Lower Extremity Review
In a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, reporter Stacey Burling wrote, “Amputation rates among people with diabetes in the United States dropped for about 15 years, but recent reports issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlight a disturbing trend: Amputation rates have been rising in people under 65 with diabetes since 2009.
By Mark Hinkes, DPM
Although it’s difficult to predict future developments, one might extrapolate, to some extent, large changes to a specialty of medicine by looking back on the history of the field and combining it with recent developments and trends.
By Jarrod M. Shapiro, DPM
Mobility and balance deficits in patients with lower extremity impairments are significant factors for decreased quality of life. To improve outcomes for these patients, clinicians need measures that are evidence-based and scientifically validated; in other words, there is a need to measure things that matter.
By Michael Rowling, BS
Before pronouncing what I predict will be the single most significant change in foot and ankle surgery in coming years, it’s essential to look back. I asked an orthopedic colleague what he thought the most significant change in orthopedics was over the past 25 years, and he replied, “locking plate technology.” I agree.
By Patrick A. DeHeer, DPM
My perspective on the future reflects my professional interest in lower-extremity injuries and conditions that can be treated by knee braces and by ankle-foot and knee-ankle-foot orthoses. An aging population and other market demographics seem to indicate there is an increasing need for braces; new manufacturing methods, including interesting composite materials and 3D printing, seem to point toward a future of technical innovation.
By Rick Riley
Georgia Institute of Technology initiated its Masters of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics (MSPO) program in 2002, knowing that considerable advances in the profession would be possible if research was an emphasis in clinical education. Students entering the program came with added bases of knowledge, dominated by…
By Geza F. Kogler, PHD
Modern day times not only see us living longer, but enjoying a wide array of advances in lifestyle, medicine, health, and social care, as well as the fast-paced changes in technology. Currently, 13% of the global population is over age 60, a figure which is increasing by 3% each year.1
By Sarah A. Curran, PhD
Prosthetic and orthotic clinical care involves using custom-made devices to assist in the rehabilitation of people with physical impairments and disabilities. As such, it has long relied on the craftsmanship of prosthetists and orthotists. Although the results of such craftsmanship can be of tremendous benefit to the patient…
By Stefania Fatone, PhD, Ryan Caldwell, CP, FAAOP, and Julia Quinlan, PhD
The foot ranks high among the most ill-constructed elements of the modern human musculoskeletal system—an observation that necessarily begs the question: Why is this so? Upright, bipedal gait is the defining characteristic of our lineage; humans and our immediate ancestors have been practicing it for at least 5 million years. Why hasn’t evolution perfected this hallmark adaptation?
By Bruce Latimer, PhD
A big thank you goes out to our readers, expert authors, Editorial Advisory Board members, advertisers, writers, editors, designers, production managers, and webmasters! You all have made 10 years of publishing LER possible. I look forward to the next 10.
By Rich Dubin, Publisher
Cascade Dafo, creators of the original DAFO® (Dynamic Ankle Foot Orthosis), has added the DAFO Softback™ to their custom line of orthoses. The DAFO Softback provides comfortable control of mild to moderate toe walking and knee hyperextension. The AFO’s soft yet durable posterior pad and strap combination work together to comfortably resist excess plantarflexion while encouraging free dorsiflexion.
New York OMC manufactures all of its medical and orthopedic products by hand. The New York OMC line can be used by practitioners and podiatrists as a way to increase mobility, avoid pain and surgery, and provide a better quality of life to patients. The Charcot Restraint Orthotic Walker, or “CROW” Boot, is a cross between an ankle-foot orthoses and a custom boot. The design provides total contact for weight distribution.
New SoreSpot® Silicone Tape from PediFix® is a ground-breaking advance for footcare, skin care, scar care, wound care and more, with at least 4 helpful applications for foot specialists: First, this unique skin protectant minimizes shear and friction to relieve blisters, corns, calluses and ‘hot spots’, making it ideal for instant conservative care, sports medicine and other skin-saving uses.
A team of engineers led by Tufts University has developed a bandage to actively monitor the condition of chronic wounds, such as diabetic ulcers, and deliver drug treatments to improve the chances of healing. With the idea of assisting the natural healing process, the researchers designed the bandages with heating elements and thermoresponsive drug carriers that can deliver tailored treatments in response to embedded pH and temperature sensors that track infection and inflammation.
Lawrence G. Lefler, DPM, passed away June 23. He was 92 years old. Lefler was a veteran of the United States Army Air Corps and was an air traffic controller until being discharged in 1946. He then attended the University of Nebraska, eventually being admitted to what is now the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, which he graduated from in 1952.
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