Cover Story
As increasing numbers of fitness enthusiasts embrace high-intensity training, reports of injuries have sparked a debate among clinicians about the benefits and risks associated with these programs.
By Cary Groner
Editor Message
Psychologists tell us that the symmetry of a person’s face influences whether he or she is perceived as attractive. But when it comes to rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, some types of symmetry are more desirable than others.
By Jordana Bieze Foster, Editor
Special Educational Series: Pediatrics
From the editor: Sizing up the evidence
Evidence-based medicine, defined literally, depends on the existence of studies that justify treatment decisions. But, too often, practitioners who specialize in pediatric lower extremity care find that the only evidence they have to draw on involves studies done in adults, not children.
Departments
Reported cases of Lyme disease have been rising steadily over the past 30 years, but its diagnosis can be challenging. Left untreated, patients with Lyme disease can go on to develop neurological symptoms, including those that are characteristic of peripheral neuropathy.
By Greg Gargiulo
The effectiveness of eccentric training for the prevention and rehabilitation of hamstring strains has been established in the medical literature. The next step is to identify an eccentric hamstring exercise that addresses the limitations of existing…
By Karl F. Orishimo, MS, CSCS, and Takumi Fukunaga, DPT, ATC, CSCS
Patient-reported outcomes can be used to monitor health-related quality of life in patients with chronic ankle instability, and lower extremity practitioners can design rehabilitation approaches to specifically target physical impairments that are known to contribute to quality of life.
By Megan N. Houston, PhD, ATC, and Matthew C. Hoch PhD, ATC
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses show that bracing for knee osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with significant benefits with regard to pain and function. But links to disease progression remain elusive, and the challenges of patient compliance are becoming even more complicated.
By Larry Hand
Research supports eccentric strengthening for treatment of midportion Achilles tendinopathy, but a new study suggests the same approach…
By Lisa H. Jain, DPT, OCS; Kevin J. McCarthy, MD; Michael Williams, PT, OCS; Marie Barron, PT, OCS; Nick Bird, MPT; Brian Blackwell, PT, OCS; G. Andrew Murphy, MD; David R. Richards, MD; Susan Ishikawa, MD; and Margaret Kedia, PhD, DPT
News
In the Moment: Sports Medicine
By Emily Delzell and Jordana Bieze Foster
The anterolateral ligament (ALL) of the knee, a structure not well-documented or consistently reported before the 2013 publication of a Belgian study, is a key stabilizer of internal rotation—though only when the knee is flexed at high angles—and may be…
A six-week progressive neuromuscular training program is associated with significant improvement in single-leg balance on unstable surfaces in female high school basketball players, according to research from Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY.
Improved balance in baseball players who have had Tommy John surgery is maintained after their release from physical therapy, according to research from Fort Worth, TX.
By Jordana Bieze Foster
In the Moment: Rehabilitation
By Jordana Bieze Foster
Multimodal physical therapy is associated with significant symptom relief in patients with plantar heel pain, but may be most effective for those with symptoms lasting fewer than seven months, according to research presented in February at the annual…
Eight pathological factors do not explain the self-reported improvements in perceived disability associated with balance training for functional ankle instability (FAI), according to research from the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.
Patients who do progressive strengthening exercises after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are significantly more likely than those who do conventional rehabilitation to have normal-range functional outcomes at one year, according to research from the University of Delaware.
Market Mechanics
By Emily Delzell
Products
Sigvaris is pleased to announce that its All Season Merino Wool Socks are joining the Sigvaris Medical collection, designed for men and women who wear 20-30 mmHg medical graduated compression socks every day.
Tommie Copper’s recovery line of compression products includes multiple colored sleeves, apparel, and accessories such as shorts and tights for all the pain points of the body, designed to be comfortably worn all day and throughout the night.
Sonostics develops and markets “pacemakers for the second heart”—the soleus muscle—to provide nonpharm- acologic relief from unexplained fatigue, swollen feet and ankles, muscle/joint pain, cold hands/feet, dizziness, brain…
Nexus 2 is the newest version of Vicon’s data capture software for sports, rehabilitation, gait analysis, and biomechanical research. New major updates address speed, methodology, and accuracy challenges faced by both clinicians and…
Eric Franklin’s new book, Fascia Release and Balance, educates the reader on how connective tissues integrate the body’s components and facilitate all movements. This knowledge is reinforced by Franklin Method ball-rolling and imagery…
Stretching Inc. presents stretching as a simple, gentle activity that can be done by anyone, anywhere, at any time. “Garden Stretches” provides detailed instructions and illustrations of stretches to do before, during, and after gardening to help…
Squid, a dynamic cold compression system, combines sequential compression with cold therapy. The cold compression directs edema away from the extremities and toward the heart, promoting venous return and increasing local circulation.
Rocktape now offers RockGuards II, designed to protect the shins of the wearer during physical activity such as rope climbs, CrossFit, dead lifts, and cleans and snatches.
The new Armor1 Ankle Roll Guard is designed to prevent ankle sprains by cushioning the ankle during an inversion, or “roll.” Unlike a brace, the Armor1 Ankle Roll Guard…
Pro-Tech Orthopedics is the exclusive North American distributor of the Orthotimer, an electronic monitoring system that documents the wear time of orthopedic devices for outpatients. The heart of the Orthotimer system is a small microsensor…
The PF Sock is a specialist-designed night splint that is intended to provide an optimum stretch of the plantar fascia and speed recovery. The PF Sock is designed to hold the ankle joint in a neutral position while dorsiflexing the toes—a combination that can…
Pulseboot footwear is designed to improve diabetic foot ulcer healing, reduce limb loss, and help lesions stay healed. Pulseboot offloads pressure using an advanced material (D3O) and contoured insole design. A discreet rigid offloader controls unwanted foot motion…