Lower Extremity Review
Findings suggest divergent gait effects
The findings of a recent meta-analysis seem likely to fuel the ongoing discussion about the relative biomechanical advantages of footwear relative to barefoot walking or running, but not necessarily in the ways one might expect.
Focus is on ultrasound, hip strength
Research presented in February at the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association highlighted underappreciated clinical characteristics of posterior tibial tendon disorder that could influence patient management.
Maximal protection of multiple ankle ligaments following a sprain requires a taping technique or brace that provides restraint of rotary talocrural and subtalar joint displacements within the transverse plane as well as restraint of inward hindfoot motion within the frontal plane.
By Gary Wilkerson, EdD, ATC
Evidence from the medical literature suggests that quadriceps weakness may be a potentially modifiable risk factor for incident symptomatic and progressive knee osteoarthritis, although its relative significance seems to be a function of patient gender and malalignment.
By Neil A. Segal, MD, MS, and Natalie A. Glass, MA
Indiscriminate use of the popular term “shin splints” has led to confusion about the true complexities of exercise related leg pain in athletes, which can include medial tibial stress syndrome, chronic exertional compartment syndrome, stress fractures, and tendinopathies.
By Mark F. Reinking, PT, PhD, SCS, ATC
Although lymphedema in the past has often been overlooked or misdiagnosed, a growing number of certified practitioners are using the conservative treatment techniques of manual lymph drainage and complete decongestive therapy to effectively treat lymphedema patients.
By Harold Merriman, PT, PhD, CLT
The increased joint moments associated with walking in standard athletic shoes are not affected by the amount of motion control provided by the shoe, according to research from the University of Virginia. Investigators analyzed 68 healthy young adults as they walked...
When it comes to shoe lacing, looser is not necessarily better for patients with diabetes. Loose laces are associated with higher pressure time integrals under some regions of the foot than comfortably tightened laces, according to research from the Netherlands...
Patellar tendinopathy in elite volleyball players is associated with degenerative tendon changes visible using ultrasound imaging, according to research from the University of Southern California. The findings, presented in February at the APTA’s Combined Sections...
A multimodal therapy regimen produces positive results in patients with insertional Achilles tendinosis but is not enhanced by the addition of eccentric exercise, according to research from Campbell Clinic Orthopedics in Memphis presented in February at the APTA’s...
An updated coding manual for foot and ankle devices is now available from the Pedorthic Footcare Association. PFA members can download The January 2011 Updates to Modern Coding for Foot & Ankle DMEPOS HCPCS Codes - An Analysis, Explanation, and Clarification by...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued two new procedure codes for skin substitute Apligraf, manufactured by Canton, MA-based Organogenesis. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the bioengineered living cell-based product for...
Swiss footwear company Masai Barefoot Technology promotes its shoes’ ability to simulate barefoot walking on an unstable surface. Now research from the U.K. suggests that MBT footwear is actually associated with a range of ankle motion during gait that is even greater...
The Foundation for Physical Therapy is proud to announce a new annual fundraising effort by the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) Section on Women’s Health to support research in women’s health physical therapy. “The Endowment for Research Excellence in...
Researchers from the Weil Foot & Ankle Institute in Des Plaines, IL, in January were named the recipients of a Clinical and Scientific Research Grant from the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons to study the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging...
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