Lower Extremity Review
For gait analysis in real-time, the EVOLVE MVMT wearable device focuses on the heel strike and quality of each step, versus quantity of steps taken. It enables users to enhance their walking technique by improving muscle recruitment to achieve health benefits like burning more calories when walking the same distance and minimizing force transmitted through the joints.
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new model that predicts how certain shoe properties will affect a runner’s performance. The model represents a runner as a center of mass, with a hip that can rotate and a leg that can stretch. The leg is connected to a box-like shoe, with springiness and shock absorption that can be tuned, both vertically and horizontally.
In addition to causing pain, swelling, and itching, leg ulcers can also cause a foul-smelling discharge. That’s where Cinesteam can make a difference. While there are other options to address wound malodor, the unique advantage of Cinesteam is that it is fast-acting. It is a secondary dressing—ie, it must be placed on top of the primary dressing and doesn’t come in contact with the wound itself. This directly treats the underlying cause of wound odor by adsorbing the smells before they can spread out to the rest of the room and invade others’ olfactory senses.
The Motivator Folding Travel Pole combines the innovative, patented ergonomic Motivator grip with the York Nordic’s renowned travel poles to ensure the ability to continue rehabilitation and walking routines while traveling or on the move. The Motivator Folding Travel Pole has been lauded by physical therapists for its use in the rehabilitation process due to the increased balance and stability…
Dr. Lee Jongwon of the Intelligent Robotics Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has developed a wearable robot, MOONWALK-Omni, which means “to actively support leg strength in any direction (omni-direction) to help walk like walking on the moon.” Further, he has announced that a senior citizen wearing it successfully completed a wearable robot challenge to climb to the top of Mount Yeongbong (604 meters above sea level) in Korea.
The Universal Neonatal Foot Orthotics (UNFO) patented system is a corrective foot brace for the treatment of various foot conditions such as metatarsus adductus (MTA), a common condition in newborns that causes the forefoot to turn inward. It is also indicated for use for other conditions including metatarsus varus, forefoot adduction, intoeing, and skew foot.
The 2024 American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) Quick Coder is now available. This redesigned, speedy reference to the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes for all orthotic, shoe, and prosthetic codes and modifiers also provides references for inpatient billing and off-the-shelf versus custom-fit coding. These laminated cards are durable, long-lasting, and convenient to store. Changes are now being made to codes on a biannual basis. If a change is made during the year, AOPA will send out notifications.
Orthotic-friendly footwear brand, Revere, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, announced a significant step in its growth journey through a new partnership with footwear accessory brand veteran, Josh Higgins. Alongside his new capacity with Revere, Higgins will remain dedicated to his primary role as president of performance OS1st, Hickory, North Carolina, a brand in performance socks and compression bracing.
Tai Chi is an evidence-based fall prevention training for older adults, yet its effective movements remain unclear. Practicing Tai Chi (TC)—exercise that consists of a series of slow movements performed in semi-squat positions with an emphasis on coordination of whole-body movement and mind—is an effective way to prevent falls in older adults.
By Min Mao, PhDc; Vicki S. Mercer, PT, PhD; Fuzhong Li, PhD; Michael T. Gross, PT, PhD, FAPTA; Troy Blackburn, PhD, ATC; and Bing Yu, PhD
To maximize the AFO’s effect on walking energy cost reduction, the AFO’s bending stiffness needs to be individually optimized. The stiffness of a dorsal leaf ankle foot orthosis (AFO) that minimizes walking energy cost in people with plantarflexor weakness varies between individuals. Using predictive simulations, the authors of this article studied the…
By NFJ Waterval, MSC; MM van der Krogt, Dr; K Veerkamp, T Geijtenbeek, PhD; J Harlaar, Dr, IR; F Nollet, MD, PhD; and MA Brehm, PhD
In the words of Plato, “Necessity is the mother of invention”. This is the story of the CastPack™, a novel and innovative cold therapy device designed to alleviate the suffering caused by the placement of casts. In 2020, like many middle-aged weekend warrior athletes, I jumped into a competitive pick-up game of basketball, without warming up or stretching.
By Joseph Hamad
Background: Riding lawn mower injuries are the most common cause of major limb loss in young U.S. children. Our study objective was to investigate the circumstances surrounding pediatric riding lawn mower injuries and to identify potential contributing risk factors and behaviors leading to these events.
By Charles A. Jennissen, Treyton D. Krupp, J. Priyanka Vakkalanka, and Pamela J. Hoogerwerf
A 2018 study from Johns Hopkins Surgery looking at 8 years of data found an average of 6,400 lawn mower injuries per year with an average cost of $37,000 per patient. In an unusually comprehensive analysis of nationwide data, researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine concluded that the rate of lawn mower injuries persists at close to 6,400 a year, most of them…
Background: Millions of people in the United States (US) have lawn mowers. Consequently, thousands of people visit US hospital emergency departments (EDs) each year for lawn mower-related injuries. The intent of this study was to characterize lawn mower-related injuries treated at US hospital EDs.
By Mathias B. Forrester, BS
This study provides the first insights into fast and slow muscle fiber transcriptome dynamics with lifelong endurance exercise. The fast fibers were more responsive to exercise with divergent transcriptome signatures among young exercisers (growth and metabolic), lifelong exercisers (metabolic), and old healthy nonexercisers (stress).
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