Sports traumatology today. A review of common current sports injury problems

Increasing participation and training intensity in sports and physical activity has resulted in an increasing number of injuries as well as recognition of "new" injuries. Improved diagnostic techniques such as MRI, CT scan, scintigraphy and ultrasound have proven to be valuable in the diagnosis of especially soft tissue injuries. Surgery is today generally accepted as the treatment of choice for anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the active population. Arthroscopic reconstruction using the bone-patellar tendon-bone graft is considered to be the "gold standard". Alternative grafts such as semitendinosus and gracilis can also be used. The use of artificial ligaments and allografts is still experimental. Most posterior cruciate ligament injuries are today treated conservatively, and so are ankle ligament injuries. There is still no final solution how to treat articular cartilage lesions although interest is being focussed on cartilage resurfacing. Overuse tendon injuries often become chronic and are then associated with persistent structural alteration. Chronic overuse injuries are characterized by a failure to develop adequate scar tissue restoration. The reason for this delayed healing is still unclear. The treatment of these injuries include, today, early strength and stretching training, but the main concepts are still controversial due to lack of scientific evidence. Our understanding of shoulder injuries in athletes has developed enormously during the last few years. The use of arthroscopy when performing subacromial decompression and surgery of labral tears have allowed more athletes to return early to sports than before. Laboratory studies have increased our understanding of muscle injuries and they show the importance of early mobilization. Prevention will be a major issue for research within the next decade. It is the author's opinion that within the next decade, sports traumatology will take a leading role in orthopaedic and sports medicine research.