Myositis ossificans traumatica (circumscripta) and return to sport: A retrospective series of 19 cases

Myositis ossificans is a worrisome complication of muscle lesions in sports medicine. Our goal is to specify clinical, paraclinical and therapeutic elements to guide a myositis ossificans traumatica patient back into sport.

All patients having consulted between January 2006 and December 2012 presenting myositis ossificans with a recent muscle injury from playing sports were included. We excluded patients with myositis ossificans without an identified trauma, or from an old injury (>6 months). Ultrasound images were captured on a Philips(®) Sparq ultrasound machine with a linear probe (4-12MHz). The diagnosis of myositis ossificans was performed on 2 ultrasound criteria in context of recent muscle trauma: presence of ossification or calcification within a muscle on axial and longitudinal sections using B-mode and hyperactivity in power Doppler mode around the ossification/calcification. Clinical signs and treatment were collected systematically at inclusion, 6 months and 1 year.

Among the 22 myositis ossificans cases diagnosed between January 2006 and December 2012, 19 were of traumatic origin, on a recent muscle lesion and were included in the study. Our patients resumed light physical activities 3 months after diagnosis for 89.5% of them (100% at 10 months) and returned to their earlier level 6 months after myositis ossificans diagnosis for also 89.5% of them (all patients having resumed sport at their earlier levels 12 months after diagnosis).

Therapeutic abstention and persistence of ossification do not seem to be detrimental factors for resuming a sport at the earlier level with ultrasound monitoring.