Lower Extremity Review
Too much? Or not enough? New biofeedback tools help patients with lower-limb fracture in their struggle to understand how much weight to bear on an injured limb. Clinicians whose patients have a lower-limb fracture are faced with a paradox: whether or not to instruct them to place weight on the healing fracture.
By Jill R. Dorson
Osteoarthritis is among the leading causes of disability in the United States, costing billions of dollars each year in lost work hours, treatments, and doctor visits, and leaving people sidelined from day-to-day activities. That problem is mirrored and amplified in the military, a unique segment of the population that relies heavily on physical fitness and ability.
By Nicole Wetsman
End-stage arthritis of the ankle joint affects more than 50,000 people in the US. When conservative treatments do not provide enough relief, surgical options should be considered. Patient selection is key when choosing between ankle arthrodesis (fusion) and total ankle arthroplasty (replacement).
By Vicki Foerster, MD, MSc
Most physical therapists maintain that resistance training is beneficial to patients with knee osteoarthritis, but evidence from trials that have been designed with consistency is lacking. Experts discuss how to create an effective regimen given this information vacuum.
By Jill R. Dorson
Although clinicians and researchers have been gathering data for the use of gait therapy in patients with knee OA for some time, its use in hip OA is less far along, but shows promise. Does correcting for gait abnormalities have a role in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis (OA)?
By Nicole Wetsman
We might be falling short in our efforts to prevent ACL injury by allowing athletes to focus on how they are moving during screening. Almost 8 million athletes participate in high school sports each year in the United States, and an additional 490,000 compete at the intercollegiate level.
By Sarah Marie Tighe, SPT, and Thomas Gus Almonroeder, PT, DPT, PhD
2018 is shaping up as a breakthrough year for 3D printing in orthoses, as the industry moves from promise to reality. Experts agree: Three-dimensional printing will deliver custom clinical products, designed for individual patients at an affordable price.
By Keith Loria
Clinical studies have demonstrated that properly fitted footwear may alleviate knee pain resulting from osteoarthritis or other joint disease processes, while the wrong shoe can exacerbate the condition. How can practitioners help patients with knee pain make the distinction?
By Keith Loria
Unattractive therapeutic devices do not benefit patients if they won’t wear them. Leading practitioners discuss how, over the past decade, manufacturers have made significant strides in turning the solely functional into the truly fabulous.
By Jill R. Dorson
In diabetes, assessing the mechanical properties of the patient’s soft tissues and the properties of footwear and orthoses comes before drafting a management plan.
By Nachiappan Chockalingam, PhD
The author explores the sensory aspects of the foot, and footwear, on patient movement accuracy, joint stabilization, and perception of pain. An integrative approach to the dynamics of human movement is discussed.
By Emily Splichal, DPM
Given that many uninjured, successful athletes have some degree of asymmetry, how do clinicians interpret asymmetry in athletes recovering from injury?
By Cary Groner
Patient adherence to consistent use of removeable offloading and immobilization devices is central to promote healing and prevent infection in diabetic foot ulcers, yet the tradeoff of removability easily compromises adherence. Choosing and customizing the right device is key.
By Barbara Boughton
Sport-specific shoes may protect athletes from injury or enhance their performance. Do specialty weightlifting shoes offer these same benefits? What effect do the shoes have on posture, rearfoot force production, ankle range of motion, the ability to bend the knee deeply, and other parameters? Research is mixed.
By Jill R. Dorson
In a study of collegiate football players, who are at high risk of tinea pedis due to their training environment, copper-impregnated socks were associated with a high rate of tinea pedis symptom resolution and a low rate of new cases—supporting claims of the socks’ antifungal potential.
By Gary M. Rothenberg, DPM, CDE, CWS
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