Lower Extremity Review
Despite published evidence that bracing and targeted exercises can prevent ankle injuries in high school basketball players, surprisingly few teams have adopted these practices. Barriers to implementation include a lack of awareness and expertise as well as time and money.
By P.K. Daniel
Total knee arthroplasty significantly improves functional outcomes in obese patients, but is also riskier than in normal-weight patients. As the number of obese patients with knee osteoarthritis continues to rise, clinicians are being challenged to find a balance between the risks and the benefits.
By Susan M. Odum, PhD, and Bryan D. Springer, MD
Increasing numbers of patients are finding relief from chronic low back pain with the use of foot orthoses, but the mechanism underlying the positive outcomes is largely unknown.
By Larry Hand
A diminished capability for energy dissipation at the knee after ground impact during landing in patients with chronic ankle instability may result in greater demands on the ankle joint. Modifying landing strategies could potentially reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injury.
By Masafumi Terada, MS, ATC, and Phillip A. Gribble, PhD, ATC, FNATA
By understanding how military medicine has evolved and adapted over time, modern practitioners can better appreciate the need to question convention, advance research, and rapidly integrate beneficial new technologies into medical care.
By Christine Miller, DPM, FACCWS, Ashley Finn, and Emily Delzell
Adaptive sports programs offer a fun, social way for people with disability to be more physically active and improve their self-image at the same time, through pursuits ranging from tranquil fly-fishing to intense rock wall climbs.
By Emily Delzell
Landing and change of direction in volleyball can put players at risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Few ACL prevention studies have focused on volleyball, but players can benefit from screening and intervention programs that have been shown to be effective in other sports.
By Joanne L. Parsons, MSc, PT, CAT(C)
Researchers have established that elevated levels of glycated hemoglobin in patients with diabetes are associated with poor outcomes after foot and ankle surgery. Now the challenge is to identify an “acceptable” glycated hemoglobin level below which the benefits of surgery outweigh the risk of complications.
By Naohiro Shibuya, DPM, MS, FACFAS, Jon M. Humphers, DPM, and Daniel C. Jupiter, PhD
The ability to achieve a 90° squat appears to have important functional implications for patients rehabilitating from total knee arthroplasty. However, detecting impairment may require more rigorous methods than conventional sit-to-stand testing.
By Mark D. Rossi, PhD, PT, CSCS, and Denis Brunt, EdD, PT
Studies of the kinematic variables associated with medial tibial stress syndrome suggest possible targets for prevention and intervention, including the use of foot orthoses.
By Janice K. Loudon, PT, PhD, SCS, ATC, and Michael P. Reiman, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, ATC, FAAOMPT, CSCS
Video gaming technology is finding its way into clinical practice, and research supports its effectiveness for improving balance, strength, and function. But studies also suggest some patient populations may be more responsive to exer-gaming than others.
By Samantha Rosenblum
Kickboxing isn’t just for elite martial artists. In fact, preliminary research suggests the kicks, punches, and knee movements associated with the sport can improve balance and mobility in patients with multiple sclerosis. And as an added bonus, it’s also fun.
By Kurt Jackson PT, PhD, GCS, and Kimberly Edginton-Bigelow, PhD
Competitive figure skating today is much less about artistry and much more about athleticism than in years past. Training is longer and harder than ever, while the classic unforgiving skate boot design has remained essentially unchanged. And lower extremity injuries in skaters are on the rise.
By Nathan W. Saunders, MA, and Steven T. Devor, PhD, FACSM
The achievement of independent walking is a major focus of rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Even when mobility could be achieved more easily through the use of assistive technologies such as wheelchairs, independent walking is typically pursued as a major rehabilitation goal and other forms of mobility are often discouraged.
By Barbara E. Gibson, BMR(PT), MSc, PhD
Evidence is linking genetic mutations to Achilles tendon and anterior cruciate ligament injuries as researchers try to connect complex motor control processes to small segments of DNA. But genetic testing is still a long way from becoming a clinical tool.
By Larry Hand
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