Lower Extremity Review
L. Bruce Gladden, PhD, FACSM, began his tenure on January 1 as editor-in-chief of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the flagship journal of the American College of Sports Medicine. Gladden is professor in the School of Kinesiology and Humana-Germany-Sherman Distinguished Professor in Education at Auburn University in Alabama.
Northvale, NJ-based Orthofeet joined with the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) in January to begin a grassroots effort to bring foot health education to patients with diabetes in key US markets. The Orthofeet team will partner with the AADE network…
Therapeutic footwear supplier Apis, based in South El Monte, CA, is sponsoring a “Hands-on-Foot Seminar” in Columbus, OH, on March 24. Rich Rusche, CO, CPed, will lead the seminar, which will focus on management of the neuropathic limb and offer 9.75 CEUs (continuing education units).
Auburn, ME-based shoe seller Lamey Wellehan, which has six retail locations in the state, will mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of its first store on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, in Lewiston. The company will celebrate its centennial with a yearlong schedule of events, including door prizes, vendor days, and sales.
Ottobock in February named international snowboarding champion Keith Gabel of Ogden, UT, its newest Ottobock Ambassador. In this role, Ogden, a below knee amputee, will serve as role model for individuals with disabilities and showcase the technology he uses in daily life and in competition.
The American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA) lobbied successfully to secure funds for O&P outcomes research as part of the 2014 congressional appropriations package, the organization announced in January. Congress accepted a proposal by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)…
Two studies published early this year found platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection improved pain and function in patients with chronic severe plantar fasciitis who hadn’t responded to conservative treatments.
Researchers reported in February that integrative neuromuscular training (INT) enhances motor skills in girls, improving fitness and offering potential protection from development of risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament tears and other musculoskeletal injuries.
Researchers from Qatar reported in February that soccer players who sustain a hamstring injury are likely to have isokinetic strength deficits when they return to play, but the effect of those deficits on reinjury rates is unknown.
When more conventional approaches lead to inconsistent or inexplicable findings, researchers sometimes find that assessing the variability of an outcome can provide a valuable perspective. But researchers still have a great deal to learn about how much variability is too much, or too little, with regard to lower extremity issues.
Jordana Bieze Foster, Editor
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
Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease showing the greatest increase in speed appear to respond to and utilize the energy storing and releasing properties of a carbon fiber composite ankle foot orthosis differently from those who had smaller increases in walking speed.
By Janet S. Dufek, PhD; Edward S. Neumann, PhD, PE, CP; M. Cameron Hawkins, PhD; and Brendan J. O’Toole, PhD
Despite the documented benefits of supervised exercise in patients with claudication, its effect on actual clinical practice has been disappointing due to a lack of reimbursement. But practitioners and researchers have been investigating other options, with encouraging preliminary results.
By Cary Groner
Transcranial magnetic stimulation research suggests cortical excitability may be able to help differentiate healthy, previously injured, and functionally unstable ankle joints, and underscores the need to clinically target both mechanical and proprioceptive deficits in patients with FAI.
By Alan R. Needle, PhD
Studies show that lower extremity amputation rates in patients with diabetes vary widely, sometimes even within individual healthcare systems. What’s more difficult to determine is why these variations exist and what can be done to improve access to care for all patients.
By Larry Hand
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