Lower Extremity Review
Neoplasm should be high on the differential diagnosis list when evaluating patients with chronic, non-healing wounds. Over the past 40 years, skin cancer incidence has been on the rise, growing on average 4-8% annually.1 Due to this increasing commonality of skin cancers, wound care providers are likely to frequently encounter these malignancies over the course of their clinical practice.
By Windy Cole, DPM, CWSP
As people age, the risk of falling increases and so does the fear of having a fall-related accident. Indeed, some estimate that more than one-third of adults over age 65 fall every year. Part of that fear prevents many from engaging in physical activities. Rather than avoiding an active lifestyle, there are strategic, smart ways to stay active while decreasing the chance of falling.
By Detric Smith
Many would argue that the key to great skiing is understanding how to properly apply pressure to the edge of your skis. Since your feet are connected to those skis, this task falls to them. Ski boots have the critical job of communicating your thoughts to your skis, keeping your feet warm and comfortable, and helping you perform better on the slopes.
By Mark Paigen
3D printing has been making countless inroads into everyday work routines. Here, O&P professionals share their use of the technology. As this month’s cover conveys, three-dimensional (3D) printing has created breakthrough opportunities across the spectrum of lower extremity challenges.
By Janice T. Radak and Friends
Clinicians deal with clients and patients with a range of abilities. This author provides expert guidance on meeting patients and clients where they are to succeed in communicating.
By Eric Chessen, M.S.
By far, the most common cause of heel pain is a condition called plantar fasciitis. This condition is an injury to a ligament on the bottom of the foot called the plantar fascia. This ligament runs the length of the foot from the heel bone to the base of the toes.
By Paul J Betschart, DPM, FACFAS
With increasing demand for biomaterials that have the ability to support wound healing, tissue engineers have been challenged to develop innovative bioactive scaffold materials. In general, bioactive materials have the mechanical properties of the tissue to be replaced while supporting biological activities such as cellular adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and angiogenesis.
By Windy Cole, DPM, CWSP
As obesity and type 2 diabetes continue to be growing public health burdens, clinicians will be faced with increasing numbers of patients who suffer from their complications, in particular, peripheral neuropathy. These authors review the multiple medications available to help. A 2015 report published in the Journal of Pain, found that…
By Shana Shetty, DPM PGY3, and Marshall G. Solomon, DPM FACPM, FACFAS
Science and quantification are long overdue in the orthotic work that we do on a daily basis. The process of capturing the anatomical arch, creating a positive model, and managing arch fill has been solely a decision of those trained in the art.
By Ian Engelman
A long-overlooked part of the human foot is key to how the foot works, how it evolved, and how we walk and run, according to a Yale-led team of researchers. The discovery upends nearly a century of conventional thinking about the human foot and could open new avenues to explore in evolutionary biology as well as guide new designs for robotic and prosthetic feet, said the study team.
By William Weir
This 2-part series examines the current state of peripheral artery disease. Part 1, which appeared in the August issue, focused on disease burden, risk factors, and clinical presentation. This article reviews diagnostic tools and current management recommendations.
By Aisha Cobbs, PhD
Bone loss (osteopenia/osteoporosis) and loss of muscle mass and function (sarcopenia) are two of the most prevalent chronic conditions among aging adults. However, the mention of osteosarcopenia might garner a few puzzled looks. This relatively new term describes a geriatric syndrome in which osteopenia/osteoporosis and sarcopenia overlap in the same individual.
By Aisha Cobbs, PhD
As diabetic foot ulcers plague more patients, wound care management—including a host of new technologies—are driving an increase in office visits. Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause for nontraumatic amputation. Since 1980, the number of people with diabetes around the world has nearly quadrupled, from 108 million to nearly 422 million in 2014—and it continues to rise.
By Michael Flores, DPM, and Marshall G. Solomon, DPM, FACPM, FACFAS, FFPM RCPS (qlas)
Like a good medical exam, a medical bike fit starts before the patient ever gets on the bike. Talking with cycling patients before any assessments can facilitate the diagnostic process. Bike fitting is a service that has been offered in bike shops and studios for decades. Bike fitting is also a medical service offered by physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, and other qualified health care providers.
By Andrea Myers, PT, DPT
Children using new flexible knee prosthetic, which costs the same as the traditional stiff prosthetic, do not show adaptations in gait kinematics. A new study shows that young children with limb loss will use and benefit from prosthetic knee flexion and extension, if it is available to them. The study counters the current standard of care that uses a…
By Dave Shelles
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