Lower Extremity Review
The decision often hinges on how a given intervention will affect the patient’s quality of life. How, then, to define optimal QoL for your patient, and to agree on the means to achieve it? As clinicians well know, diabetes puts patients at risk of foot ulcers that can lead to poor outcomes, evidenced by the 40% 5-year mortality in patients with newly diagnosed diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).
By Cary Groner
The authors seek answers to clinical questions regarding the optimal program of eccentric exercises: Does type of tendinopathy predict success? What modifications to exercise duration and repetitions make sense? What is the likelihood of long-term pain relief afforded by such a program of exercise?
By Jonathan L. Hook, DPM, MHA, and Curt Martini, DPM
Leg-length discrepancy and its sequelae are best considered a syndrome affecting many regions of the body through the closed kinetic chain. Most cases require comprehensive, cross-disciplinary treatment. The authors present a novel scoring system for diagnosis.
By Jay Segel, DPM; Susan Sanford, PT, L.Ac, C.SMA; Sally Crawford, MS; and Lori Yarrow, DC, BPE
People with PFP are less physically active than healthy controls, with regard to both steps per day and minutes of mild, moderate, and intense activity. Increases in activity-related pain may cause…
By Neal R. Glaviano, PhD, AT, ATC; Andrea Baellow, MS; and Susan Saliba, PhD, MPT, Med
As a growing number of studies report associations between concussion and musculoskeletal injury risk, new research suggests concussed athletes may also have an increased risk of osteoarthritis later in life.
By Robert C. Lynall, PhD, ATC; Timothy C. Mauntel, PhD, ATC; David R. Howell, PhD, ATC; and Thomas A. Buckley, EdD, ATC
Clinicians know that handling a lacrosse stick or other types of sport-specific equipment can affect an athlete’s movement patterns in potentially harmful ways. Now researchers are beginning to quantify these types of effects and explore their clinical implications.
By Jill R. Dorson
In spite of advancements in research and subsequent modifications to running footwear design, rates of running-related injuries have not decreased. That may be because researchers and designers have been focusing on the wrong variables.
By Joseph Hamill, PhD, and Gillian Weir, PhD
It’s no secret by now that traditional flimsy flip flops are associated with gait alterations that can contribute to more serious issues, but for many patients, flip flops are a hard habit to break. A new generation of “comfort” flip flops offers an alternative, but clinicians remain wary.
By Shalmali Pal
Increasingly, clinicians and researchers are focusing on tactical athletes—including warfighters, firefighters, law enforcement officers, and other professionals—as a unique population with regard to lower extremity injuries.
By Hank Black
As slacklining’s popularity grows, researchers have begun to uncover physiological and neurological evidence for how and why the activity may be beneficial to people with balance, strength, and mobility issues.
By Brigid Elsken Galloway
Improved mobility with ankle foot orthoses and other devices can help patients experience the multiple health benefits of increased physical activity. But aggressive activity goals— including the oft-cited target of 10,000 steps per day— may still be problematic for some device users.
By Larry Hand
Increasingly, lower extremity experts are being called on to assist with crime scene investigations by analyzing footprints, shoe prints, and the gait patterns of shadowy figures on security videos. For members of this fledgling field, as Sherlock Holmes famously said, the game is afoot.
By Shalmali Pal
The risk of knee osteoarthritis in the intact limb of longtime unilateral amputees is much higher than in nonamputees, and the range of potential contributing factors is even more complex. Optimizing prosthetic fit and function, in addition to more conventional OA interventions, can help address gait issues that contribute to knee joint degeneration.
By Emily Delzell
Several technical issues currently limit the cost effectiveness of 3D-printing custom foot orthoses, but these will likely be addressed in the near future with the emergence of larger and faster 3D printers.
By Steven Hoeffner, PhD; Timothy Pruett; Breanne Przestrzelski, MS; Brian Kaluf, CP; Nikki Hooks, CO; Katelyn Ragland; Shannon Hall; Kyle Walker; Dan Ballard, CPed; and John DesJardins, PhD
Researchers from the UK have identified three subgroups of individuals with patellofemoral pain (PFP) that can be determined using simple evidence-based clinical tests—a key first step toward developing targeted treatment strategies as part of the ongoing effort to improve PFP outcomes.
By Jessie Janssen, PhD; James Selfe, DSc; Michael Callaghan, PhD; Chris Sutton, PhD; Paola Dey, PhD; and Jim Richards, PhD
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