PT Inquest

When dealing with a high ankle sprain (syndesmosis injury) Grade I never requires surgery whereas Grade III always requires surgery. But what about Grade II? In this episode we explore predictors of syndesmotic instability when assessing a Grade II sprain and the return to sport prognoses. All this while JW approaches absolute zero!

Sports-related concussions have been getting more and more attention over the past decade. The growing understanding of the potential for developing chronic brain disease is creating a cause for concern. Are sports medicine professionals managing concussions differently today? How well do we understand this process? Has Erik had too many concussions over the years to form a complete sentence?

Here is a link to the NATA Position Statement on Management of Sport Concussion.

It's that time of year again and the PT Podcast Network crew are in the holiday spirit! The gang got together, as best they can scattered across the world, to share a little eggnog and make fun of each other. So pour yourself a drink, sit by the fire (or pool in the Southern Hemisphere), and enjoy a little holiday cheer.

It is well known that quadriceps strength asymmetries are commonly seen in subjects who have difficulty returning to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), but does that asymmetry correlate to a specific presentation on landing mechanics? What do we know about second injury in these subjects? Can we do anything about it? We ask these and many other questions when we chat with lead author from The Ohio State University, Laura Schmitt, PhD, PT!

Also, this is the last podcast of the current 12 episode season before we go on our usual 3 month hiatus. While we're gone, catch up on previous episodes or check out some of the other shows on the network!

There is a belief out there that weak hips may cause patellofemoral pain, but this article found the opposite. How can we make any sense out of all the ambiguity? If only we had a Masters in Biomechanics. Luckily special guest Greg Lehman does! For more info on Greg including his teaching schedule, visit his website!

Orthopedic surgeons have a lot to consider when they are deciding whether or not to recommend surgery for rotator cuff tears, but how do they implement that decision process in practice? What makes a surgeon more or less likely to go towards early surgery vs physical therapy? Will JW take "the Bard-Parker solution"???

There are a maze of treatment options for people with pain, "each backed by enthusiastic and highly motivated advocates, all of whom lay claim to 'evidence'". How do clinicians wade through all the different ideas out there and get a handle on effectiveness? Or is it efficacy? Confused? Even if you're not, listen to this episode with special guest Neil O'Connell!!!

Exercise-based interventions are known to be most effective for patellofemoral pain but how good are they really? Do adolescents with patellofemoral pain respond in a similar manner? What do we know, what don't we know? Can you handle the dueling Barry Whites???

When talking about whether or not to repair someone's rotator cuff, we often consider the Goutallier/Fuchs category which is a grading of the amount of fat infiltration in the muscle. Should we start doing the same when considering repairs of the gluteal tendons, the "rotator cuff of the hip"? Might it predict outcomes better than the size of the tendon tear? Can JW pass on his disease to Erik via the internet???

80 years ago Ernest Codman proposed that calcific tendinopathy was initiated by tendon degeneration. This has never been validated. In recalcitrant cases, would surgical decompression lead to better outcomes than simple debridement of the calcium? Is this another case of "makes sense" turning out to be wrong?