Recent Advances in the Diagnosis and Management of Sports Injuries

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Diagnosis and Prognosis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 559

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
II Clinic of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
Interests: knee; knee ligamentous injury; sports medicine; knee osteoarthritis; knee trauma; knee deformities; cartilage; knee reconstruction
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Diagnostics is devoted to the diagnosis and management of sports injuries and sports-related trauma, with the objective of providing an updated, evidence-based, and comprehensive overview of the major challenges in contemporary sports traumatology. The treatment of musculoskeletal disorders in highly demanding patients—particularly athletes—necessarily begins with accurate and timely diagnosis, which forms the foundation for appropriate therapeutic decision-making and long-term outcomes.

The contributions to this Special Issue will encompass the full spectrum of sports traumatology, from clinical assessment and advanced imaging modalities to surgical and non-surgical interventions. Particular emphasis will be placed on the integration of new diagnostic technologies and innovative treatment strategies that aim to enhance the precision, safety, and quality of patient care. Special attention will also be given to injuries affecting specific joints and to the management of trauma in distinct populations, including professional athletes, women, and children, who present unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

By assembling state-of-the-art reviews and original research from leading experts, this Special Issue intends to provide a 360-degree perspective on sports trauma, fostering the dissemination of knowledge and the advancement of clinical practice for physicians and surgeons engaged in the care of active populations.

Dr. Alberto Grassi
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • sport injuries
  • sport traumatology
  • arthroscopy
  • surgery
  • joints

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 1619 KB  
Article
Simplified Knee MRI ‘Sagittal Tibial Epi-Physis (STEP)’ Shorthand for Skeletal Age Assessment in Pediatric Patients with ACL Injury
by Alberto Grassi, Claudio Rossi, Luca Ambrosini, Yuta Nakanishi, Emre Anil Ozbek, Amir Assaf, Hikaru Kayano, Mohammad Ibra Alhalalmeh, Kyle Borque and Stefano Zaffagnini
Diagnostics 2026, 16(3), 442; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16030442 - 1 Feb 2026
Viewed by 368
Abstract
Objectives: To develop a simplified MRI-based shorthand assessment method, referred to as the Sagittal Tibial Epi-Physis (STEP) Shorthand, for skeletal age assessment in skeletally immature patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. This study aimed to elaborate a single-plane MRI-based skeletal age estimation [...] Read more.
Objectives: To develop a simplified MRI-based shorthand assessment method, referred to as the Sagittal Tibial Epi-Physis (STEP) Shorthand, for skeletal age assessment in skeletally immature patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. This study aimed to elaborate a single-plane MRI-based skeletal age estimation tool and to explore its feasibility and inter-rater reliability in comparison with existing MRI-based shorthands. Methods: This prospective study included 130 knee MRIs (79% males) from 97 skeletally immature patients (overall average age of 14.0 ± 2.1 years) with ACL injuries treated between February 2022 and January 2025. A new shorthand assessment method was developed based on sagittal T1-weighted MRI evaluation of the proximal tibial epiphysis. A validation cohort of 74 MRIs was independently evaluated by four raters with different levels of expertise using the STEP, Meza, and Politzer shorthand atlases. Inter-rater reliability (ICC), intra-rater agreement (Cohen’s kappa), and association with chronological age (Spearman rho) were calculated. Results: The STEP Shorthand tool demonstrated a strong association with chronological age (rho = 0.890, p < 0.001) with consistent associations across sex subgroups. Inter-rater reliability was high and comparable to established MRI-based shorthands. The use of a focused sagittal T1-weighted evaluation allowed for a simplified and reproducible assessment across raters with varying experience levels. Conclusions: The STEP Shorthand represents a pragmatic and reliable tool for MRI-based skeletal age assessment in pediatric and adolescent patients with ACL injuries. The STEP Shorthand can support timely decision-making in surgical planning and enhance standardization across different levels of clinical expertise. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Diagnosis and Management of Sports Injuries)
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