Lower Extremity Review
Clinical evidence suggests that this intervention (foot care plus advice on diet, exercise & smoking) is highly effective at reducing the progression into acute care and can reduce the incidence of amputation by 60%.
By Lisa Farndon, John Stephenson, Oliver Binns-Hall, Kayleigh Knight, and Sally Fowler-Davis
As an expert, specialist, trained foot and ankle physician, you have worked hard for your place in the medical landscape, your degree and your confidence. You think you do your job well, but what if you are not getting through to your patients to the extent you thought you were? Over the years, I have prided myself on being an educator.
By Richard Schilling, DPM, FACFAS
Podiatrists play a large role in education for the prevention of foot complications in people with diabetes. Subsequently, podiatrists also regularly teach self-management strategies for people with or without foot complications relating to their diabetes. Current diabetes guidelines recommend education provision; however…
By Julia Yuncken, Cyclie M. Williams, Rene Stolwyk, Terry P. Haines
With an aging population that is increasingly overweight, a growing number of patients present to providers with a chief complaint of “knee pain.” Successful treatment of these individuals depends on making the correct diagnosis. Conventional thinking is that knee pain in middle-aged or older patients is due to the degeneration of the articular cartilage and/or the tearing of the menisci.
By Donald C. Pompan, MD
On January 17, 2011, The New York Times published an article titled “Close Look at Orthotics Raises a Welter of Doubts.” Responding to the writing and research of Benno Nigg, it called into question much of the anecdotal information we provide to our patients when prescribing footwear and foot orthotics.
By William Smith, MSPT, C.Ped.
Skin trauma to the lower extremities—blisters, lacerations, incisions, and punctures—are common for those participating in athletic and recreational activities and are seen every day in clinical care settings. A foot ulcer, an open sore on the foot, is a more serious form of skin trauma or wound that occurs, often brought on in an environment compromised by diabetes or any…
By Keith Loria
When people hear the word “Botox,” their immediate associations might be with facial injection as an anti-wrinkle treatment or magazine gossip on the latest celebrity to suffer a “botch job” from one-too-many injections. Prior to the modern use of this acetylcholine-blocking neurotoxin, no one other than medical professionals who used it to treat their patients really knew what Botox is.
By Benn Jason Scott Boshell, MSc, BSc (Hons)
Tai chi, a traditional Chinese mind-body exercise, consists of body rotations, semi-squat positions, and slow, controlled movements. As one moves through the various stances, balance shifts between single- and double-leg support, thereby incorporating gait, balance, and lower-limb strength training all at once.
By Janice T. Radak
Shortly after age 50, the rate at which a person loses muscle mass begins to accelerate.1 Figure 1 is a graphical representation of the average number of quadriceps muscle fibers present in adults aged 18 to 82.2 Looking at the center of the graph, it is clear that the number of muscle fibers remains stable until around age 50.
By Tom Michaud, DC
Surgical management of recalcitrant plantar fasciitis has largely been limited to plantar fasciotomy. A potential alternative is effective, relatively safe, and reliable gastrocnemius recession, which addresses the effect of gastrocnemius muscle contracture on these patients.
By Joseph G. Wilson, DPM, T. Craig Wirt, DPM, PhD, Jonathan L. Hook, DPM, MHA
Patellofemoral pain is a common condition among adolescents, with nearly 7% of the today’s adolescent population affected.1 It’s a particular burden for girls—it affects as many as 10% of adolescent female athletes2, and the pain likely shuts them out of sports at a similar rate to…
By Nicole Wetsman
This randomized controlled study evaluated the efficacy of slip-simulating reactive balance training compared to conventional balance training in regard to falls prevention.
By Anne Krause, Kathrin Freyler, Albert Gollhofer, Thomas Stocker, Uli Brüderlin, Ralf Colin, Harald Töpfer, and Ramona Ritzmann
Osteoporosis reduces bone mass, weakening the overall microarchitectural structure of bone tissue and leaving individuals susceptible to fractures from falls, or in severe cases, hard sneezes. That postmenopausal women are at increased risk for osteoporosis and the fractures it causes, has been known for some time.
By Janice Radak
This narrative review, excerpted here, sought to determine the prevalence of incorrectly fitted footwear and to examine its association with foot pain and foot disorders across 18 studies involving 3,205 patients.
By Andrew K. Buldt and Hylton B. Menz
The so-called crossover foot is emerging as an attractive option in lower-extremity prosthetics, just as crossovers found their way into the automotive market: because they offer utility.
By Phil Stevens, MEd, CPO, FAAOP
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