Historians will record 2020 as the year when the SARS-CoV-2 virus stealthily and fiercely attacked the world. Many lost loved ones to Covid-19 (the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus). As the world takes its first steps in 2021, society remains crippled by the surging pandemic. Fortunately, a platoon of scientists are working around the clock to repel Covid-19 with treatments and vaccines. Patients’ need for help – no matter what their medical condition–drives scientists to seek novel means to improve healthcare around the globe.
In 2020, FICEBO continued to focus on producing high-quality research evidence to improve the musculoskeletal healthcare of patients, and the sustainability of society’s healthcare systems.
Here is our top-3 list of FICEBO papers of 2020:
- Rämö L, Sumrein BO, Lepola V, et al. Effect of Surgery vs Functional Bracing on Functional Outcome Among Patients With Closed Displaced Humeral Shaft Fractures: The FISH Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2020;323(18):1792–1801. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2765728
A 10-year project comparing surgery to functional bracing for treating humeral shaft fractures. Dr. Lasse Rämö’s tireless work was rewarded by another BIG 5 FICEBO publication in one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world – a feat that we are all very proud of!
- Sihvonen R, Paavola M, Malmivaara A et al. for the FIDELITY (Finnish Degenerative Meniscus Lesion Study) Investigators. Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for a degenerative meniscus tear: a 5 year follow-up of the placebo-surgery controlled FIDELITY (Finnish Degenerative Meniscus Lesion Study) trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2020;54:1332-1339. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/22/1332
FIDELITY has been our work horse since the initial publication in the New England Journal of Medicine at the end of 2013. In 2020, we reached the half-way point of a long follow-up period (outcomes at 5 years after treatment), and published our work in the flagship Sports Medicine journal, the British Journal of Sports Medicine. We continue to work on the project—stay tuned for more results in coming years.
- Paavola M, Kanto K, Ranstam J, et al Subacromial decompression versus diagnostic arthroscopy for shoulder impingement: a 5-year follow-up of a randomised, placebo surgery controlled clinical trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 05 October 2020. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/2/99
FIMPACT was our first-ever placebo-surgery controlled trial (launched in 2005), and examined the most common arthroscopic shoulder surgery. 2020 marked the 5-year follow-up point, together with FIMPACT’s twin, FIDELITY. Although it took us almost 5 more years to publish the initial follow-up findings of this trial (in 2018, in the BMJ) than FIDELITY, FIMPACT is now on a similarly solid trajectory to produce a number of high-quality publications in the future!
To celebrate the publication of the FISH trial, we prepared a brief video recapping the 10-year path from the initial idea to the eventual publication: The video includes some previously undisclosed ‘behind the scenes’ material. Check it out!
In case you are interested, we have produced a few other videos in the past of our previous trials, including the FIDELITY and FIMPACT:
A similar, 3-min video on the results of FIDELITY on mechanical symptoms
And a 4-min video of the main findings of the FIMPACT trial
The FICEBO group wishes everybody a Happy New Year! Let the year 2021 be remembered as the year the world defeated Covid-19. Stay safe!