Lower Extremity Review
Professional football players are enduring higher levels of force than ever, and foot and ankle injury rates are increasing as a result. Advances in surgery and rehabilitation have helped get players back on the field more quickly, but injury prevention remains a significant challenge.
By Will Carroll
Altered biomechanics after ankle arthrodesis often increase stress on the adjacent joints in the foot, which can cause or exacerbate osteoarthritic degeneration in those joints. Clinicians and researchers are working to better understand this process and how to minimize patients’ risk.
By Cary Groner
The ability to identify and treat patients at risk for mental health issues after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury may help improve psychological readiness for reconstructive surgery, attitudes toward postoperative rehabilitation, and successful surgical and rehabilitation outcomes.
By John Reaume, MD, MHSA; Dana Reaume, PsyD; and Melissa A. Christino, MD
Women with iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) independently modify their running gait when fatigued to decrease hip adduction, potentially as a result of pain, according to research from Rutgers University in Newark, NJ, that may have implications for gait retraining.
By Katie Bell
Trained long distance runners have a higher step rate and a shorter step length during running than untrained participants—characteristics that may represent adaptations to reduce injury and improve running economy, according to research from Spain.
By Jordana Bieze Foster
Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is associated with altered vertical ground reaction forces (vGRF) and loading rates during running, which may be related to altered landing patterns designed to protect the ankle joint, according to research from Indiana University in Bloomington.
By Jordana Bieze Foster
The problematic trend of physiological studies in which young women are underrepresented now extends to research on blood flow restriction (BFR) training, according to a paper epublished in October by Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging.
By Cary Groner
Foot-focused progressive resistance training helps improve toe flexor strength and balance in older adults, which may help reduce the risk of falls, according to research from the University of Wollongong in Australia.
By Jordana Bieze Foster
Foam rolling is associated with greater acute improvement in quadriceps and hamstrings flexibility compared with static or dynamic stretching, according to research from Taiwan.
By Jordana Bieze Foster
The concept of foot-strike pattern during running—something rarely discussed a decade ago, even in research circles—is now pervasive among runners as well as biomechanics experts and lower extremity clinicians. But that’s not necessarily a good thing.
By Jordana Bieze Foster, Editor
Donating parts, funds aids efforts – Each year, Dino Scanio, CO, LO, and his five-member team of pediatric O&P specialists arrive in Guatemala City to perform a challenging task. In just four days in their most recent clinic in August, for example, they fit nearly 50 young patients with custom devices and…
By Brigid Galloway
Prevention requires team approach – The inclusion of physicians, including specialists in pediatric orthopedic surgery and sports or dance medicine, in a team with teachers, physical therapists, parents, and others could help identify and prevent injuries in growing young dancers, according to…
By Hank Black
Regular foot checks may curb problems – A recent study published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research found that hallux valgus and too-narrow footwear contribute to foot-specific disability in children with Down syndrome. Interestingly, the study found foot posture wasn’t associated with foot-specific disability in the same children.
By Erin Boutwell
The most public battles about barefoot running and minimalist footwear have been fought over their use by adult athletes and the clinicians who treat them. There is, however, a separate discussion underway regarding barefoot and minimally shod running in children.
By Cary Groner
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) affects nearly a quarter of a million US kids younger than 16 years. The hallmarks of the autoimmune disorder include joint inflammation, stiffening, and damage, as well as changes in joint growth, all of which can prove painful.
By Shalmali Pal
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