Hiroki Funasaki

Arthroscopic Excision of Bone Fragments in a Neglected Fracture of the Lateral Process of the Talus in a Junior Soccer Player

Fractures of the lateral process of the talus are uncommon and often overlooked. Typically, they are found in adult snowboarders. We report the case of an 11-year-old male soccer player who complained of lateral ankle pain after an inversion injury 6 months earlier. He did not respond to conservative treatment and thus underwent arthroscopic excision of fragments of the talar lateral process. The ankle was approached through standard medial and anterolateral portals. A 2.7-mm-diameter 30° arthroscope was used. Soft tissues around the talus were cleared with a motorized shaver, and the lateral aspect of the talar process was then visualized. The lateral process presented as an osseous overgrowth, and a loose body was impinged between the talus and the calcaneus. The osseous overgrowth was resected piece by piece with a punch, and the loose body was removed en block. The patient returned to soccer 5 weeks after the operation. This case exemplifies 2 important points: (1) This type of fracture can develop even in children and not only in snowboarders. (2) Arthroscopic excision of talar lateral process fragments can be accomplished easily, and return to sports can be achieved in a relatively short time.

Arthroscopic Reduction and Internal Fixation for Fracture of the Lateral Process of the Talus

Fractures of the lateral process of the talus (LPT) are relatively rare. We describe arthroscopic reduction and internal fixation for a type I fracture of the LPT according to the Hawkins classification. Preoperative computed tomography is necessary to evaluate the type and displacement of the LPT fracture because this type of fracture is often overlooked on a plain radiograph. The ankle is approached through a standard medial portal as the working portal and an anterolateral portal as the viewing portal. A 2.7-mm-diameter 30° arthroscope is used. Hematoma and soft tissues around the talus are cleared with a motorized shaver, and the anterior and lateral aspects of the talar process are visualized. Fracture reduction is obtained by pushing the lateral fragment of the lateral process medially and is fixed temporally with a 1.1-mm guidewire from the medial portal under both arthroscopy and fluoroscopy. A headless compression screw is inserted through the guidewire. Arthroscopic reduction and internal fixation for a type I LPT fracture can be easily accomplished, and return to daily and sports activities can be achieved in a relatively short time.

Incomplete joint side tear of the subscapularis tendon with a small fragment in an adolescent tennis player: a case report

CaseIn this case report, we presented the case of an adolescent tennis player with avulsion injury of the subscapularis tendon of the right shoulder.PatientsA 17-year-old right-hand-dominant male tennis player visited our hospital complaining of pain in the anterior aspect of the right shoulder. We performed X-ray and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for the diagnosis.ResultsPlain radiographs did not reveal the presence of lesion; however, 3D-CT and MRI scans showed a small bony fragment located between the humeral head and the glenoid of the scapula and a high-intensity area of the subscapularis tendon. He was subsequently diagnosed with incomplete joint side tear of the subscapularis tendon with a small bony fragment. Subsequently, we performed arthroscopic excision of the bony fragment and repair of the subscapularis tendon.ConclusionsThis case highlighted the presence of an injury with minor trauma associated with repeated tennis strokes in a skeletally immature patient.

Arthroscopic Release of Flexor Hallucis Longus Tendon Sheath in Female Ballet Dancers: Dynamic Pathology, Surgical Technique, and Return to Dancing Performance.

Stenosing tenosynovitis of the flexor hallucis longus (FHL) tendon is known as a major overuse lesion in female dancers. We describe arthroscopic surgical techniques in relation to the dynamic pathology of the disease. Crepitus and pain on moving the great toe with the ankle in plantar flexion on preoperative examination confirm the diagnosis of FHL stenosing tenosynovitis even if the os trigonum is not evident. The ankle is approached through standard posterolateral and posteromedial portals. A 4.0-mm-diameter 30° arthroscope is used. Soft tissues around the talus are cleared with a motorized shaver and a radiofrequency device. The posterior aspects of the talus, os trigonum, and FHL tendon surrounded by the tendon sheath are visualized. The dynamic pathology of the FHL tendon is well observed on passive motion of the great toe. The prominent bone fragment of the talus is removed and the tendon sheath is cut with a retrograde knife and a motorized shaver from the superior border down to the entrance of the fibro-osseous tunnel. Arthroscopic release of the FHL tendon sheath is a useful and easy method to directly approach the dynamic pathology of FHL tenosynovitis in female ballet dancers.

Risk assessment of the onset of Osgood–Schlatter disease using kinetic analysis of various motions in sports

Background Some studies have listed motions that may cause Osgood-Schlatter disease, but none have quantitatively assessed the load on the tibial tubercle by such motions. Purposes To quantitatively identify the load on the tibial tubercle through a biomechanical approach using various motions that may cause Osgood-Schlatter disease, and to compare the load between different motions. Methods Eight healthy male subjects were included. They conducted 4 types of kicks with a soccer ball, 2 types of runs, 2 types of squats, 2 types of jump landings, 2 types of stops, 1 type of turn, and 1 type of cutting motion. The angular impulse was calculated for knee extension moments ≥1.0 Nm/kg, ≥1.5 Nm/kg, ≥2.0 Nm/kg, and ≥2.5 Nm/kg. After analysis of variance, the post-hoc test was used to perform pairwise comparisons between all groups. Results/Conclusions The motion with the highest mean angular impulse of knee extension moment ≥1.0 Nm/kg was the single-leg landing after a jump, and that with the second highest mean was the cutting motion. At ≥1.5 Nm/kg, ≥2.0 Nm/kg, and ≥2.5 Nm/kg, the cutting motion was the highest, followed by the jump with a single-leg landing. They have a large load, and are associated with a higher risk of developing Osgood-Schlatter disease. The mean angular impulse of the 2 types of runs was small at all the indicators. Clinical relevance Motions with a high risk of developing Osgood-Schlatter disease and low-risk motions can be assessed in further detail if future studies can quantify the load and number of repetitions that may cause Osgood-Schlatter disease while considering age and the development stage. Scheduled training regimens that balance load on the tibial tubercle with low-load motions after a training day of many load-intensive motions may prevent athletes from developing Osgood-Schlatter disease and increase their participation in sports.