Lower Extremity Review
Research suggests that compression garments can be effective for improving muscle recovery after fatiguing exercise, but has found little to indicate an athletic performance benefit.
By P.K. Daniel
The question of when or if it’s safe for patients to drive after surgery or while wearing a lower extremity orthotic device is one practitioners should address. But, in the absence of formal guidelines, clinicians’ advice is often inconsistent.
By Hank Black
Although footwear may in fact play a role in the development of knee osteoarthritis and its clinical management, those relationships are turning out to be much more complicated than once thought.
By Cary Groner
Evidence supports the use of foot orthoses for PFP, but their mechanism of action is not well understood. New research suggests the effect of orthoses on timing of frontal plane moments may be an important variable.
By Thomas Gus Almonroeder, DPT, and Kristian O’Connor, PhD
Yoga is becoming increasingly popular with students looking to improve strength, flexibility, balance, and well being. But those who do too much, too soon are at risk for injury.
By Emily Delzell
Total hip arthroplasty can markedly improve quality of life in patients with Down syndrome, but the comorbidities and developmental disability associated with the chromosomal abnormality need to be taken into…
By Shalmali Pal
As increasing numbers of fitness enthusiasts embrace high-intensity training, reports of injuries have sparked a debate among clinicians about the benefits and risks associated with these programs.
By Cary Groner
Many experts believe that comprehensive acceptance of telemedicine for prevention and monitoring of diabetic wounds and other lower extremity care is right around the corner.
By Hank Black
Some evidence suggests that, if ankle braces limit athletes’ motion in the sagittal plane, the risk of knee injury could be increased, but other studies have found no association between ankle bracing and knee injury rates. The conflicting findings have made for a clinical conundrum.
By Cary Groner
The biomechanical implications of high-heeled shoes are well known, and now dramatic weight-bearing images and new study findings are taking practitioner and patient awareness to the next level. But many women are still sacrificing their feet for fashion.
By Emily Delzell
Cryotherapy applied to a joint may not necessarily have the same effects on balance and physical performance that have been demonstrated in applications involving muscle.
By Emily E. Williams, ATC, and Giampietro L. Vairo, PhD, ATC
Incline walking on a treadmill results in less frontal plane knee loading and more gluteus, hamstrings, quadriceps, and triceps surae muscle activation than level walking, and therefore may benefit patients with knee osteoarthritis or those who have undergone knee replacement.
By Henry Wang, PhD, Mason Haggerty, MS, Clark Dickin, PhD, and Jennifer Popps, PhD
Once thought by some to be the next big thing in running, minimalist footwear has been scrutinized in recent years by researchers and class-action plaintiffs who claim the shoes do not provide the same benefits as barefoot running…
By Cary Groner
Plantar pressure analysis studies are demonstrating the effectiveness of met pads for forefoot offloading and helping clinicians determine which patients are most likely to benefit from different pad designs and placement strategies.
By Greg Gargiulo
Stem cell therapy is rapidly gaining momentum as a clinical option for indications including meniscal injury, wound healing, and osteoarthritis. But high-level research on the technology’s efficacy and long-term safety is hard to come by.
By Emily Delzell
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