Lower Extremity Review
Early mobilization and weight bearing after Achilles tendon repair is associated with improved patient satisfaction and faster return to work and sports, with no significant increase in rates of tendon rerupture or postoperative wound and nerve complications.
By David P. Taormina, MD, and Nirmal C. Tejwani, MD
Researchers and clinicians have found that plantar pressure assessment can help document the dynamic effects of hallux valgus surgery, postoperative physical therapy, and footwear or orthotic interventions, particularly in cases…
By Hank Black
A protocol that includes isolated hip strengthening exercises during the early stages of postoperative rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction may provide a platform on which to build in the later stages of rehab and may predict future performance.
By J. Craig Garrison, PhD, PT, ATC, SCS
Athletes swear by it, but quality studies on elastic therapeutic tape are hard to come by, and the literature is littered with conflicting or inconclusive findings about the technique’s efficacy…
By Cary Groner
In the search for factors that predict recurrence after use of the Ponseti method for successful treatment of idiopathic clubfoot, conclusive evidence is in short supply. However, the one factor that is…
By Rachel Y. Goldstein, MD, MPH
Low back pain is associated with kinematic and kinetic alterations that can increase the risk of lower extremity injury, particularly in the presence of fatigue. New research suggests…
By Ram Haddas, PhD
Reported cases of Lyme disease have been rising steadily over the past 30 years, but its diagnosis can be challenging. Left untreated, patients with Lyme disease can go on to develop neurological symptoms, including those that are characteristic of peripheral neuropathy.
By Greg Gargiulo
The effectiveness of eccentric training for the prevention and rehabilitation of hamstring strains has been established in the medical literature. The next step is to identify an eccentric hamstring exercise that addresses the limitations of existing…
By Karl F. Orishimo, MS, CSCS, and Takumi Fukunaga, DPT, ATC, CSCS
Patient-reported outcomes can be used to monitor health-related quality of life in patients with chronic ankle instability, and lower extremity practitioners can design rehabilitation approaches to specifically target physical impairments that are known to contribute to quality of life.
By Megan N. Houston, PhD, ATC, and Matthew C. Hoch PhD, ATC
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses show that bracing for knee osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with significant benefits with regard to pain and function. But links to disease progression remain elusive, and the challenges of patient compliance are becoming even more complicated.
By Larry Hand
Research supports eccentric strengthening for treatment of midportion Achilles tendinopathy, but a new study suggests the same approach…
By Lisa H. Jain, DPT, OCS; Kevin J. McCarthy, MD; Michael Williams, PT, OCS; Marie Barron, PT, OCS; Nick Bird, MPT; Brian Blackwell, PT, OCS; G. Andrew Murphy, MD; David R. Richards, MD; Susan Ishikawa, MD; and Margaret Kedia, PhD, DPT
Current treatments for chronic ankle instability (CAI) may be ineffective in reducing its development and recurrence. To help address this issue, the authors have proposed a new treatment paradigm based on …
By Patrick O. McKeon, PhD, ATC, CSCS, and Erik A. Wikstrom, PhD, ATC, FACSM
A knee injury can have painful and disabling long-term repercussions, such as the early onset of knee osteoarthritis (OA) or accelerated knee OA. Injury prevention and effective interventions may help …
By Jeffrey B. Driban, PhD, ATC, CSCS; Brian Pietrosimone, PhD, ATC; Nicole M. Cattano, PhD, ATC; Matthew S. Harkey, MS, ATC; and Brittney A. Luc, MS, ATC
Decreasing stride length during running has been shown to result in biomechanical changes that are associated with reduced loading of biological tissues and, by extension, also may reduce the …
By Melissa A. Thompson, PhD, and Kristine M. Hoffman, DPM
Although some research has found that using the composite score for the seven component tasks of the Functional Movement Screen is a reliable way to predict risk of injury in athletes, other studies …
By Erin Hartigan, PT, DPT, OCS, PhD, ATC; Nicole Chimera, PhD, ATC, CSCS; and Sarah Lamberton, NSCA-CPT
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