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The acute management of soft tissue injuries of the knee requires knowledge of the injury mechanism, physical findings, and results of adjunctive tests. Knee dislocations, fractures, and extensive soft tissue injury requires immediate and thoughtful treatment. All injuries are afforded the benefit of the basic principles of rest, ice, compression, and elevation until definitive treatment is carried out.
Acute soft tissue injuries create pain and limitation of function. Treatment requires analgesia and time for full recovery. Acetaminophen with codeine (650 mg plus 60 mg, respectively, every 4 to 6 hours) is used frequently as the analgesic of choice. Diflunisal (1,000 mg initially then 500 mg twice a day) vs acetaminophen with codeine was prospectively studied in the treatment of acute mild to moderate pain from soft tissue injuries. Thirty-five patients with acute strains, sprains, or low back pain were randomized to treatment (17 acetaminophen with codeine vs 18 diflunisal). Both groups were similar in the amount of pain and type of injury at initiation of therapy. Patient pain rating went from 3.3 +/- 0.6 to 1.6 +/- 1.5 for acetaminophen with codeine and from 3.3 +/- 0.6 to 1.3 +/- 1.1 for diflunisal. However, 65 percent of acetaminophen with codeine patients experienced side effects, with 35 percent of these patients stopping the medication because of intolerable side effects. In the diflunisal group, 28 percent of the patients experienced side effects and 5 percent had to stop the medication early. Diflunisal was found to be an effective analgesic in mild to moderate pain of acute soft tissue injuries, and caused fewer and more tolerable side effects than did acetaminophen with codeine.
BACKGROUND: Minor impact soft tissue (MIST) is an insurance industry concept that seeks to identify late whiplash as a psychosocial phenomenon. However, the medical literature in this area has not been systematically reviewed since the Quebec Task Force's review in 1995. OBJECTIVE: To review the medical literature which claims that late whiplash is an organic phenomenon causing significant disability. METHODS: The medical literature was reviewed in a narrative format. RESULTS: There are a significant number of studies which refute the MIST concept. CONCLUSION: A review of the literature did not support the validity of MIST.
OBJECTIVE: To document physicians' views about facilitating factors for and barriers to their helping workers recover after occupational soft-tissue injuries and to ascertain physicians' knowledge and attitudinal barriers to their involvement in return to work. DESIGN: Faxed survey. SETTING: Manitoba family practices and emergency departments. PARTICIPANTS: General practitioners, family physicians, and emergency physicians regularly caring for injured workers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physicians' ranking of facilitating factors and barriers, changes to help their involvement in return to work, and their attitudes and knowledge about return to work. RESULTS: Respondents and nonrespondents were demographically similar, 232 physicians (51.3%) responded. Respondents believed the main facilitating factors were physicians' ability to explain the nature and prognosis of injuries to workers (69%) and the willingness of workplaces to accommodate injured workers (26%). The main barriers were workers' misunderstandings and fears about their injuries (70.7%) and non-supportive supervisors and co-workers (20.8%). The most frequently requested change was better workplace job accommodation (48%). Most physicians agreed they had a role in planning return to work and were aware of the effect of job satisfaction, psychosocial elements, and work-related factors. Despite supporting evidence, only one third of physicians stated they would say "try to continue usual activities" to patients with occupational low back pain. CONCLUSION: Most physicians seemed aware of their role in return to work and the effect of occupational factors, but their advice on activity after injury differed from that in practice guidelines.
BACKGROUND: Split-depression fractures of the lateral tibial plateau (Schatzker II) are associated with a significant risk of capsuloligamentous and meniscal injury. We hypothesized that the amount of fracture depression and widening on anteroposterior (AP) plain radiographs would correlate with the incidence of injury to these structures on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: Sixty-two consecutive patients with Schatzker II tibial plateau fractures had a knee x-ray series and MRI preoperatively. AP plain radiographs were measured for lateral joint line depression and condylar widening, and MRIs were evaluated for injury to soft-tissue structures around the knee. For each structure, the threshold of depression and widening that led to the greatest disparity in soft-tissue injury was determined. Multiple logistic regressions were applied to calculate whether depression and/or widening above the thresholds were predictive for injury to individual soft-tissue structures. RESULTS: When depression was greater than 6 mm and widening was greater than 5 mm, lateral meniscal injury occurred in 83% of fractures, compared with 50% of fractures with less displacement (p < 0.05). When either depression or widening was at least 8 mm, medial meniscal injury occurred more frequently (depression 53%, p < 0.05; widening 78%, p < 0.05; versus neither 15%). Lateral collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament tears were not seen with minimally displaced fractures (< 4 mm), but the incidence of injury approached 30% with increasing displacement. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the limited availability of MRI in some centers, correlation of lateral condylar depression and widening, as measured on plain radiographs, to injury of various soft-tissue structures may be extremely helpful in planning open or arthroscopic treatment methods. Using these guidelines, Schatzker II fractures with depression or widening approaching 5 mm deserve heightened vigilance in diagnosing and treating these concomitant soft-tissue injuries.
PURPOSE: This investigation arthroscopically assesses the frequency of soft tissue injury in tibial plateau fracture according to the severity of fracture patterns. We hypothesized that use of arthroscopy to evaluate soft tissue injury in tibial plateau fractures would reveal a greater number of associated injuries than have previously been reported. METHODS: From March 1996 to December 2003, 98 patients with closed tibial plateau fractures were treated with arthroscopically assisted reduction and osteosynthesis, with precise diagnosis and management of associated soft tissue injuries. Arthroscopic findings for associated soft tissue injuries were recorded, and the relationship between fracture type and soft tissue injury was then analyzed. RESULTS: The frequency of associated soft tissue injury in this series was 71% (70 of 98). The menisci were injured in 57% of subjects (56 in 98), the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in 25% (24 of 98), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in 5% (5 of 98), the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in 3% (3 of 98), the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in 3% (3 of 98), and the peroneal nerve in 1% (1 of 98); none of the 98 patients exhibited injury to the arteries. No significant association was noted between fracture type and incidence of meniscus, PCL, LCL, MCL, artery, and nerve injury. However, significantly higher injury rates for the ACL were observed in type IV and VI fractures. CONCLUSIONS: Soft tissue injury was associated with all types of tibial plateau fracture. Menisci (peripheral tear) and ACL (bony avulsion) were the most commonly injured sites. A variety of soft tissue injuries are common with tibial plateau fracture; these can be diagnosed with the use of an arthroscope. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, diagnostic study.
Soft tissue injuries to the hand are always a problem to the surgeon. A thorough examination and a precise preoperative diagnosis are the most important factors regarding forming a treatment concept. Blood supply, sensitivity and additional injuries are especially important parameters. The modern methods of plastic and reconstructive surgery involving tissue transfer and microvascular and even combined reconstruction methods, all offer multiple possibilities for reconstruction--even for problematic soft tissue injuries. The method of determining the urgency (Urgence différée) permits as even to offer patients methods that are normally only useful or successful in the hands of a specialist. Primary treatment can even take place in the first 48-72 h. If adequate operative treatment is performed by a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, the further corrective procedures that are often necessary can often also be avoided.
Determination of the severity of injury to the soft tissues is an important component of patient assessment and affects management of closed fractures. The response of soft tissue to blunt injury involves microvascular and inflammatory processes that produce localized tissue hypoxia and acidosis. Incisions placed through such compromised tissue can lead to wound breakdown and deep infection. Therefore, recognizing the signs of soft-tissue injury is the foundation for successful management of closed fractures. Many treatment options, including splinting, cryotherapy, compression, and delayed surgery, help limit further soft-tissue injury and facilitate its rapid recovery before surgical intervention. Emerging surgical techniques based on improved management have resulted in decreased rates of soft-tissue complications.
REFERENCE: Bleakley C, McDonough S, MacAuley D. The use of ice in the treatment of acute soft-tissue injury: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Am J Sport Med. 2004; 32:251-261. CLINICAL QUESTION: What is the clinical evidence base for cryotherapy use? DATA SOURCES: Studies were identified by using a computer-based literature search on a total of 8 databases: MEDLINE, Proquest, ISI Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) on Ovid, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) on Ovid, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (Central). This was supplemented with citation tracking of relevant primary and review articles. Search terms included surgery,orthopaedics,sports injury,soft tissue injury,sprains and strains,contusions,athletic injury,acute,compression, cryotherapy,ice,RICE, andcold. STUDY SELECTION: To be included in the review, each study had to fulfill the following conditions: be a randomized, controlled trial of human subjects; be published in English as a full paper; include patients recovering from acute soft tissue or orthopaedic surgical interventions who received cryotherapy in inpatient, outpatient, or home-based treatment, in isolation or in combination with placebo or other therapies; provide comparisons with no treatment, placebo, a different mode or protocol of cryotherapy, or other physiotherapeutic interventions; and have outcome measures that included function (subjective or objective), pain, swelling, or range of motion. DATA EXTRACTION: The study population, interventions, outcomes, follow-up, and reported results of the assessed trials were extracted and tabulated. The primary outcome measures were pain, swelling, and range of motion. Only 2 groups reported adequate data for return to normal function. All eligible articles were rated for methodologic quality using the PEDro scale. The PEDro scale is a checklist that examines the believability (internal validity) and the interpretability of trial quality. The 11-item checklist yields a maximum score of 10 if all criteria are satisfied. The intraclass correlation coefficient and kappa values are similar to those reported for 3 other frequently used quality scales (Chalmers Scale, Jadad Scale, and Maastricht List). Two reviewers graded the articles, a method that has been reported to be more reliable than one evaluator. MAIN RESULTS: Specific search criteria identified 55 articles for review, of which 22 were eligible randomized, controlled clinical trials. The articles' scores on the PEDro scale were low, ranging from 1 to 5, with an average score of 3.4. Five studies provided adequate information on the subjects' baseline data, and only 3 studies concealed allocation during subject recruitment. No studies blinded their therapist's administration of therapy, and just 1 study blinded subjects. Only 1 study included an intention-to-treat analysis. The average number of subjects in the studies was 66.7; however, only 1 group undertook a power analysis. The types of injuries varied widely (eg, acute or surgical). No authors investigated subjects with muscle contusions or strains, and only 5 groups studied subjects with acute ligament sprains. The remaining 17 groups examined patients recovering from operative procedures (anterior cruciate ligament repair, knee arthroscopy, lateral retinacular release, total knee and hip arthroplasties, and carpal tunnel release). Additionally, the mode of cryotherapy varied widely, as did the duration and frequency of cryotherapy application. The time period when cryotherapy was applied after injury ranged from immediately after injury to 1 to 3 days postinjury. Adequate information on the actual surface temperature of the cooling device was not provided in the selected studies. Most authors recorded outcome variables over short periods (1 week), with the longest reporting follow-ups of pain, swelling, and range of motion recorded at 4 weeks postinjury. Data in that study were insufficient to calculate effect size. Nine studies did not provide data of the key outcome measures, so individual study effect estimates could not be calculated. A total of 12 treatment comparisons were made. Ice submersion with simultaneous exercises was significantly more effective than heat and contrast therapy plus simultaneous exercises at reducing swelling. Ice was reported to be no different from ice and low-frequency or high-frequency electric stimulation in effect on swelling, pain, and range of motion. Ice alone seemed to be more effective than applying no form of cryotherapy after minor knee surgery in terms of pain, but no differences were reported for range of motion and girth. Continuous cryotherapy was associated with a significantly greater decrease in pain and wrist circumference after surgery than intermittent cryotherapy. Evidence was marginal that a single simultaneous treatment with ice and compression is no more effective than no cryotherapy after an ankle sprain. The authors reported ice to be no more effective than rehabilitation only with regard to pain, swelling, and range of motion. Ice and compression seemed to be significantly more effective than ice alone in terms of decreasing pain. Additionally, ice, compression, and a placebo injection reduced pain more than a placebo injection alone. Lastly, in 8 studies, there seemed to be little difference in the effectiveness of ice and compression compared with compression alone. Only 2 of the 8 groups reported significant differences in favor of ice and compression. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the available evidence, cryotherapy seems to be effective in decreasing pain. In comparison with other rehabilitation techniques, the efficacy of cryotherapy has been questioned. The exact effect of cryotherapy on more frequently treated acute injuries (eg, muscle strains and contusions) has not been fully elucidated. Additionally, the low methodologic quality of the available evidence is of concern. Many more high-quality studies are required to create evidence-based guidelines on the use of cryotherapy. These must focus on developing modes, durations, and frequencies of ice application that will optimize outcomes after injury.
Although the incidence of soft-tissue injury is high in the young athlete, one must be constantly aware of the tendency toward epiphyseal and apophyseal injuries in individuals with open growth plates. After the diagnosis of a soft-tissue injury (sprain, strain, or contusion) has been made, treatment must include an initial 24- to 48-hour period of RICE. Appropriate splinting may be required. Rehabilitation then proceeds aggressively, with early restoration of strength, flexibility, and joint range of motion. Prior to return to full athletic activity, the athlete should meet the criteria outlined in this article. Protective taping or bracing may be necessary upon return to full activity. The treatment of soft-tissue injuries should start with prophylaxis. All predisposing factors to the development of injury should be sought on preparticipation physical examinations and corrected prior to allowing the young athlete to compete. Using the program described as a guide to treating the injured athlete should result in early return to function with low recurrence rates of injury.
Six cases of major soft-tissue injuries to the mid or base of thumb are presented. In each case, pedicle reconstruction of the soft tissues was necessary in order to preserve thumb length. A variety of techniques was used, including distant tissues and local tissues. We have illustrated the superiority of local pedicles and cross-finger pedicles in thumb reconstruction and have emphasized the following points: 1) Preservation of thumb length is an important goal. 2) Conservation of the soft tissues in the initial management plays a key role in thumb reconstruction. 3) Local pedicles and cross-finger flaps have given better results than distant flaps, as evidenced by: a. better sensory capacity in the pedicle skin; b. more stable skin on the reconstructed thumb; c. less bulkiness of the pedicle skin; d. reconstruction is less time consuming.
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We have retrospectively compiled data on 1000 consecutive adult patients presenting at an accident and emergency department (AED) with a total of 1048 soft tissue injuries and 151 fractures to the craniofacial region, with an emphasis on soft tissue injuries. Facial injuries were common in the AED, forming 7% of all attenders. The main cause of facial fractures was assaults (56%), whereas the largest proportion of soft tissue injuries was caused by falls/ accidents (44%). There was a left sided dominance in soft tissue injuries arising from assaults. However, when subdivided into type of soft tissue injuries, the left sided dominance was significant in contusions only, with virtually equal side distribution in open wounds. Almost half of the 458 open wounds which required treatment were in the upper third of the face. Most lacerations in the upper face can be managed by steristrips or glue but most lacerations in the lower third required suturing. 90% of these injuries were treated by AED personnel. Tertiary referrals were made in only 10% of these cases.
Most primary care physicians will encounter soft tissue injuries in their office. The acute treatment of these injuries using the acronym RICEM is the most important part of treatment so that the athlete may progress to a more functional phase of rehabilitation in older to allow for a rapid recovery and safe return to sport.
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Thirty patients suffering from strains, sprains or direct soft tissue injuries were entered into a double-blind trial comparing mefenamic acid and piroxicam. Mefenamic acid was given at a dosage of 500 mg 3-times daily and piroxicam as a single daily dose of 20 mg, for a maximum of 10 days. Both drugs were effective in treating the symptoms associated with acute soft tissue injuries. There were statistically significant improvements in all parameters monitored (pain, functional capacity, sleep disturbance, local swelling and tenderness) by Day 2, except for local swelling in the mefenamic acid group and sleep disturbance in the piroxicam group. By Day 5 all parameters showed improvement. Almost all (90%) of the patients had recovered from their injury in less than 1 week. Both drugs were well tolerated, only 5 patients reporting adverse events (3 on mefenamic acid and 2 on piroxicam).