Lower Extremity Review
Coming off of last year’s success in upgrading the materials line, Acor has now turned its attention to its central fabricating services. Last October Acor ended production of custom-molded shoes. “This was a difficult decision since this line of products once defined our company,” Joseph Merolla, Acor director of sales, told LER.
By LER Staff
In 1996, after 15 years of sports podiatry practice, Douglas Richie, DPM, was frustrated by the ongoing challenge of fitting sport ankle braces to patients who also wore custom foot orthoses. The two products should have worked naturally together, but, because neither was made with the other in mind, the result was often ungainly and uncomfortable.
By Gary Groner
A common theme among many of the 17 profiles of companies featured in the 2016 issue of the Lower Extremity Review Resource Guide is the changes driven by shrinking Medicare reimbursements and growing possibilities for audits.
By Emily Delzell, Senior Editor
Donating parts, funds aids efforts – Each year, Dino Scanio, CO, LO, and his five-member team of pediatric O&P specialists arrive in Guatemala City to perform a challenging task. In just four days in their most recent clinic in August, for example, they fit nearly 50 young patients with custom devices and…
By Brigid Galloway
Prevention requires team approach – The inclusion of physicians, including specialists in pediatric orthopedic surgery and sports or dance medicine, in a team with teachers, physical therapists, parents, and others could help identify and prevent injuries in growing young dancers, according to…
By Hank Black
Regular foot checks may curb problems – A recent study published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research found that hallux valgus and too-narrow footwear contribute to foot-specific disability in children with Down syndrome. Interestingly, the study found foot posture wasn’t associated with foot-specific disability in the same children.
By Erin Boutwell
The most public battles about barefoot running and minimalist footwear have been fought over their use by adult athletes and the clinicians who treat them. There is, however, a separate discussion underway regarding barefoot and minimally shod running in children.
By Cary Groner
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) affects nearly a quarter of a million US kids younger than 16 years. The hallmarks of the autoimmune disorder include joint inflammation, stiffening, and damage, as well as changes in joint growth, all of which can prove painful.
By Shalmali Pal
Four years later, the ongoing discussion of the relative merits of surgical and nonsurgical management of Achilles tendon rupture is starting to affect practice patterns – even in the US.
By Cary Groner
Researchers at the University of Delaware in Newark are using a new ultrasound-based technique to better understand the effects of rehabilitation on the Achilles tendon, which could help optimize rehab protocols to improve long-term function.
By Cary Groner
A meniscal injury gave one practitioner new insight into the patient experience and renewed his belief that healing isn’t just about what happens physically.
By Cary Groner
Although milder than the spasticity-induced cases of equinus, limited ankle dorsiflexion in the non-neurological population is increasingly recognized as a source of excessive strain throughout the foot and a factor in the pathogenesis of many foot conditions.
By Nicholas V. DiMassa and Jeffrey M. Whitaker DPM, FACFAS
Recent analyses cautiously recommend the short-term adjunctive use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for diabetic foot ulcer healing under certain conditions, but in the absence of high-quality clinical trials, experts continue to debate the controversial therapy’s benefits.
By Hank Black
Using muscle function symmetry as an indicator of patient progress after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction can provide insight about potential targets for intervention to improve movement quality, functional performance, and patient outcomes.
By Christopher Kuenze, PhD, ATC; and Adam Kelly, MS, ATC
Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in patients in the northern US undergoing midfoot, hindfoot, and ankle arthrodesis, even in those without predisposing risk factors, according to a recent study from Vermont that may have implications for lower extremity surgery.
By Katie Bell
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