Lower Extremity Review
Ankle osteoarthritis severely impacts patients’ mental and physical quality of life. Besides total ankle replacement and ankle arthrodesis, ankle distraction has been shown to be a promising alternative. The primary aim of this systematic literature review and meta-analysis was to determine the annual revision rates (ARRs) after ankle distraction.
Competitive athletes are always looking for an extra edge to help improve performance. According to a new study by Concordia researchers published in the journal Physical Activity and Nutrition, they can find one in the common cranberry. Cranberries have the highest polyphenol and antioxidant capacity among fruits and vegetables and may protect against exercise-induced free radical production, consequently improving performance.
Researchers from the Department of Orthopaedics at the Nemours Children’s Hospital Delaware (Wilmington, DE) wanted to understand the change in dynamic foot posture in children with cerebral palsy. They were able to track 33 children (54 limbs) who completed 16.9 evaluations from an initial age of 2.9 (±0.7) yrs to 18.6 (±1.7) yrs. They found that early valgus foot…
Pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing sports in America, and with its increased popularity, the number of associated injuries has also risen. A new study presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), “Trends in Pickleball- Related Fractures in the United States: An Analysis of the 2002-2022 National Electronic Injury…
According to new data presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), sports injuries in seniors have increased significantly from 55,684 in 2012 to 93,221 in 2021 in the United States with significant differences in the types of activities and injuries. The study, “Orthopaedic Sports Injuries in an Aging Population…
As the use of robotic assistance in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has grown, there has been limited research looking at whether it improved the risk of revision. New data showed that revision rates were similar in conventional and robotic-assisted cementless TKA at 2 years post-operatively. Presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the study…
With the growing popularity of large language model (LLM) chatbots, a type of artificial intelligence (AI) used by ChatGPT, Google Bard ,and BingAI, it is important to outline the accuracy of musculoskeletal health information they provide. Three new studies presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ( AAOS ) analyzed the validity of the information chatbots gave…
April is National Pickleball Month! And why shouldn’t it be? The sport has exploded in popularity over the past decade or so—up more than 51% since August 2022 and 223% in 3 years! According to the 2023 Association of Pickleball Professionals Pickleball Participation Research, there are 48.3 million adult players in the United States…
By Robert Weil, DPM
In adolescent athletes who underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), the younger the athlete at the time of primary ACLR and an earlier return to sport (RTS) were significantly associated with an increased rate of secondary ACL injuries, according to a new study presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons…
Chronic conditions such as diabetes and peripheral vascular disease were the leading cause of amputation for more than 60% of patients treated at Indiana University Center for Limb Loss (CLL), a Level 1 Trauma Center, according to a new retrospective study. In looking at the electronic medical records of 218 amputee patients who…
The US Amputee Football Federation (USAFF) provides participants with an environment and opportunity to regain hope that may have been lost after amputation. Through a sense of teamwork, competitiveness, and achievement, participating in football/soccer allows those with amputations to build physical strength, improve body awareness, balance, and coordination, and develop social skills.
By reducing weight, lead times, and costs, 3-D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) offers significant opportunities for better customization in orthotic and prosthetic development. Today’s state-of-the-art scanning technologies allow for the design of components with complex geometries that can improve the functionality of orthoses and prostheses.
While 3D printing has dramatically accelerated the customization process for manufacturing orthotics and prosthetics, it’s often today’s post-processing technologies that make those applications possible. The ability to create washable and sealed surfaces that maintain material properties or the chance to add any color you want – from Pantone to customized skin colors and all of that matching the standards for biocompatibility is a real game changer.
A recent survey found that experienced orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) device users with a chronic disability liked the range of care they received from certified O&P providers, were “very satisfied” with the device-related goals they had achieved, and reported they could not maintain their current level of function without certified P&O providers.
Prosthetic device users have a wide range of needs and prosthetists need to be aware of varying product offerings to meet those needs. Pseudo-prostheses allow able-bodied users to understand ambulation in a specific device, providing critical education about new products as well as ongoing training for evolving products.
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