Category Archives: Archives
September 2011
Practice Tactics: How brand development can benefit your practice
Some of us remember the days when there was virtually no need for marketing healthcare practices. All that was required was hard work, well-developed skills, and a shingle out front. Word of mouth was the primary method for growing practices, and any overt messaging was considered unethical. In fact, there were regulations specifically preventing physicians from advertising themselves. It was a simpler time with far less competition for patients and referrals.
By Jason Kraus
September 2011
Strategies for rehab after Achilles tendon surgery
At the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, rehabilitation following operative repair of Achilles tendon ruptures is based on three key evidence-based criteria for return to activity and selective use of an anti-gravity treadmill to accelerate that return.
By Amol Saxena, DPM, FACFAS
September 2011
A patient-first approach to critical limb ischemia
Outcomes of revascularization in patients with lower extremity critical limb ischemia should be defined according to patient goals and functional criteria rather than more traditional, physician-oriented variables such as limb salvage and graft patency.
By Ginger L. Manos, MD, John W. York, MD, FACS, and Brent L. Johnson, MS
September 2011
OA after ankle fracture: Surgery’s complex role
In the surgical management of ankle fractures, post-traumatic arthritis is the outcome that practitioners and patients would most like to avoid. But given the sensitivity of joint cartilage to even the slightest malalignment or pressure shift, that can be easier said than done.
By Cary Groner
September 2011
Effects of load carriage on amputee ambulation
Amputees lack the lower extremity muscles responsible for maintaining kinematic stability under increasing load carriage conditions, and would benefit from a more versatile prosthetic foot design that could adapt dynamically to changing loads.
By Kurt Collier, CP
September 2011
Factors affecting athletes’ perception of movement
In sports, the concept of “affordance perception” can mean sensing an opponent’s next move, which has implications not just for performance but also for reducing injury risk. An understanding of affordance perception also can improve the effectiveness of training.
By Julie A. Weast-Knapp, MA, and Kevin Shockley, PhD
September 2011
OA braces: Buying time
Long-term compliance data raise issues
A study published in the August issue of Orthopedics found that although unloader braces effectively relieve pain and improve function in patients with unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis, many patients stop wearing the devices after a few years and opt for total knee replacement.
By Emily Delzell
September 2011
Orthotic clubfoot outcomes depend on complexity, not socioeconomics
The critical factor affecting compliance with the orthotic aspect of Ponseti clubfoot therapy—and its success—appears to be complexity of the therapy, not parents’ education and income levels, according to research published in the September issue of the Journal of Pediatric … Continue reading
September 2011
Patients feel both electrical stimulation and AFOs have a place in stroke rehab
Although patients with drop foot show an overall preference for functional electrical stimulation over ankle foot orthoses, individuals familiar with both therapies recognize the benefits and drawbacks of the two modalities, according to research published in the September issue of … Continue reading
September 2011
Control issues
Shoe effects on tibial rotation vary
Research from the U.K. published this month suggests that motion control running shoe technology can help decrease tibial internal rotation during running, theoretically decreasing the risk of proximal symptoms such as those associated with iliotibial band syndrome or patellofemoral pain syndrome.
By Jordana Bieze Foster
September 2011
A decade later, athletes maintain benefits of training for groin pain
The positive effects of a training program on adductor-related groin pain are still evident up to 12 years later, according to a Danish study. Researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital in Amager, Denmark, assessed the long-term effects of training eight to … Continue reading
September 2011
Whole body vibration training fails to improve jumping performance
Two recent studies cast doubt on the merits of whole body vibration training, as either a replacement or an adjunct to conventional training, for improving jump performance. Researchers from Springfield College in Massachusetts found that WBV training and conventional strength … Continue reading
September 2011
Pregnancy and falls
Risks involve mechanics, not just chance
Pregnancy changes gait and balance, and in ways that increase the risk of falling in certain women. Research suggests falls aren’t caused by environmental differences and that exercise confers a protective effect, according to investigators from West Virginia University in Morgantown, whose most recent data appeared in the August issue of Gait & Posture.
By Emily Delzell Continue reading
September 2011
Patients with diabetes exhibit gait deficits before neuropathy develops
Type 2 diabetes results in less efficient gait mechanics well before patients develop frank neuropathy and other threats to mobility, according to research in the August issue of Gait & Posture. Investigators for the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, an … Continue reading
September 2011
Study links rate of 6MWT progress to function following hip fracture
Among patients who sustain a hip fracture, those who can improve 6-meter-walking time by more than one second a day achieve greater functional independence than those who improve more slowly, according to research from the Beit Rivka Geriatric Rehabilitation Center … Continue reading
September 2011
Mixed martial arts fighter wins right to compete wearing prosthetic limb
In August, the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission awarded Shea Taylor, a 28-year-old transtibial amputee who wears an Össur prosthetic foot, an amateur mixed martial arts license. The MMA license clears the way for him to compete in a September … Continue reading
September 2011
Delcam launches workflow software, announces dates for technology forum
Fort Myers, FL-based CAD-CAM developer Delcam announced in August the upcoming launch of its workflow management product, OrderManager, at the 2011 American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association National Assembly, held in Las Vegas, September 19-22. OrderManager software helps practitioners and orthotic … Continue reading
September 2011
National Pedorthic Services opens new locations in Milwaukee, St. Louis
National Pedorthic Services announced in August the opening of two new facilities, one in Milwaukee and one in St. Louis, MO. Both locations feature state-of-the-art equipment and fixtures and are located in shopping plazas that offer easy-access parking. NPS specializes … Continue reading
September 2011
Awards for young O&P researchers will debut at AOPA national assembly
The American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association was scheduled to announce the inaugural winners of two new awards recognizing outstanding O&P research at its 2011 National Assembly on September 19-22 in Las Vegas. Undergraduate and graduate students in O&P programs and … Continue reading
September 2011
ASOP promotion features home study course on fracture casting and bracing
The American Society of Orthopedic Professionals/American Association of Orthotic Fitters is offering a limited-time deal on its CD version of the Manual of Fracture Casting and Bracing, by Augusto Sarmiento, MD, and the accompanying 100-question exam. The CD manual covers … Continue reading
September 2011
South Asian diabetic foot conference will feature international experts
The Indian Uttar Pradesh Madhumeh Association is sponsoring the Diabetes Update for Clinicians (DUFC) conference to help advance clinician education in South Asia, where there are no colleges of podiatric medicine and few opportunities for structured training in foot care. … Continue reading
September 2011
Langer Biomechanics offers fall seminars, free workshops
Ronkonkoma, NY-based Langer Biomechanics announced new educational offerings for practitioners specializing in lower extremity healthcare with its Comprehensive Orthopedic Management of Lower Extremity Ailments (COMLEA) seminar series and the debut of the no-cost After Hours Ankle Foot Orthoses Workshop program. … Continue reading
September 2011
FDA clears DynaNail for ankle fusion
Atlanta, GA-based medical device company MedShape Solutions announced in August that it has received 510(k) market clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for its DynaNail, an intramedullary fusion nail intended for tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis procedures. The DynaNail incorporates a shape … Continue reading
September 2011
Annual symposium on ACL injuries relocates to Ohio State University
The Ohio State University Sports Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center will host the 9th Annual ACL Workshop on October 22 in a new location: the OSU campus in Columbus, OH. The symposium offers laboratory and clinic-based risk … Continue reading
September 2011
R&B inks deal with Roadrunnerfoot
Tampa, FL-based R&B Medical Distributors, an importer and distributor of O&P components that opened its doors in January, announced in August an exclusive distribution partnership with Roadrunnerfoot Engineering, based in Milan, Italy. Roadrunnerfoot produces and sells carbon fiber feet, orthoses, … Continue reading
