Category Archives: Feature Article
March 2019
Tape Use to Prevent Blisters: Does It Really Do What We Think It Does?
Taping is a mainstay of preventive foot blister management in athletes and active people. Its use is based on the premise that rubbing causes blisters, and that tape protects the skin from this rubbing and/or provides thermal insulation from the heat generated by rubbing.
By Rebecca Rushton, Bsc(Pod) Continue reading
March 2019
The Therapeutic Power of Elastic Bands
Here’s why resistance therapy with these low-tech tools is gaining prominence—for youth soccer players, geriatric patients, and everyone in between. Elastic resistance bands are increasingly popular in physical therapy as the modality is being used to treat a wide number of lower-extremity problems on a diverse patient population that covers everyone from youth sports players to seniors.
By Keith Loria Continue reading
February 2019
Conservative Management of Freiberg’s Disease
Key options include immobilization, weight bearing restrictions, NSAIDS, orthotics, padding, and shoe modifications. The first report of osteochondrosis of the second metatarsal head was in a series of six cases presented by Dr. Alfred H. Freiberg at the Southern Surgical and Gynecological Association in 1913. The data was published the following year.
By Kerry Sweet, DPM, FACFAS; Rebecca Omana-Daniels, DPM; and Valerie Marmolejo, DPM Continue reading
February 2019
Gait and Balance Dysfunction in Older Adults: Challenges and Interventions
Falls are a significant—yet preventable—health issue among older adults. Each year, 3 million older Americans over the age of 65 are treated in emergency departments for fall-related injuries which often result in disability, loss of independence, reduced quality of life, and death.1 The number of falls is expected to rise as Americans live longer and the number of older adults continues to grow at an unprecedented rate.
By Aisha Cobbs, PhD Continue reading
February 2019
Updated Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults Now Available
The 2019 AGS Beers Criteria® includes 5 lists of nearly 100 medications or medication classes to avoid or use with caution for some or all older adults. The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) recently unveiled its latest update to one of geriatrics’ most frequently cited reference tools: The AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate… Continue reading
January 2019
Case: A Woman with Blistering, Erythema, and Scaling of the Feet
What’s causing the worsening signs and symptoms that are eroding the patient’s quality of life? Once that question is answered, what treatment should be pursued? In this case study, we describe the work-up and management of a woman whose illness was characterized by multiple vesicles and pustules and itching, scaling, and redness of the feet (as well as the hands), that progressed over months.
By Carla Benson, DPM Continue reading
January 2019
The Invisible Effect of Body Weight on Tendons
While the predominant view on the relationship between an elevated body weight and its effect on tendons, muscles, bones, and joints is grounded in the physical stress effects of body weight, the role of inflammation is becoming better understood.
By Robert Creighton, DPM Continue reading
January 2019
Dynamical Properties of Postural Control in Obese Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Does obesity affect balance and serve as an indicator of fall risk in this vulnerable population? The burden of obesity is rising at an alarming rate for older adults.
Excerpt By Thurmon E. Lockhart Continue reading
November 2018
Exploring Stability and Freedom with the GYROKINESIS® Method
New somatic practice uses repeated movements, breath awareness and rhythmic patterns to loosen joints and ease muscle tension. The GYROKINESIS® Method* is a unique form of somatic practice that is gaining popularity around the world. The Gyrokinesis Method promotes a holistic approach to health and well-being that could be useful to a variety of populations.
By Marianne Adams, MA, MFA Continue reading
November 2018
Stylish Prosthetic Limbs Boost Amputees’ Quality of Life
Aesthetic devices respond to emotional needs and can lead to “positive conversations”. In the early 1900s in the United Kingdom, the National Health Service considered glasses and spectacles medical devices—designed to be functional, but without any consideration of style and experience.1 As a result, said Stefania Sansoni, PhD, companies that made eyeglasses didn’t think about their appearance. “They were thinking about not attracting attention,” she said.
By Nicole Wetsman Continue reading
November 2018
National Biomechanics Day 2018: Opening Young Minds to a Burgeoning Field
National Biomechanics Day (NBD) 2018—April 11, 2018—continued building excitement for the field by engaging 11,000 young students across 150-plus sites around the globe. The home-grown events allow high school (and younger) students to experience first-hand a field that underlies orthopedics, exercise physiology science, physical therapy, and countless other fields that involve human movement and performance. Continue reading
November 2018
The PodPAD Project: A Podiatry-led Integrated Pathway for People with Peripheral Arterial Disease in the UK – a Pilot Study
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 Continue reading
September 2018
Diabetes Self-Care Adherence: Whose Responsibility Is It? What’s a Clinician’s Role?
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 Continue reading
September 2018
People with Diabetes Foot Complications Do Not Recall Their Education: A Cohort Study
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 Continue reading
September 2018
Pes Anserine Tendino-Bursitis: An Underdiagnosed Cause of Knee Pain in Middle-Aged and Older Patients
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 Continue reading
September 2018
Barefoot Training Is Not Just for Barefoot Runners
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. Continue reading
September 2018
Advancements in Wound Healing Management
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 Continue reading
September 2018
Botox® Injection: Not Just for Celebrities’ Furrows and Wrinkles
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) Continue reading
August 2018
Evidence Builds for Tai Chi as Falls Prevention Intervention
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 Continue reading
August 2018
Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss
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 Continue reading
August 2018
Consider the Benefits of Gastrocnemius Recession for Recalcitrant Plantar Fasciitis
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 Continue reading
August 2018
Patellofemoral Pain in Adolescents Presents a Treatment Challenge
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 Continue reading
August 2018
Neuromuscular and Kinematic Adaptation in Response to Reactive Balance Training
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 Continue reading
July 2018
From the Literature: Diet, osteoporosis, and hip fracture
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 Continue reading
July 2018
Incorrectly fitted footwear, foot pain and foot disorders
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 Continue reading
