We are one step closer to solving the problem of anterior cruciate ligament injuries among female athletes. Improving neuromuscular control with a specific exercise program three times per week may be the answer.

In this study, women's college soccer teams were divided into exercise versus control groups. The control group did their own warm-up routines, practiced, and played as usual without any special exercise intervention.

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Many older adults return to sports or recreational activities after a hip or knee replacement. Why not after a total shoulder replacement (TSH)? More and more adults age 65 and older are enjoying golf, swimming, tennis, and softball. A painful shoulder that's limited in motion can interfere with these activities.

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More and more older adults are starting to develop scoliosis without a clear reason. Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine. De-novo scoliosis is a term used to describe the start of a new condition that was not there before. This is applied to scoliosis in older adults because most cases of scoliosis occur during childhood and adolescence. Another term used to describe this condition is adult degenerative scoliosis.

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Every now and then it's a good idea to step back and review a problem like lumbar disc herniation. What does the latest research say works best? Are there any changes in the guidelines or recommendations for the treatment of this problem?

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Lumbar disc herniation can cause both low back pain and sciatica (pain down the leg). Pressure on the spinal nerve root and chemicals released by the damaged disc cause this type of aching pain often with numbness and tingling. It's a common disorder resulting in hospitalization, work absenteeism, and disability.

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Physical therapists often help patients feel how much weight they should place on the foot up through the leg after surgery. Limiting weight-bearing is important after some surgical procedures. For optimal healing, tissue must be protected and shouldn't be overloaded. This is very important after autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI).

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When patients report back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, or other local sites of body pain, it's rare that they don't have pain in other parts of the body as well. But most studies focus on an individual (local) area of pain. So the idea that low back pain is really present as part of a widespread pain pattern gets lost.

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Bipartite patella is a congenital condition (present at birth) that occurs when the patella (kneecap) is made of two bones (instead of a single bone). Normally, the two bones would fuse together as the child grows. But in patella bipartite, they remain as two separate bones.

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The last 15 years of research has brought a change in the way patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) are categorized and treated. In a landmark study back in 1994, a well-known physical therapist identified subgroups of low back pain patients. When treated based on their unique characteristics, more of these patients returned to work and reported less disability compared with patients in a standard treatment program.

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The most common cause of back pain in adults 65 and older is spinal stenosis. Stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal or openings for the spinal nerve roots. Changes associated with aging cause the spinal nerves to increase in size while the space around these structures gets smaller.

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