Better lower extremity function score for surgical treatment; improved return to pre-injury activity
MONDAY, July 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with acute proximal hamstring ruptures, surgical repair is associated with better lower extremity function, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, held from July 9 to 12 in Orlando, Fla.
Joshua Olsen, M.D., from the New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, and colleagues compared the clinical results of non-operative and operative treatment of acute proximal hamstring ruptures in a retrospective case-control study. At the time of initial evaluation, patients were given the option of a proximal hamstring repair. Twenty-five patients were enrolled, of whom 14 were treated surgically and 11 were treated non-operatively.
The researchers found that the lower extremity function score was 74.71 ± 5.38 for the surgical group and 68.5 ± 7.92 for the nonsurgical group (P = 0.04). In the surgical and nonsurgical groups, the average single leg hop of the injured extremity was 119.1 ± 27.68 cm and 56.1 ± 31.2 cm, respectively (P = 0.0001); the average single leg hop in the injured leg was shorter in both groups compared with the uninjured leg. All patients in the operative group were able to return to pre-injury activities; three in the non-operative group were unable to do so (P = 0.03).
“While the study size does have limitations, the significant benefit for those treated surgically cannot be ignored,” Olsen said in a statement. “This information can help us in making future treatment recommendations to patients experiencing similar hamstring injuries.”
Copyright © 2015 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
