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Biomedical subjects

E C Percy

Publications and source records attributed to E C Percy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

All-terrain-vehicle injuries. A sport out of control.

All-terrain vehicles, originally introduced as utility vehicles to be used on farms or ranches, have now gained immense popularity in the United States as a form of recreational activity. With the increasing popularity of these vehicles, along with more powerful engines, a corresponding increase in the injury and death rates has been noted. We discuss the experience in the emergency department and trauma unit of a Southwest teaching hospital, an area where these vehicles are in use year round. We suggest ways to prevent and minimize accidents to reduce the number of injuries and deaths.

Accidents

Tarsal coalition: a review of the literature and presentation of 13 cases.

Tarsal coalition refers to the condition that exists when there is absent or restricted movement between two or more of the bones of the hindfoot. The usual cause of the restricted movement is a congenital abnormality with a fibrous (syndesmosis), cartilagenous (synchondrosis), or bony (synostosis) union between the adjoining involved bones. The commonest site of these congenital anomalous attachments are reported in the literature as being located at the calcaneonavicular, the talocalcaneal, and, less commonly, the talonavicular areas. Limited movement in the hindfoot can also result from trauma, arthritis, tumor, or injury involving those joints in the foot. The congenital form may often go unrecognized until such time as a twist or sprain of the ankle or foot leads to its diagnosis. On the other hand, the condition may go unrecognized as a cause for chronic pain or discomfort in the hindfoot or ankle. In this article, a series of 13 feet in 11 patients with this condition that have been noted in the sports medicine clinic at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center during the past 8 years is described. A detailed historical, clinical, and biomechanical account is also included.

Adolescent

Snapping scapula: a review of the literature and presentation of 14 patients.

The syndrome of pain at the vertebral edge of the scapula and snapping associated with movement of the shoulder that occurs spontaneously after trauma or surgical procedures to the shoulder girdle is relatively common. The snapping is described in the literature as being due to an exostosis on the undersurface of the vertebral angle of the scapula, which rides across the rib cage. The pain has been reported to be the result of inflamed bursae located between the scapula and adjacent thorax or over the scapular exostosis. This retrospective study of a small group of patients with the syndrome attempts to define, by detailed x-ray studies, the presence or absence of exostosis at the vertebral angle. In none of these cases was a bony abnormality or exostosis identified clinically or radiologically. The irritating symptoms can be relieved by physiotherapy; surgery is unnecessary.

Adolescent

The use of DMSO in tennis elbow and rotator cuff tendonitis: a double-blind study.

Over a 1-yr period, 102 patients with a clinical diagnosis of either medial or lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) or rotator cuff tendonitis were treated with topical applications of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). A double-blind controlled study was carried out on these patients in the private practice of an orthopaedic surgeon to determine the efficacy of this material in the treatment of these two common clinical conditions. Beneficial effects were assessed with respect to improvement in pain, tenderness or swelling, and increase in the range of motion. Forty patients were treated for each of the two ailments; patients treated with the 70% DMSO aqueous solution did not receive any more beneficial effect from the drug than patients who received 5% DMSO aqueous placebo solution.

Adult

Chemical warfare: drugs in sports.

A number of substances have been used by athletes in an attempt to improve performance in sports. The use of these substances, which are referred to as ergogenic aids, has become widespread; some pose serious health hazards. Ergogenic aids are divided into five broad classifications: physiological, physical, psychological, nutritional and chemical. It is possible, although conclusive proof is lacking, that some substances may give an athlete who takes them an advantage over one who does not. However, the health hazards posed in general by these materials far outweigh any possible advantage.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists

Athletic aids: fact or fiction?

A major problem facing physicians involved in the daily care of amateur athletes in international competition is that of so-called doping. While there are many substances used that might be considered ineffectual or physiologic, the two main categories of substances considered as doping agents are stimulants and anabolic steroids. No substance is as yet known that will improve an athlete's performance. Often such substances are taken in error rather than in a misguided attempt to improve one's ability. These substances can be dangerous and, because of this, doping rules were established basically to protect the athlete. Anabolic steroids are particularly dangerous; they usually are taken by those engaged in lifting or throwing sports in an attempt to improve performance by increasing muscle bulk. There is as yet no scientific proof that performance is improved. Dope testing for stimulants should be carried out in a quantitative rather than qualitative manner so that the athlete who has taken a small amount of a so-called stimulant (such as an asthma or common cold preparation) would not be excluded from competition. Rigid testing for anabolic steroids should be continued.

Amphetamines

Experience of the Canadian medical team at the 21st Olympiad.

The Canadian medical team at the 21st Olympiad--11 therapists, 8 physicians and 2 nurses--was larger than necessary, partly because the Canadian athletes were not affected by the stresses of competition in a foreign land and partly because many used the medical facilities established by le comité organisateur des Jeux olympiques. There were few injuries of a serious nature or of lasting consequence among the Canadian athletes; only 10 of the 475 athletes were withdrawn from competition on the advice of the medical staff. On the average the athletes had two visits to a physician and five treatments by a therapist. Track and field competitors accounted for the largest number of visits to the therapy clinic, and musculoskeletal problems were the most frequent type. Most of the treatment consisted of local supportive measures.

Athletic Injuries

Fractured femur.

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Adult