The Low Down on the McKenzie Method for Low Back Pain

Effectiveness of the McKenzie Method Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy for Treating Low Back Pain: Literature Review with Meta-analysis

Lam OT, Strenger DM, Chan-Fee M, Pham PT, Preuss RA, Robbins SM. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2018 Mar 30:1-53. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2018.7562. [Epub ahead of print]
Text Freely Available

Take Home Message: The McKenzie Method may be superior to other rehabilitative interventions for reducing pain and disability among people with chronic low back pain; however, it may not be the superior option for those with acute low back pain.

The McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) is a classification-based treatment model for patients with low back pain (LBP). While this method has good inter-examiner reliability for classifying LBP subgroups, the effectiveness of this treatment model lacks sufficient evidence to claim superiority over traditional rehabilitative interventions for reducing pain and disability in this population. Hence, the authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the efficacy of the McKenzie Method compared to various interventions at producing clinically meaningful modifications to pain and disability in patients with acute or chronic LBP.

Multiple Concussions may Lead to Multiple Problems

Association between history of multiple concussion and health outcomes among former college football players: A 15-year follow-up from the NCAA concussion study (1999-2001)

Kerr Z, Thomas LC, Simon JE, McCrea M, and Guskiewicz KM. Am J Sports Med 2018. [Epub Ahead of Print].

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0363546518765121

Take Home Message: Former collegiate football players reporting ≥ 3 concussions were more likely to have worse physical and mental health than individuals reporting fewer concussions.

While many people raise concerns about the long-term consequences of concussions, we know little about the long-term effects of concussions among college football players. Understanding the impact of concussions on long-term health will help clinicians educate patients and develop return-to-play protocols, which can better protect athletes’ long-term health. Therefore, Kerr and colleagues completed a cross-sectional study to examine the relationship between concussions and adverse health outcomes in 204 former NCAA football athletes, 15 years after playing their final collegiate game.

A Delay Today with Removal for Play may lead to a Delay in Return to Play

Immediate Removal From Activity After Sport-Related Concussion Is Associated With Shorter Clinical Recovery and Less Severe Symptoms in Collegiate Student-Athletes

Asken BM, Bauer RM, Guskiewicz KM, McCrea MA, Schmidt JD, Giza CC, Snyder AR, Houck ZM, Kontos AP, McAllister TW, MD, Broglio SP, Clugston JR, The CARE Consortium Investigators, Anderson S, Bazarian J, Brooks A, Buckley T, EdD, Chrisman S, Collins M, DiFiori J, Duma S, Dykhuizen B, Eckner JT, Feigenbaum L, Hoy A, Kelly L, Langford T.D, Lintner L,  McGinty G, Mihalik J, Miles C,Ortega J, Port N, Putukian M, Rowson S. Am J Sport Med. 2018. [Epub Ahead of Print].

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29558195

Take Home Message: An athlete immediately removed from activity after a concussion was more likely to have a faster recovery in symptoms and return to play than someone who had a delay in removal from play.

Athletes who delay reporting a concussion often have longer recovery periods. However, many of these studies were limited by a having too few people or relying on retrospective data. Therefore, the authors prospectively examined the relationship between timing of removal from athletic activity and sport time lost due to sports-related concussion and performance on acute clinical measures in 506 collegiate athletes.

Female Athlete Issues for the Team Physician: A Consensus Statement-2017 Update

Female Athlete Issues for the Team Physician: A Consensus Statement-2017 Update.

[No authors listed] Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018 May;50(5):1113-1122. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001603.

Full Text in Not Freely Available

An update has been released to the consensus statement on female athlete issues. The goal of the document was to offer “an updated overview of select musculoskeletal and medical issues that are important to team physicians who are responsible for the medical care of female athletes.” The statement was developed by 6 organizations: American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine. The document covers ACL injuries, patellofemoral pain, shoulder injury, bone stress injuries, concussion, low bone mass and osteoporosis, energy availability and disordered eating/eating disorders, menstrual dysfunction, female athlete triad, and pregnancy and contraception.

View 157 other recent position statements, consensus statements, guidelines, and recommendations related to sports medicine.

An update to the AIS-AMA position statement on concussion in sport

An update to the AIS-AMA position statement on concussion in sport

Elkington LJ, Manzanero S, Hughes DC. Med J Aust. 2018 Apr 2;208(6):246-248.

Full Text is Not Freely Available

This is an update of the Australian Institute of Sport and Australian Medical Association position statement on concussion in sport, which was accompanied by a dedicated online platform (https://www.concussioninsport.gov.au). This goal of this update was “to incorporate several aspects of concussion detection tools and management guidelines arising from the Berlin consensus. We also incorporated our own analysis of the evidence…”

View 156 other recent position statements, consensus statements, guidelines, and recommendations related to sports medicine.

Injury Prevention Programs Collide with Rugby…& Are Effective!

Efficacy of a movement control injury prevention programme in adult men’s community rugby union: a cluster randomized controlled trial

Attwood MJ, Roberts SP, Trewartha G, England ME, & Stokes KA. Br J Sports Med. 2018; 52: 368-374.  

http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/6/368

Take Home Message: A 42-week progressive injury prevention program reduced the incidence and burden of head, neck, and concussion injuries among rugby teams. 

Sports Med Res has many posts reporting the efficacy of injury prevention programs (see sample below); however, we know little about the efficacy of injury prevention programs within collision sports, such as rugby.  The authors of this randomized trial investigated the effects of a 42-week exercise program among adult men’s rugby clubs on injuries during a match.

National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Evaluation, Management, and Outcomes of and Return-to-Play Criteria for Overhead Athletes With Superior Labral Anterior-Posterior Injuries

National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Evaluation, Management, and Outcomes of and Return-to- Play Criteria for Overhead Athletes With Superior Labral Anterior-Posterior Injuries.

Michener LA, Abrams JS, Bliven KCH, Falsone S, Laudner KG, McFarland EG, Tibone JE, Thigpen CA, Uhl TL. J Athl Train. 2018 Mar;53(3):209-229. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-59-16.

Full Text is Freely Available

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association published a position statement on the evaluation/diagnosis (recommendations 1-12), management (recommendations 13-17), and outcomes of and return-to-play criteria (recommendations 18-26) for overhead athletes with superior labral anterior-posterior injuries. The document includes a comprehensive review and a summary table of the diagnostic statistics of several diagnostic tests.

View 155 other recent position statements, consensus statements, guidelines, and recommendations related to sports medicine.