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Rotator cuff tears represent a large burden of muscle-tendon injuries in our aging population. While small tears can be repaired surgically with good outcomes, critical size tears are marked by muscle atrophy, fibrosis, and fatty infiltration, which can lead to failed repair, frequent re-injury, and chronic disability. Previous animal studies have indicated that Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) signaling may play an important role in the development of these muscle pathologies after injury. Here, we demonstrated that inhibition of TGF-β1 signaling with the small molecule inhibitor SB431542 in a mouse model of massive rotator cuff tear results in decreased fibrosis, fatty infiltration, and muscle weight loss. These observed phenotypic changes were accompanied by decreased fibrotic, adipogenic, and atrophy-related gene expression in the injured muscle of mice treated with SB431542. We further demonstrated that treatment with SB431542 reduces the number of fibro/adipogenic progenitor (FAP) cells-an important cellular origin of rotator cuff muscle fibrosis and fatty infiltration, in injured muscle by promoting apoptosis of FAPs. Together, these data indicate that the TGF-β pathway is a critical regulator of the degenerative muscle changes seen after massive rotator cuff tears. TGF-β promotes rotator cuff muscle fibrosis and fatty infiltration by preventing FAP apoptosis. TGF-β regulated FAP apoptosis may serve as an important target pathway in the future development of novel therapeutics to improve muscle outcomes following rotator cuff tear.

Rotator cuff tears are the most common upper extremity condition seen by primary care and orthopaedic surgeons, with a spectrum ranging from tendinopathy to full-thickness tears with arthritic change. Some tears are traumatic, but most rotator cuff problems are degenerative. Not all tears are symptomatic and not all progress, and many patients in whom tears become more extensive do not experience symptom worsening. Hence, a standard algorithm for managing patients is challenging. The pathophysiology of rotator cuff tears is complex and encompasses an interplay between the tendon, bone and muscle. Rotator cuff tears begin as degenerative changes within the tendon, with matrix disorganization and inflammatory changes. Subsequently, tears progress to partial-thickness and then full-thickness tears. Muscle quality, as evidenced by the overall size of the muscle and intramuscular fatty infiltration, also influences symptoms, tear progression and the outcomes of surgery. Treatment depends primarily on symptoms, with non-operative management sufficient for most patients with rotator cuff problems. Modern arthroscopic repair techniques have improved recovery, but outcomes are still limited by a lack of understanding of how to improve tendon to bone healing in many patients. Rotator cuff tears occur due to trauma or, most commonly, due to degenerative changes to tendon structure. This Primer summarizes the epidemiology and pathophysiology of this condition, discusses its diagnosis and management, and highlights patients’ quality of life and future research questions.

Purpose of Review The physical health impacts of microplastics have received increasing attention in recent years. However, limited data impedes a full understanding of the internal exposure to microplastics, especially concerning the musculoskeletal system. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent literature regarding the effects of microplastics on the musculoskeletal system. Recent Findings Microplastics have been shown to cause abnormal endochondral ossification and disrupt the normal function of pre-osteoblasts, osteocyte-like cells, and pre-osteoclasts through gene mutations, endoplasmic reticulum stress induction, and reduced autophagosome formation in bone growth areas. Although there are few reports on their effects on muscle, it has been noted that microplastics inhibit energy and lipid metabolism, decrease type I muscle fiber density, impair muscle angiogenesis, cause muscle atrophy, and increase lipid deposition. Summary Only a few recent studies have shown that microplastics interfere with the normal function of bone growth-related cells and reduce muscle mass and quality. This review underscores the need for further research into other parts of the musculoskeletal system and studies using human tissues at the disease level.

Background: Early sport specialization is not a requirement for success at the highest levels of competition and is believed to be unhealthy physically and mentally for young athletes. It also discourages unstructured free play, which has many benefits. Purpose: To review the available evidence on early sports specialization and identify areas where scientific data are lacking. Study Design: Think tank, roundtable discussion. Results: The primary outcome of this think tank was that there is no evidence that young children will benefit from early sport specialization in the majority of sports. They are subject to overuse injury and burnout from concentrated activity. Early multisport participation will not deter young athletes from long-term competitive athletic success. Conclusion: Youth advocates, parents, clinicians, and coaches need to work together with the sport governing bodies to ensure healthy environments for play and competition that do not create long-term health issues yet support athletic competition at the highest level desired.

Tears within the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder, known as the rotator cuff (RC), are the most common cause of shoulder pain—often presenting in older patients and requiring expensive advanced imaging for diagnosis. Despite the high prevalence of RC tears within the elderly population, there is no previously published work examining shoulder kinematics using markerless motion capture in the context of shoulder injury. Here we show that a simple string pulling behavior task, where subjects pull a string using hand-over-hand motions, provides a reliable readout of shoulder mobility across animals and humans. We find that both mice and humans with RC tears exhibit decreased movement amplitude, prolonged movement time, and quantitative changes in waveform shape during string pulling task performance. In rodents, we further note the degradation of low dimensional, temporally coordinated movements after injury. Furthermore, a logistic regression model built on our biomarker ensemble succeeds in classifying human patients as having a RC tear with > 90% accuracy. Our results demonstrate how a combined framework bridging animal models, motion capture, convolutional neural networks, and algorithmic assessment of movement quality enables future research into the development of smartphone-based, at-home diagnostic tests for shoulder injury.

Background Macrophage polarization has been observed in the process of muscle injuries including rotator cuff (RC) muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration after large tendon tears. In our previous study, we showed that fibrogenesis and white adipogenesis of muscle residential fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) cause fibrosis and fatty infiltration and that brown/beige adipogenesis of FAPs promotes rotator cuff muscle regeneration. However, how polarized macrophages and their exosomes regulate FAP differentiation remains unknown. Methods We cultured FAPs with M0, M1, and M2 macrophages or 2 × 10 9 exosomes derived from M0, M1 and M2 with and without GW4869, an exosome inhibitor. In vivo, M0, M1, and M2 macrophages were transplanted or purified macrophage exosomes (M0, M1, M2) were injected into supraspinatus muscle (SS) after massive tendon tears in mice ( n  = 6). SS were harvested at six weeks after surgery to evaluate the level of muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration. Results Our results showed that M2 rather than M0 or M1 macrophages stimulates brown/beige fat differentiation of FAPs. However, the effect of GW4869, the exosome inhibitor, diminished this effect. M2 exosomes also promoted FAP Beige differentiation in vitro. The transplantation of M2 macrophages reduced supraspinatus muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration. In vivo injections of M2 exosomes significantly reduced muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration in supraspinatus muscle. Conclusion Results from our study demonstrated that polarized macrophages directly regulated FAP differentiation through their exosomes and M2 macrophage-derived exosomes may serve as a novel treatment option for RC muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration.

Purpose To utilise a large cross-sectional database to analyse the effects of time duration between diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and ACL reconstruction (ACLR) on concomitant procedures performed and subsequent surgery within 2 years. Methods An analysis from 2015 to 2018 was performed using the Mariner PearlDiver Patient Records Database. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), and International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes identified patients with a diagnosis of ACL tear who underwent subsequent ACLR. Patients were stratified in biweekly and bimonthly increments based on the time duration between initial diagnosis of ACL tear and surgical treatment. Chi-squared analysis was used to compare categorical variables, and trend analysis was performed with Cochran–Armitage independence testing. Results Of 11,867 patients who underwent ACLR, 76.1% underwent surgery within 2 months of injury diagnosis. Patients aged 10–19 were most likely to undergo surgery within 2 months of injury diagnosis (83.5%, P  < 0.0001). As duration from injury diagnosis to ACLR increased from < 2 months to > 6 months, rates of concomitant meniscectomy increased from 9.1% to 20.5% ( P  < 0.0001). The overall 2-year subsequent surgery rate was 5.3%. The incidence of revision ACLR was highest for patients who underwent surgery > 6 months after diagnosis ( P  < 0.0001), whilst the incidence of ipsilateral lysis of adhesions and manipulation under anaesthesia (MUA) was highest for patients who underwent surgery < 2 months after diagnosis ( P  < 0.0001). ACLR at 6–8 weeks after diagnosis demonstrated the lowest risk for concomitant procedures as well as 2-year subsequent surgery. Conclusion The majority of patients undergo ACL reconstruction within 2 months of initial ACL tear diagnosis. Delayed surgery greater than 6 months after the diagnosis of an ACL rupture leads to increased need for concomitant meniscectomy as well as higher risk for revision ACLR within 2 years, but immediate surgery may increase risk for knee arthrofibrosis. Level of evidence IV

Prior studies have examined return-to-play (RTP) rates and performance outcomes following meniscus surgery in professional basketball players but have largely focused on earlier eras. With advancements in surgical techniques, rehabilitation, and player management strategies, updated insights into postoperative outcomes are needed. We hypothesized that National Basketball Association (NBA) players would demonstrate a higher return-to-play (RTP) rate than the ~80% reported in 2010, with short-term performance declines but recovery by the second postoperative season. We also evaluated the impact of age, body mass index (BMI), and position on outcomes. NBA players who sustained isolated meniscal tears and underwent surgery between 2010 and 2023 were identified through public databases. Performance metrics—including games played, minutes per game (MPG), player efficiency rating (PER), and distance covered per game—were assessed preoperatively and at one and two years postoperatively. Multivariable linear regression analyzed associations between age, BMI, position, and outcomes. Of 47 eligible players, 43 (90.7%) returned to NBA play. Players missed a median of 17 ± 34 games postoperatively and continued their careers for an average of 4.7 ± 3.4 seasons. The percentage of games played per season significantly declined at one (60.9%, p < 0.001) and two years (64.2%, p < 0.01) postoperatively versus pre-injury (79%), a novel finding. MPG and PER declined at one year (22.3 vs. 26.0, p = 0.02; 14.6 vs. 16.4, p = 0.04) but recovered by year two (23.8 MPG, 15.8 PER; both p > 0.1). Older age correlated with reduced games played, MPG, and PER. BMI and position had no significant impact. NBA players demonstrate high RTP rates after meniscus surgery. While playing time and efficiency recover by year two, reduced availability persists, likely reflecting ongoing workload management strategies.

Purpose of Review Fastpitch softball is one of the most popular sports among youth and high school female athletes. Despite some similarities to baseball, key differences between the two sports result in different injury patterns, and there is comparatively less literature describing injury epidemiology in fastpitch softball. The purpose of this review is to describe the epidemiology, biomechanics, and injury prevention efforts in regards to fastpitch softball injury with a particular focus on underhand pitching. Recent Findings The injury rate in softball is relatively low and extended time loss injuries in particular are uncommon. Lower extremity injuries are more common overall in softball, but pitchers more often suffer upper extremity injury. Pitchers account for a relatively small proportion of all injuries recorded, but represent a similarly small subset of team rosters, with most teams carrying only a few pitchers in total. The underhand pitching motion exerts significant glenohumeral distractive forces and high stress across the biceps-labrum complex. Core and lower extremity strengthening play an important role in injury prevention for softball pitchers and position players. Fatigue and number of games pitched are tied to increased strength deficiencies and pain in fastpitch softball pitchers, yet pitch count limits are not employed in any major fastpitch softball leagues. Summary While overall injury incidence is low in fastpitch softball players, the potential for overuse injury in pitchers in particular is noteworthy and not nearly as scrutinized as within the baseball community. Critical longitudinal tracking of softball injuries at varying levels of play would be helpful to better understand the sport’s injury risk. There are currently no formal pitch count limits enforced in a majority of fastpitch softball leagues. Core and lower extremity strengthening, pre-season conditioning, and monitoring of pitchers for signs of fatigue may be helpful in injury prevention.

Purpose of the review There have been tremendous modifications to the humeral component since Paul Grammont first introduced the reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in 1985. The purpose of this article is to review historical design features and their drawbacks and to summarize the clinical outcomes of modern designs. Recent findings Decreasing the neck-shaft angle and increasing humeral lateralization have helped address problems of scapular notching and limited internal and external rotation that were common with traditional designs. Advancements in proximal porous coatings have also facilitated the development of short-stem and stemless implants, which decreases the need for cement fixation and allows preservation of bone stock. Moreover, a reduction in stem length with smaller metaphyseal and diaphyseal filling ratios may limit stress shielding. Current humeral implants have an aseptic loosening rate less than 1%. Despite promising results, many of these new humeral design features do not have long-term data and continued surveillance of their performance is necessary. Summary The humeral stem design significantly influences clinical and radiographic outcomes. Surgeons should be mindful of these design variables to increase impingement-free range of motion, minimize scapular notching, reduce stress shielding, and improve implant survivorship.