Imaging Sports Medicine Injuries of the Foot and Toes

Turco's injury: diagnosis and treatment

The aim of this study was to alert doctors to the existence of Turco's injury and discus the existing treatments that have been described in the worldwide literature. A bibliographic survey of Lisfranc's injury and Turco's injury covering from 1985 to 2013 was conducted in the SciELO and PubMed databases. Among the 193 articles, those relating to bone-ligament injuries of the Lisfranc joint and high-energy trauma were excluded, as were the case reports. The patients selected were professional or amateur athletes who solely presented a ligament injury to the Lisfranc joint (Turco's injury), which was diagnosed from the history, physical examination, radiographs and magnetic resonance images. Non-athletic patients and those with associated bone injuries were excluded (10). According to the injury classification, the patients were treated by means of either an open or a closed procedure and then a standard rehabilitation protocol. Out of the 10 patients, five underwent conservative treatment and five underwent surgical treatment using different techniques and synthesis materials. We obtained two poor results, one satisfactory, five good and two excellent. We conclude that the correct diagnosis has a direct influence on the treatment and on the final result obtained, and that lack of knowledge of this injury is the main factor responsible for underdiagnosing Turco's injury. There is a need for randomized prospective studies comparing the types of synthesis and evolution of treated cases, in order to define the best treatment for this injury.

Imaging of sports-related midfoot and forefoot injuries

Sports-related injuries of the foot are common and may result in significant morbidity, particularly if inaccurate or delayed diagnosis leads to improper management. While less common than injuries of the ankle, sports-related foot injuries account for 2% to 18% of athletic injuries. Injury may occur as a result of acute trauma or chronic overuse, and high-impact sports that involve running, jumping, or contact place the athlete at higher risk for injury. Accurate and timely diagnosis of injury is the key to proper management, and diagnostic imaging studies often play a critical role in this regard. While radiographs, computerized tomography scans, and ultrasound are useful in the evaluation of the foot, magnetic resonance imaging provides superior tissue contrast as well as the ability to detect stress reaction in bone that precedes discernible fracture line on radiographs, allowing accurate detection of both osseous and soft tissue pathology. This review focuses on imaging of common sports-related injuries of the midfoot and forefoot, including osseous, ligamentous, and tendinous pathology, with emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis.

Hallucal sesamoiditis manifested on bone scan

The first metatarsal articulation bears one third of the weight of the forefoot. The hallucal sesamoids are embedded in the flexor hallucis brevis and connected by the intersesamoid ligament and plantar plate. The sesamoid apparatus acts as a pulley to help pull the big toe down against the ground during walking. Repetitive pressure, force, or tension can cause sesamoiditis. If the impact is great enough, the bones can break. Here we present a woman with big toe pain during walking. Our case highlights the role of 99mTc-MDP bone scan in reaching the diagnosis of hallucal sesamoiditis.

Proximal fifth metatarsal fractures

The most common fracture of the foot is a fracture of the proximal fifth metatarsal. In general, there are 3 types of fractures involving the proximal fifth metatarsal area, including a proximal diaphyseal stress fracture, a Jones fracture, and an avulsion fracture of the tuberosity. Some fractures of the fifth metatarsal heal without difficulty, whereas some have the potential for nonunion or delayed healing. Each fracture has some variation in the anatomical location on the fifth metatarsal, the mechanism of injury, the radiographic findings, and the treatment plan. Avulsion fractures of the tuberosity often heal without difficulty, yet fractures distal to the area of insertion of the peroneus brevis tendon are prone to nonunion and delayed healing (). Differential diagnosis of a fifth metatarsal midfoot injury includes ankle sprains, midfoot sprains, plantar facial ruptures, peroneus tendon ruptures, and other foot fractures.

Office-based ultrasound in sports medicine practice

Increasing knowledge, interest, and visibility in the field of sports medicine has equipped clinicians in the field with a novel array of diagnostic and therapeutic options but has also provided a higher level of complexity in patient care. True understanding of the vast spectrum of radiographic technology available to the sports clinician has become more critical than ever. Advances particularly in the areas of magnetic resonance imaging, diagnostic office ultrasound, and 3-dimensional reconstruction computed tomography, as well as nuclear medicine, offer the clinician a myriad of diagnostic options in patient evaluation. As these advances accumulate, the challenge to optimize care, contain cost, and interpret the extensive data generated becomes even more difficult to manage. Improving technology, education, and application of office ultrasound offers an interesting new tool for the bedside evaluation in real time of dynamic motion and pathology of sports-related injuries. As studies continue to validate ultrasound's effectiveness in diagnosing injuries to the upper and lower extremities compared with more costly magnetic resonance imaging and more invasive exploratory surgery, its promise as a cost-effective diagnostic tool is growing. A particularly promising development in the care of sports injuries is the expansion of injection therapies, and in-office ultrasound provides assurance that prolotherapy, platelet-rich plasma, dry needling, corticosteroid, and viscosupplementation are delivered accurately and safely. Communication with patients continues to increase in complexity because a greater understanding of the presence of radiographic abnormalities irrelevant to the current complaint is gained. All the accumulated data must then be interpreted and communicated to the patient with a firm understanding of not only the patient history and physical examination but also the availability, indications, contraindications, sensitivity, specificity, and even the cost implications of the spectrum of diagnostic options.

Imaging in sports medicine: an overview

Increasing sports participation, and the inevitable sports injury, is a significant contributor to total healthcare expenditure in the United States. With sports-related injury ever increasing, and technology rapidly expanding in the areas of diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal trauma, a continual revisiting of the latest in technology is critical for the sports physician. Advances particularly in the areas of magnetic resonance imaging, diagnostic office ultrasound, and 3-dimensional reconstruction computed tomography, offer the clinician a myriad of diagnostic options in patient evaluation. Care must be exercised, however, as one pursues additional radiographic data in the patient care arena. The information must be interpreted with a firm foundation and understanding of not only the patient history and physical examination, but also the availability, indications, contraindications, sensitivity, specificity, and even the cost implications of the great spectrum of diagnostic options.

Imaging of painful conditions of the hallucal sesamoid complex and plantar capsular structures of the first metatarsophalangeal joint

Numerous injuries and pathologic conditions can involve the hallucal sesamoidal complex and plantar capsular structures of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. Although clinical history and presentation are important in developing a reasonable differential diagnosis, there is often considerable overlap in the clinical presentation and physical findings between various pathologic entities. Imaging plays an important role in narrowing the differential diagnosis and in directing appropriate therapy. This article reviews the normal anatomy of the hallucal sesamoidal complex and the plantar capsular structures of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. Typical clinical presentations are discussed for various pathologic entities that involve this area of the hallux, followed by a summary of the various imaging findings that occur when using conventional radiography, nuclear medicine bone scan, CT and MR imaging. Finally, general treatment guidelines are discussed for each entity.