Good Morning.

In this edition of The Pulse, we cover the latest on acute ankle sprain management, AI, knee osteoarthritis injections, electrical stimulation therapies and more!

In today's edition:

🏥 Physical therapy vs conventional treatments for acute ankle sprains

📰 AI in orthopaedics

🎙️ Treatments for severe hip osteoarthritis

Acute ankle sprains are among the most common musculoskeletal injuries observed in the orthopaedic clinic. For anyone with an injury of this nature, physical therapy is a core part of the rehabilitation process. But just how important it is has not been well established in this population: this systematic review aimed to comparing physical therapy interventions to more conventional approaches of management (i.e., RICE protocol, immobilization, etc).

10 randomized trials with 565 patients with grade I/II acute ankle sprains were included in this meta-analysis comparing physical therapy interventions and conventional management strategies. Outcomes of interest included pain and range of motion.

• Physical therapy was associated with significantly lower pain scores post-treatment compared to the conventional group (p=0.04). This was also the case for pain scores at rest (p=0.04), but not during exercise (p=0.15).

• There were no differences in range of motion between the two groups (p=0.88). 

Bottom line. Physical therapy may offer superior pain relief compared to conventional treatment for acute ankle sprains. More RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.

Read the full ACE Report on this study here.

One of the most exciting prospects for generative AI in medtech is its role in advancing personalized medtech. Traditional medical treatments often follow a one-size-fits-all approach, but individuals respond differently to interventions due to genetic variations and other factors. Generative AI can analyze vast datasets to tailor medical interventions to an individual’s unique characteristics.

By leveraging generative models, medical devices can provide personalized treatment recommendations, taking into account a patient’s genetic predispositions, lifestyle, and response to previous therapies. This swing toward personalized medicine has the potential to optimize treatment efficacy, minimize adverse effects, and improve patient satisfaction.

Read the full article here.

By Maria Shepherd | Sourced from OrthoFeed

In this episode of OrthoJoe, we sat down with Dr Thomas Frydendal, a physiotherapist and researcher from Denmark who recently published a large randomized trial in the New England Journal of Medicine comparing total hip replacement and resistance training for patients over the age of 50 with severe hip osteoarthritis. 

They discuss the results and challenges associated with this trial, which was part of his PhD, and his next planned trial in milder cases of osteoarthritis.

Watch the full podcast here.

Effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on pain and function in adults with knee pain – Does neuromuscular electrical stimulation combined with exercise versus exercise alone improve pain, knee function, and quadriceps muscle strength during short and long-term follow-ups for adults with patellofemoral pain? (Read)

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Efficacy of a single intra-articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells for knee osteoarthritis – In adults with knee osteoarthritis, does a single intra-articular mesenchymal stem cell injection compared with saline, hyaluronic acid, or placebo, improve WOMAC outcomes at 12 month? (Read)

Potential of polynucleotide injections for knee osteoarthritis – In adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, does intra-articular polynucleotide injection result in greater improvement in pain and functional outcomes when compared with hyaluronic acid injections over short to mid-term follow-up? (Read)

Thanks for reading!

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