Lower Extremity Review
In an 8-year quality improvement follow-up study of reported surgical adverse events (AEs) at the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA), researchers found 277 AEs and 206 “close calls.” The data show a continuing of the downward trend from 1.74 to 0.47 AEs with harm for every 100,000 procedures, compared to the previous similar VHA studies (the periods 2001-2006 and 2006-2009).
A Connecticut allergy practice has agreed to pay $125,000 and enter a corrective action plan to settle an alleged Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule violation. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the violation occurred when one of the practice’s physicians disclosed a patient’s protected health information to a member of the media.
The answer doesn’t come easily; official guidelines are lacking. Ultimately, patients bear responsibility for the decision, but you can still offer them valuable advice for keeping safe. “Doctor, when can I start driving again?” That’s a common question patients ask when they’re headed for lower-extremity surgery. But it’s not always an easy one to answer.
By Keith Loria
New somatic practice uses repeated movements, breath awareness and rhythmic patterns to loosen joints and ease muscle tension. The GYROKINESIS® Method* is a unique form of somatic practice that is gaining popularity around the world. The Gyrokinesis Method promotes a holistic approach to health and well-being that could be useful to a variety of populations.
By Marianne Adams, MA, MFA
Aesthetic devices respond to emotional needs and can lead to “positive conversations”. In the early 1900s in the United Kingdom, the National Health Service considered glasses and spectacles medical devices—designed to be functional, but without any consideration of style and experience.1 As a result, said Stefania Sansoni, PhD, companies that made eyeglasses didn’t think about their appearance. “They were thinking about not attracting attention,” she said.
By Nicole Wetsman
National Biomechanics Day (NBD) 2018—April 11, 2018—continued building excitement for the field by engaging 11,000 young students across 150-plus sites around the globe. The home-grown events allow high school (and younger) students to experience first-hand a field that underlies orthopedics, exercise physiology science, physical therapy, and countless other fields that involve human movement and performance.
Clinical evidence suggests that this intervention (foot care plus advice on diet, exercise & smoking) is highly effective at reducing the progression into acute care and can reduce the incidence of amputation by 60%.
By Lisa Farndon, John Stephenson, Oliver Binns-Hall, Kayleigh Knight, and Sally Fowler-Davis
Patellofemoral pain (PFP), also known as anterior knee pain, is one of the most common but complex knee problems to manage. PFP affects approximately 23% of the general population and 29% of adolescents. Moreover, females are twice as likely to develop PFP as males.
By Lori A Bolgla, PT, PhD, MAcc, ATC, and Michelle C Boling, PhD, LAT, ATC
Z-CoiL shoes feature an innovative spring in the heel. Like shock-absorbers for the body, Z-CoiL’s reduce impact by 50%, enabling the wearer to walk, run, and stand for hours in comfort. Now those suffering from foot, leg, and back pain can reduce pain and injury without pills, shots, or surgery. It sounds too good to be true – but it’s not!
Some of your patients need custom orthotics. Others will achieve equal outcomes, at lower cost, with pre-fabricated insoles. Tread Labs offers semi-custom insoles that provide excellent relief from plantar fasciitis and other foot ailments. They are the perfect solution for customers who do not need, or cannot afford, custom devices.
Orthofeet therapeutic shoes offer unique functional features: Tie-Less Lacing System offers an easy way of fastening the shoe without the need for lacing up – and ideal solution for patients who have difficulty tying laces. Two-Way Fasting uses straps on both the medial and lateral sides of the shoe. Heel-Strap enables adjusting the grip around the heel, eliminating slippage, and accommodating braces and wide feet…
The Neuropathic Walker is a more advanced and comfortable solution to the CROW Walker. The Neuropathic Walker is integrated with custom molded 3/16” solid polypropylene and 1/4” Aliplast lining with the same trim lines as a CROW Walker. We use high-quality leather that is molded over the solid polypropylene.
Cascade Dafo, creator of the original DAFO (Dynamic Ankle Foot Orthosis), has added the Fast Fit Bug to its line of prefabricated shoe inserts. This low-profile foot orthosis is designed to control mild to moderate pronation with an optimal amount of support and comfort, yet minimal volume in the shoe.
The Rosemont, IL-based American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in mid-October announced plans to create a national family of clinical data registries for a broad range of orthopedic conditions and procedures.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have amended a recent coding clarification regarding custom-fabricated diabetic shoe inserts, which two specialty organizations had criticized as being unnecessarily strict and a detriment to advanced technology.
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