Lower Extremity Review
Now available from JMS Plastics is its new Polyethylene Rigid Foam fabrication material. The workable foam is available in 20″ x 42″ sheets and in 5 thicknesses: 1/16″, 1/8″, 3/16″, 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″. The new foam is both easy to grind and easy to mold – and you can’t beat its fabrication properties. The material is half the weight of competitive products, making it ideal for fabricating lower extremity products.
Test your knowledge of information from this issue of Lower Extremity Review and the world in general with our new crossword puzzle feature.
In his June anniversary issue commentary, Proper Diabetes Care Can Reduce Rising Lower Extremity Amputation Rates (LER July 2019), Mark Hinkes, DPM, responded to the disheartening news that lower extremity amputations are increasing in the United States with a call to action: “I believe that the time has come for the standard of…
By Lynn Soban, PhD, MPH, RN
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), the primary antecedent to diabetes-related lower extremity amputation (LEA), are common, costly, and preventable. Following a period of decline in incidence, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the occurrence of diabetes-related LEA had rebounded an alarming 50% percent between 2009 and 2015.
By Lynn Soban, PhD, MPH, RN
Running-related overuse injuries are very common among recreational runners with the reported annual injury rates ranging from 39% to 85%. There are few large prospective cohort studies investigating injury risk associated with different running shoe characteristics and they are often contradictory. Our goal was to prospectively investigate the relationship between running shoe…
By Gary Helton, PT, DSc, SCS, OCS
Knee osteoarthritis (OA), a chronic progressive disease, is a common complaint in adults over age 45. Indeed, osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder in many countries, affecting for example 13.9% of adults 25 years and older and 33.6% of people 65 years and older in the United States. The challenge for clinicians is the multifactorial nature of the disease and understanding the everyday mechanical factors that affect it.
Frailty is prevalent in all countries and is a leading contributor to functional decline and early mortality in older adults. The condition is defined as “a clinical state in which there is an increase in an individual’s vulnerability for developing an increased dependency and/or mortality when exposed to a stressor.” Frailty can begin before 65 years of age, but the onset escalates in those aged 70 years and over.
Excerpted from: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults. Updated March 11, 2019. Accessed Sept. 30, 2019.
Editor’s Note: As of press time, the US Centers for Disease Control has reported 1299 cases of e-cigarette- or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) and issued interim guidance to assist with assessment, evaluation, management, and followup. The cases have been reported in 49 states and the Distric of Columbia, with 26 deaths reported across 21 states.
By Nicole Wetsman
Children with autism spectrum disorder are often described as “uncoordinated” or “clumsy” and many have clear motor control impairments. Early intervention to address motor deficits may improve physical skills and the difficulties with social functioning that are the hallmark of the disorder. Research among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has traditionally focused on impairments in social skills, the condition’s core deficit.
By Keith Loria
Recent findings from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), add to a growing body of evidence that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with significant gait asymmetry, suggesting movement quality should be part of the diagnostic and treatment processes for ASD.
By Keith Loria
Neurodevelopmental disorders are frequently associated with motor impairments including locomotion. These study findings highlight the importance of using precise measures to differentiate motor dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders.
By Sylvie Goldman, Aston K. McCullough, Sally Dunaway Young, Carly Mueller, Adrianna Stahl, Audrey Zoeller, Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese, Ashwini K. Rao, and Jacqueline Montes.
Down Syndrome is associated with a long list of compensatory gait symptoms due to hypotonia, triplanar foot and ankle misalignments, sagittal and coronal compensation at the knee, proximal weakness, and equinus contractures, all of which need to be treated. How early depends on the individual child.
By Cary Groner
Two people with transfemoral amputations have been able to feel their prosthetic foot and knee in real time via 4 intraneural sensors that connect to residual nerves in the thigh. The resulting neurofeedback reduces the physical and mental strain for prosthetic users and has been shown to reduce phantom limb pain.
Noridian, the Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for Jurisdictions A and D, has updated its guidelines regarding use of the RA Modifier, which is to be used for replacement of a DME, orthotic, or prosthetic item.
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