Active living and injury risk

Enjoyment is consistently noted as important for engaging audiences in games for health. However, as a term, enjoyment is often used interchangeably with a host of other terms, some of which overlap conceptually. This obscures what does and what does not constitute enjoyment, and in turn slows scientific progress by making the study of enjoyment and the synthesis of enjoyment-related research difficult. This article is aimed at improving our understanding of enjoyment by distinguishing enjoyment from other important constructs, such as fun and engagement, and by providing an overview of the experimental evidence on the determinants of enjoyment in videogames. Competence, narrative transportation, and relevance are identified as key factors related to enjoyment, and future studies examining these factors using games for health are recommended

Quantitative evaluation of anterior tibial translation during isokinetic motion in knees with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using either patellar or hamstring tendon grafts

We studied 79 patients with unilateral injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The patients were randomly allocated to reconstruction with autologous patellar bone-tendon-bone (BTB) grafts (49 knees) or hamstring tendon (ST) grafts (30 knees). We measured anterior tibial translation (ATT) during isokinetic concentric contraction exercise 18–20 months after surgery using a computerized electrogoniometer. In both groups the highest ATT during exercise was observed at a knee flexion of about 20° and was 13.5±3.0 mm in the BTB group and 13.9±3.4 mm in the ST group. There was no difference in the ATT between the reconstructed and healthy knees. For a range of knee flexion between 30 and 50° the ATT in the ST group was significantly higher on the reconstructed side than on the healthy side. In the BTB group, the mean ATT in the reconstructed group was similar to that on the healthy side at a knee flexion angle between 0 and 90°

Predictors of short and long term outcome in patellofemoral pain syndrome: A prospective longitudinal study

Background: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFP) is a common musculoskeletal condition that has a tendency to become chronic and problematic in a proportion of affected individuals. The objective of this study was to identify prognostic factors that may have clinical utility in predicting poor outcome on measures of pain and function in individuals with PFP

BMP treatment for improving tendon repair. Studies on rat and rabbit Achilles tendons

We wanted to improve tendon healing by adding a growth factor. Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) are well known to stimulate bone healing and bone formation. The local environment is of major importance for cell differentiation after a BMP has been added. Cartilage Derived Morphogenetic Proteins (CDMPs) -1, -2 and -3 (BMP 14, 13 and 12 or GDF 5, 6 and 7) form a subgroup in the BMP-family and are closely related to OP-1 (BMP 7). CDMP implants have been shown to induce bone and cartilage as well as tendon and ligament-like tissue. Our hypothesis has therefore been that if a BMP were added in a tendon environment, a tendon-like tissue would be induced. We have developed models in rats and rabbits where the Achilles tendon is transsected. To influence tendon healing, different BMPs (OP-1, CDMP-1. -2 and -3) were added, either on a collagen carrier, or as a local injection into the tendon defect. The tendons were evaluated by histology and mechanical testing at different time-points after transection. The results show that also when the mechanical environment would favour the formation of a tendon-like tissue, OP-1 reduced tendon strength in aid of bone formation. In contrast, CDMP-1, -2 and -3 had a beneficial effect upon tendon healing in rats. More callus tissue was produced than in controls, and strength and stiffness were improved, although minor amounts of bone and cartilage were detected in the tendon callus. Cartilage and bone formation sometimes occur normally during Achilles tendon healing in rats. In the rabbit model, where the healing situation is more similar to the clinical situation, the positive result with CDMP-2 was repeated. Moreover, in rabbits no bone or cartilage was found. The results suggest that conservative treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures with injection of a CDMP in combination with early rehabilitation might afford a good alternative to surgical treatment