JSES international 

Abstract: There is an ongoing controversy regarding the nonoperative treatment of lateral epicondylitis. Given that the evidence surrounding the use of various treatment options for lateral epicondylitis has expanded, an overall assessment of nonoperative treatment options is required. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare physiotherapy (strengthening), corticosteroids (CSIs), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and autologous blood (AB) with no active treatment or placebo control in patients with lateral epicondylitis.MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane were searched through till March 8, 2021. Additional studies were identified from reviews. All English-language randomized trials comparing nonoperative treatment of patients >18 years of age with lateral epicondylitis were included.A total of 5 randomized studies compared physiotherapy (strengthening) with no active treatment. There were no significant differences in pain (mean difference: -0.07, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.56 to 0.41) or function (standardized mean difference [SMD]: -0.08, 95% CI: -0.46 to 0.30). Seven studies compared CSI with a control. The control group had statistically superior pain (mean difference: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.22 to 1.18) and functional scores (SMD: -0.35, 95% CI: -0.54 to -0.16). Two studies compared PRP with controls, and no differences were found in pain (SD: -0.15, 95% CI: -1.89 to 1.35) or function (SMD: 0.14, 95% CI: -0.45 to 0.73). Three studies compared AB with controls, and no differences were observed in pain (0.49, 95% CI: -2.35 to 3.33) or function (-0.07, 95% CI: -0.64 to 0.50).The available evidence does not support the use of nonoperative treatment options including physiotherapy (strengthening), CSI, PRP, or AB in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis.

Abstract: ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) language processing model that uses deep learning to generate human-like responses to natural language inputs. Its potential use in health care has raised questions and several studies have assessed its effectiveness in writing articles, clinical reasoning, and solving complex questions. This study aims to investigate ChatGPT's capabilities and implications in diagnosing and managing patients with new shoulder and elbow complaints in a private clinical setting to provide insights into its potential use as a diagnostic tool for patients and a first consultation resource for primary physicians.In a private clinical setting, patients were assessed by ChatGPT after being seen by a shoulder and elbow specialist for shoulder and elbow symptoms. To be assessed by the AI model, a research fellow filled out a standardized form (including age, gender, major comorbidities, symptoms and the localization, natural history, and duration, any associated symptoms or movement deficit, aggravating/relieving factors, and x-ray/imaging report if present). This form was submitted through the ChatGPT portal and the AI model was asked for a diagnosis and best management modality.A total of 29 patients with 15 males and 14 females, were included in this study. The AI model was able to correctly choose the diagnosis and management in 93% (27/29) and 83% (24/29) of the patients, respectively. Furthermore, of the remaining 24 patients that were managed correctly, ChatGPT did not specify the appropriate management in 6 patients and chose only one management in 5 patients, where both were applicable and dependent on the patient's choice. Therefore, 55% of ChatGPT's management was poor.ChatGPT made a worthy opponent; however, it will not be able to replace in its current form a shoulder and elbow specialist in diagnosing and treating patients for many reasons such as misdiagnosis, poor management, lack of empathy and interactions with patients, its dependence on magnetic resonance imaging reports, and its lack of new knowledge.

Abstract: The data on frozen shoulder and shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination are absent from the literature. Hence, the purpose of this case series was to describe the clinical presentation and short-term follow-up of patients who developed frozen shoulder after COVID-19 vaccination.In the present study, 10 patients (9 women and 1 man) with a mean age of 53 ± 8 years (range, 43-68 years) who presented to the shoulder surgeon's practice center with painful stiffness of the shoulder after COVID-19 vaccination between June 1 and September 30, 2021, were retrospectively evaluated.All 10 patients had normal radiographs and were diagnosed as frozen shoulder. Eight patients (80%) had a comorbidity during presentation (4 patients with hypothyroidism, 3 patients with diabetes mellitus, and 1 patient with prediabetes/hyperglycemia). Symptoms developed immediately after the vaccination in 6 patients (60%), at 48 hours in 1 patient (10%), and at 10 days in 3 patients (30%). The mean pain visual analog scale score was 6.5 ± 1.9 (range, 2.5-8), and both active and passive range of motion were limited in all the patients at the time of presentation.The musculoskeletal specialists who will see such patients with painful shoulder stiffness should be aware of the frozen shoulder diagnosis, which can occur after COVID-19 vaccination, so that such patients can be identified and treated early.

Abstract: Degenerative arthritis is a major indication for both anatomic and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). Degenerative arthritis is an age-related process that can be secondary to mechanical wear or inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus. Management of these diseases can include chronic corticosteroid for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. Given the well-known complications of chronic steroid use on other surgical procedures, investigation into postoperative complications specific to TSA will assist physicians in risk stratification and preoperative planning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between chronic preoperative steroid use and postoperative complications following TSA.The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement database was queried for all patients who underwent TSA between 2015 and 2020. Patient demographics, comorbidities, surgical characteristics, and 30-day postoperative complication data were collected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify postoperative complications associated with chronic preoperative steroid use. Reasons and risk factors for readmission among chronic steroid users were subsequently identified, as well.A total of 26,669 patients were included in this study: 25,376 (95.2%) were included in the nonsteroid cohort and 1293 (4.8%) were included in the chronic steroid cohort. The postoperative complications that were significantly associated with chronic preoperative steroid use were septic shock (P = .007), urinary tract infection (P = .016), myocardial infarction (P = .022), ventilator >48 hours (P = .028), readmission (P < .001), nonhome discharge (P < .001), and mortality (P = .007). The only postoperative complication independently associated with chronic preoperative steroid use was readmission (odds ratio, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.79; P = .027).Preoperative chronic steroid use is an independent predictor for readmission following TSA. As procedural improvement increases surgical volume for TSA, a better understanding of preoperative risk factors can improve perioperative risk stratification and help to minimize adverse outcomes.