ROUNDS RESPONSE.
Rounds is your vehicle for sharing your orthopaedic skills and experience. Your response to Rounds will be published in a future issue of Body Cast. We invite you to suggest questions for this column. Please address all submissions to:
The Editor,
Body Cast,
18 Wynford Drive, Suite 715A,
North York, Ontario,
M3C 3S2.

This Issue's Rounds Question -
Please tell us:
What is the difference between Achilles tendonitis and Achilles tendonosis?

ROUNDS RESPONSE
In the last issue of Body Cast, Rounds asked:
What is Osteitis Pubis?

The following answers were received:

From Jim Pike and Blair Matheson:
Osteitis is a medical condition that is prevalent among athletes. This condition is regarded as a problem of overuse, with the instability and movement of the anterior pelvis, commonly affecting runners and football players. Rest and time are strongly recommended. Other suggested methods of treatment include use of heat and cold application to provide symptomatic relief. Use of assistive ambulatory devices such as a cane or crutches and possible orthotic products (lumbar corset, sacroiliac belt) can be used to unload the pelvis for pain relief and to maintain correct anatomical alignment. Recovery can take an extended period of time.

From Lynne Pizzale and Gary Marshall:
Osteitis pubis is a painful non-infectious inflammatory condition that involves the pubic surrounding muscle insertions and structures. Small avulsion fractures can also occur at the adductor tendons to the pubic bone, as well as repetitive microtrauma or shearing forces.
Osteitis pubis is considered to be the most common inflammatory disease of the pubic overuse injury caused by repeated trauma rather than a specific incident. It is caused by repetitive contraction of the muscles that attach the pubic symphysis. Actions such as running, jumping and kicking can cause the groin muscle to exercise a pulling force resulting in excessive stresses.

From Mary-Jane Buchner:
Osteitis pubis is a condition most popular amongst footballers (soccer), runners and other athletes. It is characterized by inflammation at the pubic symphysis. This leads to sclerosis of the symphysis, which leads to acute and chronic groin pain. Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment, to date, for this condition. It is caused by excessive physical strain on the pubic bone. For example, running, jumping and rapid changes in direction cause the abdominal and groin muscles to pull on the pubic bone. Pregnancy can also cause this. The symptoms are loss of flexibility in the groin region, dull ache or a sharp stabbing pain during activities or even with day-to-day activities.

From Suzanne Groulx:
Osteitis pubis is the inflammation of the pubic symphysis, the point where the left and right pubic bones meet at the front of the pelvic girdle. Individuals who are at risk of osteitis pubis are those who participate in running events, especially distance runners, weight lifters, ice skaters and dancers and people who have recently had prostate or bladder surgery.

Responses were also received from: L. Arseneau, L. Burk, J. Cacayan, J. Cannon, J. Carragher, MA. Christenson, E. Christiansen, R. Chun, E. Clancey, D. Edwards, W. Fast, J.P. Piche, H. Fehr, A. Gale, A. Gibbs, M. Gillingham, R. Grenier, L. Head, B. Lavallee, B. Letourneau, N. Lockyer, C. Longphee,D. Longphee,L. Lough,L. MacDonald,B. Manley, J.Maulucci, J.McCulloch, J. Movasseli, E. Oborowsky, T.Ogden, A. Olfato, R. Passmore, P. Power, J. Punwassie, C. Rivers, V. Robichaud, S. Shivpaul, A. Tarambikos, T. Tzianetas, B. Walker, A. Wentzell, T. Yorke, and J. Yarnell.