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Orthopaedic research

Everything we have read on orthopaedic. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

2,015 PAPERS · PAGE 24 OF 41 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTRCT2023Improving the Effectiveness of Exercise Therapy for Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial (BEEP Trial).Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAdding more sessions, individual tailoring, or adherence coaching to usual knee osteoarthritis exercise care produced no better pain or function outcomes than usual care. All three groups improved similarly, with about half meeting responder criteria. Usual care remains the effective baseline.
• PTOTSurvey2023The sensitivity and specificity of using the McGill pain subscale for diagnosing neuropathic and non-neuropathic chronic pain in the total joint arthroplasty population.Archives of physiotherapyThe McGill Pain Questionnaire Neuropathic Subscale (NP-MPQ SF-2) showed good accuracy in identifying neuropathic pain in patients with chronic pain after joint replacement. A score of 0.91 or higher was the optimal cutoff, with 89.5% sensitivity and 75.0% specificity.
• PTNarrative Review2023A guide to identify cervical autonomic dysfunctions (and associated conditions) in patients with musculoskeletal disorders in physical therapy practice.Brazilian journal of physical therapyThis masterclass describes how physical therapists can spot cervical autonomic dysfunctions like Horner syndrome during triage. It reports no patients and no outcomes, so it offers no evidence that any assessment or treatment works.
• PTProtocol2023Scoping review protocol of prehabilitation interventions for primary arthroplasty.The South African journal of physiotherapyThis paper outlines the plan for a future scoping review. It defines which databases will be searched and which studies will be included, but it does not present any findings on the effectiveness of prehabilitation interventions.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023Physical Therapist Management of Glenohumeral Joint Osteoarthritis: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American Physical Therapy Association.Physical therapyFor patients after shoulder replacement, starting motion exercises immediately versus waiting four weeks made no difference in long-term function or pain. A neutral-position sling reduced night pain early on, but the choice of specific exercises remains based on clinical judgment due to limited evidence.
• PTOTCohort2023Relationship between toe grip strength and dynamic balance in older adult patients with femoral neck fracture.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 15 older adults recovering from hip fracture, stronger toe grip was linked to better balance scores and a larger forward-backward sway range. There was no difference in toe strength between the operated and non-operated legs.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2023The treatment and rationale for the correction of a cervical kyphosis spinal deformity in a cervical asymptomatic young female: a Chiropractic BioPhysics® case report with follow-up.Journal of physical therapy scienceA single asymptomatic patient received chiropractic traction and exercises for 59 weeks. Imaging showed a 40-degree correction of cervical kyphosis, but the curve partially relapsed after 3.5 years of minimal follow-up care. This describes one person's radiographic change, not proof that treatment prevents future symptoms.
• PTOTCohort2023Association of clinical symptoms and metabolic syndrome-related factors in patients undergoing high tibial osteotomy.Journal of physical therapy sciencePatients with obesity, diabetes, hypertension or dyslipidemia had poorer knee scores and worse walking after high tibial osteotomy. These metabolic factors, not just alignment or strength, predict a tougher recovery. Screen for them before surgery.
• PTCohort2023Do Physical Therapists Practice a Behavioral Medicine Approach? A Comparison of Perceived and Observed Practice Behaviors.Physical therapyPhysical therapists in this study reported using behavioral medicine techniques far more often than independent experts observed in their actual patient consultations. A complete biopsychosocial analysis was never performed in the 139 recorded visits.
• PTNarrative Review2023Combining Neurocognitive and Functional Tests to Improve Return-to-Sport Decisions Following ACL Reconstruction.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyThere are no study results to act on. The paper proposes adding cognitive challenges to functional return-to-sport tests after ACL reconstruction, but reports no patients, methods, or outcomes.
• PTQualitative2023Blended Care in Patients With Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis in Physical Therapy: Delphi Study on Needs and Preconditions.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPatients and physical therapists wanted blended osteoarthritis care to keep in-person first and last sessions, with digital parts for exercises, education, reminders, and tailored support. They did not want digital care to replace trust or hands-on therapy.
• PTOTQualitative2023Systems modelling as an approach for eliciting the mechanisms for hip fracture recovery among older adults in a participatory stakeholder engagement setting.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesStakeholders identified fragmented information and overprotective caregivers as key barriers to hip fracture recovery. They proposed coordinated communication, patient education on subsidies, and group therapy to build resilience and improve rehabilitation uptake.
• PTCohort2023Comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation for elite athletes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Journal of physical therapy scienceElite athletes receiving comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction reported high rates of returning to pre-injury activity levels, regardless of graft type. However, outcomes were subjective, and the study cannot determine which component of the combined physical, psychological, and nutritional support was responsible.
• PTSurvey2023Rehabilitation following shoulder arthroplasty: a survey of current clinical practice patterns of Italian physiotherapists.Archives of physiotherapyMost Italian physiotherapists surveyed used manual therapy and progressive exercise, and valued patient education, but many did not use patient-reported outcomes and timing of mobilization, strengthening, and return to sport varied widely.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Association between clinical symptoms and lateral thrust 12 months after high tibial osteotomy.Journal of physical therapy sciencePatients with a lateral thrust of 3.1 degrees or more had worse knee function scores 12 months after surgery. To avoid this abnormal knee motion, the hip-knee-ankle angle should be corrected to at least 1.9 degrees of valgus.
• PTOTOther2023Dysfunctional neuro-muscular mechanisms explain gradual gait changes in prodromal spastic paraplegia.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationComputer simulations show that increased muscle reflex sensitivity, not muscle weakness, reproduces the subtle gait changes seen in early spastic paraplegia. This suggests early treatment should target hyperreflexia to prevent gait deterioration.
• PTOther2023Managing Musculoskeletal Pain in Older Adults Through a Digital Care Solution: Secondary Analysis of a Prospective Clinical Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesOlder adults using a digital musculoskeletal pain program started it more often, completed more sessions, and had pain reduction similar to younger adults. They also reported high satisfaction, but there was no control group.
• PTOther2023Reliability and validity of two-dimensional motion capture to assess ankle dorsiflexion motion and heel raise work.Physical therapy in sport : official journal of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports MedicineTwo-dimensional video analysis reliably measures ankle dorsiflexion and heel raise work in patients with Achilles tendinopathy. While 2D methods consistently overestimate values compared to 3D motion capture, the error is small and predictable. This supports using remote video assessments for clinical monitoring.
• PTCase-Control2022Children Who Experience Unintentional Injuries: Their Functional Profiles.Occupational therapy internationalParents of children with recent unintentional injuries rated them as having lower executive function skills, less responsibility, and more risk-taking behavior than uninjured peers. Most injured children had undiagnosed or diagnosed learning disabilities or ADHD. This group played more outside the home.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Measuring the determinants of implementation behavior in multiprofessional rehabilitation.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineExperts agreed a 21-item questionnaire captures key barriers and facilitators for implementing rehabilitation interventions in multiprofessional teams. It focuses on knowledge, skills, and organizational support, omitting system-level factors. Use it to assess readiness before launching new team-based protocols.
• PTOther2023Three-dimensional volume and shape of the infrapatellar fat pad during quasi-static knee extension from 30° to 0°: comparisons of patients with osteoarthritic knees and young, healthy individuals.Journal of physical therapy sciencePatients with knee osteoarthritis showed significantly less movement of the infrapatellar fat pad during knee extension compared to healthy young adults. The fat pad moved only 1.7 mm in the osteoarthritis group versus 5.8 mm in controls, suggesting reduced tissue mobility.
• PTCohort2023Altered Knee Loading Following Primary ACL Repair versus ACL Reconstruction.International journal of sports physical therapyAt three months after surgery, people who had primary ACL repair showed greater loading symmetry during a single-leg squat and greater quadriceps strength symmetry than those who had bone-tendon-bone reconstruction. Age differed, so this is not proof repair is better.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023Use of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Lower Extremity Research.International journal of sports physical therapyMost lower extremity research uses questionnaires that were not recommended by systematic reviews. Only two of fifteen conditions matched. Check if your tool has strong evidence before trusting the scores.
• PTNarrative Review2023Cracking the code: unveiling the specific and shared mechanisms behind musculoskeletal interventions.Archives of physiotherapyThis paper argues that understanding how treatments work is more important than just knowing if they work. It suggests that similar outcomes from different therapies may be driven by shared mechanisms like the therapeutic relationship, rather than the specific technique used.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023Is it Time to Normalize Scapular Dyskinesis? The Incidence of Scapular Dyskinesis in Those With and Without Symptoms: a Systematic Review of the Literature.International journal of sports physical therapyScapular dyskinesis appears in 60% of people with shoulder symptoms and 48% of those without. Because nearly half of asymptomatic individuals show this movement pattern, it is likely normal variation rather than a pathology that requires correction.
• PTOTOther2023Spatiotemporal parameters from remote smartphone-based gait analysis are associated with lower extremity functional scale categories.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesSmartphone-recorded gait speed, cadence, and stride length closely tracked self-reported lower limb function in people recovering from hip or knee replacement. Asymmetry measures did not track function well. The app data supports monitoring recovery outside the clinic.
• PTOther2023Evaluation of the Back-in-Action test Battery In Uninjured High School American Football Players.International journal of sports physical therapyUninjured high school football players performed worse on balance and agility tests than untrained peers, despite having higher power output. Most failed to meet the strict limb symmetry standards required for return-to-sport clearance, suggesting current benchmarks may be unrealistic for this population.
• PTSurvey2023Implementation of 2D Running Gait Analysis in Orthopedic Physical Therapy Clinics.International journal of sports physical therapyMost therapists found the free smartphone running analysis easy and useful for patient education, but half stopped using it within six months because caseload and clinic setup got in the way.
• PTOTPilot2023Adherence to a Web-based Exercise Programme: A Feasibility Study Among Patients with Hip or Knee Osteoarthritis.Journal of rehabilitation medicineHalf of the 29 patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis adhered to a 12-week web-based exercise programme during the pandemic. Sickness, not joint pain, was the most common barrier. Those who did not adhere were less active and fit at baseline.
• PTCohort2023In-hospital grouping rehabilitation of hybrid closed-wedge high tibial osteotomy results in shorter hospital stays and better clinical outcomes.Journal of physical therapy scienceHospital stay and time to cane walking were shorter when group exercise was added to early loading and physiotherapy than with non-weight bearing or ERAS alone, but complication rates were similar. This was observational, so it cannot prove the exercise caused the change.
• PTOTOther2023Validity, Reliability, and Efficiency of a Standard Goniometer, Medical Inclinometer, and Builder's Inclinometer.International journal of sports physical therapyDigital inclinometers measured shoulder and forearm range of motion faster and more reliably than a standard goniometer in healthy adults. A cheap builder's inclinometer performed similarly to a medical one, but clinicians must stick to one device type for tracking change.
• PTOTOther2023Evaluating Psychometric Properties of the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form in a Heterogeneous Sample of Post-Operative Patients.International journal of sports physical therapyTwo short versions of the knee function questionnaire (6 and 8 items) track patient recovery as reliably as the original 18-item form. They save time and work consistently across age and sex groups, allowing clinicians to measure true change after surgery.
• PTOther2023Acromiohumeral distance changes with posture in healthy adults and patients while wearing a shoulder abduction brace.Journal of physical therapy scienceWhile wearing a shoulder abduction brace, the space between the acromion and humeral head was smaller lying down than sitting in healthy adults and postoperative patients. The authors recommend supporting the elbow when lying down.
• PTOther2023Novice Inter-Rater Reliability on the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) After a 4-Hour Training Session.International journal of sports physical therapyAfter just four hours of training, physical therapy students scored the same patients very differently on the SFMA checklist, and both missed more movement problems than an expert. A single short course does not make a clinician reliable at this screen.
• PTPilot2023Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Biomechanical Factors During 90° Change of Direction are Associated to Non-Contact ACL injury in Female Soccer Players.International journal of sports physical therapyFour of sixteen players injured their ACL. Those players had stiffer cuts, dropping hips and leaning trunks. A simple video score caught these differences, with injured players never scoring above 7 out of 10.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2023Shoulder ultrasound imaging in the post-stroke population: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of rehabilitation medicineUltrasound scans of hemiplegic shoulders in post-stroke patients frequently show damage to the biceps tendon (41.4%) and supraspinatus tendon (33.2%). These structural issues are significantly more common on the affected side than the unaffected side, but motor function severity did not predict the presence of these lesions.
• PTNarrative Review2023Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: An Essential Tool in Diagnosing Patellar Tendon Injuries.International journal of sports physical therapyNo patient or outcome data are reported. The paper describes ultrasound for patellar tendon injuries but offers no evidence to change practice.
• PTCohort2023Patient-reported Outcomes and Muscle Strength after a Physiotherapy-led Exercise and Support Brace Intervention in Patients with Acute Injury of the Posterior Cruciate Ligament: A Two-year Follow-up Study.International journal of sports physical therapyPatients with acute posterior cruciate ligament injuries who received supervised exercise and a support brace reported substantial improvements in knee function and pain at two years. Only seven of the fifty patients eventually required surgery. Because there was no control group, these gains cannot be separated from natural healing.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023No Effect of Return to Sport Test Batteries with and without Psychological PROs on the Risk of a Second ACL Injury: A Critical Assessment of Four Different Test Batteries.International journal of sports physical therapyPassing return-to-sport tests, whether physical only or including psychological scores, did not predict a second ACL injury in 419 patients. Test results alone cannot determine readiness; clinicians must consider other risk factors like age and sex.
• PTOTOther2023Reliability Analysis of In-person and Virtual Goniometric Measurements of the Upper Extremity.International journal of sports physical therapyGoniometric measurements taken from static screenshots during a virtual visit are as reliable as in-person assessments. For shoulder, elbow and wrist flexion and extension, clinicians can use a standard goniometer on a captured image to obtain objective range of motion data.
• PTOTCase-Control2023Functional capacity of individuals with brachial plexus injury.Work (Reading, Mass.)Individuals with brachial plexus injury had lower two-handed functional capacity than healthy controls but similar one-handed capacity on their unaffected side. They exerted the same heart rate and perceived effort, meaning they are not working less hard, just with less capacity.
• PTOTCohort2023Normative Values of Isometric Shoulder Strength Among Healthy Adults.International journal of sports physical therapyHealthy adults aged 20-59 show symmetrical shoulder strength between arms for most movements. Men were stronger than women in all tests. Higher activity levels were associated with greater strength. These norms help therapists benchmark recovery and return-to-sport readiness using the uninvolved arm as a valid reference.
• PTPilot2023Concurrent Force Feedback on Load Symmetry in Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients.International journal of sports physical therapyOne session of force feedback improved load symmetry on the surgical leg immediately, but the benefit vanished after a week. Clinicians should expect short-term gains only and anticipate needing repeated, faded feedback to sustain any change in movement patterns.
• PTOther2022Chronic knee osteoarthritis: Relationships of body mass index and selected psychosocial factors among Nigerians.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoAmong Nigerians with chronic knee osteoarthritis, higher BMI was linked to more pain catastrophizing and lower confidence in managing arthritis, but not to fear of movement. These are links measured at one time, not proof that weight loss changes these factors.
• PTOTRCT2022Use of mobile app to enhance functional outcomes and adherence of home-based rehabilitation program for elderly with hip fracture: A randomized controlled trial.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoA mobile app improved exercise adherence in the first month, but did not lead to better walking, mobility, or function than paper handouts at two months. The study was underpowered due to dropouts, so the lack of functional difference is uncertain.
• PTRCT2023Gross myofascial release of trunk with leg pull technique on low back pain with radiculopathy - A randomised controlled trial.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoAdding 15 minutes of gross myofascial release to standard physical therapy improved short-term pain, disability, and patient satisfaction in people with low back pain and radiculopathy, compared to standard therapy alone.
• PTCase Report2023Isokinetic Training Program to Improve the Physical Function and Muscular Performance of an Individual with Partial Injury of the Medial Meniscus: A Case Report.International journal of sports physical therapyOne man with a medial meniscus tear improved knee extensor and flexor strength after 11 weeks of isokinetic and proprioceptive training. His functional scores remained high throughout, and the single case cannot prove the treatment works for others.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Muscle contraction exercise for low back pain.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoBoth isometric and isotonic core exercises, given alongside TENS and infrared heat, significantly reduced pain and disability in adults with non-specific low back pain. The two exercise types were equally effective, so choice can depend on patient preference or tolerance.
• PTRCT2023Can language enhance physical therapists' willingness to follow Choosing Wisely recommendations? A best-worst scaling study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyPhysical therapists said they were more willing to follow Choosing Wisely recommendations that explained why and who they were for, gave a positive action to do instead, and avoided negative "don't" framing. Wording that said "avoid" or "don't routinely" made no difference.
• PTOther2023Test-retest reliability of movement-evoked pain and sensitivity to movement-evoked pain in patients with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain.Brazilian journal of physical therapyA score meant to capture increasing pain across lifts was not stable in 74 people with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain. Pain and range of motion during repeated shoulder lifts were stable enough to use.