruption of the anatomy of the carpal bones can impair hand function, leading to pain, weakness, and complications. One of the most common forms of carpal bone instability is scapholunate dissociation. This injury can lead to significant morbidity including avascular necrosis, impaired healing, limited function, and arthritis. These diagnostic findings may be subtle, thus identifying high-risk mechanisms of injury, and clinical manifestations will assist the emergency practitioner with early diagnosis and treatment of this high-risk injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although screening for and treating osteoporosis can prevent subsequent fractures, the rates of such interventions are low following a distal radial fracture. One potential method for identifying metabolic bone disease is via Hounsfield unit (HU) measurements from diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scans. We hypothesized that HU values of the distal aspect of the radius could be used to assess local bone quality and would be predictive of distal radial fracture risk, thereby allowing the identification of patients in need of further management.Methods: Measurements of bone mineral density (BMD) were made for 100 patients on the basis of HU values of cancellous portions of the distal aspect of the radius, the ulnar head, and the capitate. The HU values in twenty-five male and twenty-five female patients with an acute distal radial fracture documented on CT were compared with those of age and sex-matched control patients who had a CT scan obtained for other indications.Results: Among the control patients, HU values decreased as age increased. When assessed on the basis of sex, both male and female patients with a distal radial fracture had significantly lower regional BMD compared with nonfracture control patients. A distal radial HU value of 218 for females and 246 for males optimized sensitivity and specificity; values below this threshold were associated with an increased risk of distal radial fracture.Conclusions: HU measurements can be obtained from any diagnostic CT scan using modern software programs and can be obtained by physicians in the office setting with minimal effort and at no additional cost or radiation exposure to the patient. Regardless of imaging indications, we suggest that patients with HU values below the identified thresholds be considered for further metabolic bone disease work-up, such as additional imaging, laboratory assessments, the initiation of osteoporosis treatment, or appropriate referral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the variability and longitudinal stress-related changes in ulnar variance (UV) in a group of immature artistic gymnasts. The relationship between UV and a group of biological and training variables was also investigated. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Portuguese Federation of Gymnastics. Participants: Twenty-five Portuguese skeletally immature gymnasts competing nationally. Assessment of Risk Factors: Skeletal age (Tanner-Whitehouse 3 method), stature, body mass and body mass index (BMI) (Seca stadiometer), fat-free mass and percentage of body fat mass (Tanita BC 418), handgrip strength (Takei dynamometer), and training data (interview). Main Outcome Measures: To determine UV stress-related changes over time, left UV was obtained using Hafner procedure. Ulnar variance values and biological characteristics were tested twice (at baseline and after 18 months of training). Results: Analysis of covariance analysis presented a significant interaction between age and time effect in UV at baseline. Each category of UV reacted differently to the interaction between age and training time. Significant relationships between UV and biological and training variables (chronological and skeletal age, body mass, BMI, handgrip strength, hour per week, and years of training) were evident in at least one of the moments of data collection. Conclusions: The gymnasts showed significant longitudinal UV changes toward less negative UV over the training period. Nevertheless, we could not find a significant correlation between UV and the majority of the researched variables. Thus, although UV has been broadly studied, this phenomenon is complex because it depends on different intrinsic and extrinsic factors that are difficult to control, making necessary additional research on this topic. Clinical Relevance: The gymnast’s wrist has been associated with a high incidence of painful symptomatology and injuries, leading to the formulation of several hypotheses related to the UV ethiology. Knowledge about the possible intrinsic or extrinsic factors related to UV changes and/or different UV categories (negative, neutral, and positive), as well as their consequent specific injuries in gymnasts’ wrists may contribute to a primary prevention or reduction in the occurrence, recurrence and severity of pain, functional disability, or injuries in radius-ulnocarpal joint, thereby improving gymnasts’ performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research investigating whether preadolescent boys exhibit plyometric trainability. They recruited 45 children of approximately 11 years who were randomly assigned to either a group that participated only in regular soccer practice or a group that participated in soccer practice and plyometric training (PT), which is a method for improving muscle ability to generate explosive power. Results showed that prepubertal boys exhibited plyometric trainability.

Background: Displacement is an important risk factor for nonunion of scaphoid wrist fractures. We compared computed tomography with radiographs with regard to their ability to detect displacement. Methods: Six blinded observers rated thirty scaphoid fractures (ten displaced and twenty nondisplaced) with use of radiographs and computed tomography. The radiographs were evaluated separately from the computed tomography scans and then, in a third evaluation, the two imaging studies were reviewed simultaneously. The evaluations were repeated four weeks later. Observers were asked to evaluate specific measures of fracture displacement and then to judge the fracture as being displaced or nondisplaced. Results: Intraobserver reliability was better for computed tomography alone and the combination of radiographs and computed tomography than it was for radiographs alone (kappa values, 0.65, 0.63, and 0.54, respectively; all p < 0.001). The interobserver reliability was also better for computed tomography alone and the combination of radiographs and computed tomography than it was for radiographs alone (kappa values, 0.43, 0.48, and 0.27, respectively; all p < 0.001). The average sensitivity was 75% for radiographs alone, 72% for computed tomography alone, and 80% for both; the average specificity was 64%, 80%, and 73%, respectively; the average accuracy was 68%, 77%, and 75%, respectively. The positive predictive values (assuming a 5% prevalence of fracture displacement) were low (0.10, 0.13, and 0.16) and the negative predictive values were high (0.97, 0.98, and 0.99) for the radiographs, computed tomography, and combined modality. Conclusions: Computed tomography improves the reliability of detecting scaphoid fracture displacement but has a more limited effect on accuracy, which remains <80%. The utility of computed tomography scans for diagnosing scaphoid fracture displacement is affected by the low prevalence of fracture displacement. This study suggests that computed tomography scans are useful for ruling out displacement but not for diagnosing it. We recommend that all scaphoid fractures be evaluated with computed tomography in order to rule out displacement. Level of Evidence: Diagnostic LevelIll. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Sauvé-Kapandji procedure has become popular for the treatment of disorders of the distal radioulnar joint in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but this procedure is impossible to perform in patients with poor bone quality in the distal part of the ulna. We have modified the procedure for patients with poor bone quality in the distal part of the ulna. The modified procedure involves resecting the distal part of the ulna, making a drill-hole in the ulnar cortex of the distal part of the radius, rotating the resected portion of the ulna 90 degrees , inserting it into the distal part of the radius, and fixing it at that site with use of an AO cancellous-bone screw. In the present report, we describe the new operative technique and report the results after a minimum duration of follow-up of three years.Methods: This operation was performed in fifty-six patients (sixty-six wrists) with rheumatoid arthritis. The mean age at the time of the operation was 59.3 years. The mean duration of follow-up was forty-eight months. Patients were evaluated in terms of wrist pain, grip strength, and range of motion. Radiographic evaluation included calculation of the carpal translation index to assess the extent of ulnar translation of the carpus.Results: Osseous union was achieved in all cases. Wrist pain resolved or decreased in all patients. The mean total range of forearm rotation increased from 144 degrees preoperatively to 167 degrees at the time of the most recent follow-up (p < 0.01). The mean carpal translation index did not change after the operation.Conclusions: The modified Sauvé-Kapandji procedure results in rigid fixation of the grafted bone. The technique provides sufficient osseous support of the carpus even in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and poor bone quality in the distal part of the ulna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Proximal row carpectomy is an accepted motion-sparing surgical procedure for the treatment of degenerative conditions of the wrist. However, there is little information regarding the long-term clinical and radiographic results following this procedure.Methods: Twenty-two wrists in twenty-one patients underwent proximal row carpectomy for the treatment of degenerative arthritis between 1980 and 1992. Objective and subjective function was assessed after a minimum duration of follow-up of ten years (average, fourteen years).Results: There were four failures (18%) requiring fusion at an average of seven years. All four failures occurred in patients who were thirty-five years of age or less at the time of the proximal row carpectomy (p = 0.03). The wrists that did not fail had an average flexion-extension arc of 72 degrees , associated with an average grip strength of 91% of that on the contralateral side. The patients were very satisfied with fourteen of the eighteen wrists that did not fail and were satisfied with the remaining four. The patients rated nine wrists as not painful, four as mildly painful, five as moderately painful, and none as severely painful. The average Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score was 9 points. Radiographs revealed no loss of the radiocapitate space in three of the seventeen wrists for which radiographs were made, reduced space in seven, and complete loss of the space in seven. With the numbers available, there was no significant association between loss of joint space seen on radiographs and subjective and objective function.Conclusions: At the time of long-term follow-up, all patients older than thirty-five years of age at the time of a proximal row carpectomy had maintained a satisfactory range of motion, grip strength, and pain relief and were satisfied with the result. Caution should be exercised in performing the procedure in patients younger than thirty-five years of age. Although degeneration of the radiocapitate joint was seen radiographically in fourteen of the seventeen wrists, it did not preclude a successful clinical result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limb-length discrepancy or angular deformities as a result of altered bone growth may lead to a decreased range of motion and impaired function as well as premature osteoarthritis in patients with multiple hereditary osteochondromatosis. The purpose of this study was to describe the function of the forearm in untreated patients in order to facilitate comparison with studies of the results of treatment of this condition.Methods: The medical records of fifty-one pediatric patients were identified and served as the basis for identifying a cohort of adult relatives with the disorder. Participants were asked about pain and limitations in vocational or recreational activities and about concerns with regard to cosmetic appearance. Radiographs of the forearm and wrist were made to quantify the deformity. Functional outcome was assessed on the basis of a comparison with the norms for grip and pinch strength and for scores on the hand function test of Jebsen et al. Limitations in the range of motion of the upper extremities were converted to standard impairment ratings.Results: Participants included twenty-two men and seventeen women with an average age of forty-two years (range, twenty to eighty years). Most of the patients were employed in careers of their choice, with only five (13%) indicating that they were limited in any way in the performance of their jobs. Twenty-six subjects (67%) participated in recreational activities, and sixty-eight arms (88%) were reported to be free of pain. Objective measurement of function demonstrated greater disability than that found from subjective reporting. Fourteen arms had an impairment rating of >10%, while twenty had decreased pinch strength and sixteen had decreased grip strength. Ten arms (13%) had decreased hand function according to the hand test of Jebsen et al. Radiographic evaluation demonstrated osteoarthritic changes in three limbs.Conclusions: Affected individuals had definite decreases in hand and wrist function, yet these did not result in major increases in pain or in limitations in daily work and recreation. This cohort provides a basis for comparison with the results of operative treatment in affected individuals with multiple hereditary osteochondromatosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the article "Diagnosing Suspected Scaphoid Fractures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," by Yin Z-G, Zhang J-B, Kan S-L, and Wang X-G, which appeared in the periodical "Clinical Orthopaedics & Related Research" in 2010.