Category Archives: Clinical News
July 2020
Getting Off 1 Bus Stop Earlier = 50+ Days in Life Expectancy
In early 2019, Dublin’s Department of Health wanted to encourage public transport riders to improve their activity levels by alighting 1 stop earlier and walking to their destination. To gain the public’s attention, they decided to relate the additional steps to the potential increase in life-expectancy (calculated at a population level). Continue reading
July 2020
Compression Stockings Effective in Diabetes & PAD; Aid Sport Activity Performance
Two new studies show the effectiveness of compression stockings (CS) in the settings of diabetes and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) as well as in sport performance. The first, from Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg in Germany and published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, looked at… Continue reading
July 2020
Not Just for Kids! Virtual Reality Training Improves Balance in Older Adults
Falls are common among adults over age 65 with 30% reporting at least 1 fall in 2014 in the United States. Falls can cause life-threatening injuries leading to emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and even death. The good news is that exercise-based falls prevention programs have been proven… Continue reading
July 2020
Predicting Return-to-Play After Calf Muscle Strain Injury
In a study of 149 calf muscle strain injuries (CMSI) among 123 Australian Football League players, researchers from the La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Center sought to determine whether clinical and radiological factors can be predictive of both return to play and/or re-injury. Continue reading
July 2020
Skateboarding Survey: 70% Suffer Lower Extremity Injuries
In a web-based survey of 197 Spanish skateboarders (mean age 24.4 years; 89.3% male) researchers from the University A Coruña in Spain sought to better understand the practice habits and injuries of skateboarders. Continue reading
July 2020
Cooling Insoles Offer New Approach to Diabetic Foot Ulcer Prevention
Adults who suffer from pain due to diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the feet now have another treatment option: QUTENZA (capsaicin) 8% patch has received extended-label approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA originally approved the pain management patch in 2009 for… Continue reading
July 2020
Orphengesic Forte, New Opioid-free Pain Med, Approved for Musculoskeletal Pain
Galt Pharmaceuticals, Atlanta, GA, announced that the US Food & Drug Administration has issued a new drug approval for Orphengesic Forte, a non-opioid, non-controlled, non-addictive prescription pain medication. Orphengesic Forte is indicated for the relief of mild to moderate pain of acute musculoskeletal disorders, paired with rest, physical therapy, and other measures. Continue reading
July 2020
Abbott’s Personalized Chronic Pain Therapy App Approved by FDA
Abbott, Abbott Park, IL, has received approval to use its iOS-compatible St. Jude Medical Patient Controller Application, which is available for download from the Apple store. This app is for people living with chronic pain and neurologic disorders who are treated by Abbott neuromodulation devices including… Continue reading
June 2020
Cooling Insoles Offer New Approach to Diabetic Foot Ulcer Prevention
A new cooling insole developed by UT Southwestern scientists reduced the foot temperature of patients with diabetic neuropathy by several degrees, diminishing a significant risk factor for diabetic foot ulcers. This new device, detailed in an article published in The Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery, could eventually prevent thousands of diabetes-related amputations each year. Continue reading
June 2020
Sjogren’s Musculoskeletal Pain Not Related to Enthesitis
An assessment of entheses involvement using ultrasonography has found that musculoskeletal pain in patients with Sjogren’s Syndrome is not due to enthesitis. This prospective study included 25 Sjogren’s female patients (mean age, 53.2 + 11.3 yrs) and 25 sex and age-matched controls (mean age, 50.6 + 9.7 yrs), who all… Continue reading
May 2020
SELECTFLEX ORTHOTICS WITH ADJUSTABLE ARCH TECHNOLOGY
Alliance Design & Development Group (ADDG) has pioneered what it describes as the first and only orthotics with adjustable arch technology. ADDG engineered SelectFlex insoles to help prevent the many ailments that often afflict those who work on their feet all day, particularly in industrial fields like… Continue reading
May 2020
Starting with gait retraining: an analysis of changes in impact over time
The repetitive impact that is experienced upon collision with the ground may be related to running injuries but is modifiable. Lower-impact running can be achieved by receiving biofeedback in response to the peak tibial acceleration, but when are runners adapting to lower-impact running?
By the Biomechanics of Human Movement research group of Ghent University Continue reading
May 2020
Fragility Fractures, Bone Health Management, and Caregiving
Patients who have fragility fractures may experience a disruption of their responsibilities as caregivers to family members and others who depend on them. The purpose our study was to examine how caregiving responsibilities were associated with, and possibly impacted by, the fracture experience and the resulting management of bone health.
By Joanna Sale, PhD Continue reading
May 2020
Does Physical Activity Relate to Motor Development?
Do certain kinds of physical activity (PA) help children develop motor skills better than others? To find out, researchers from East Carolina University used data from 342 children who had taken part in the 2012 National Youth Fitness Survey to look at specific kinds of PA and motor skill development in preschool-aged children. Continue reading
May 2020
Prevalence of Obesity in US Continues Upward Trend
Nearly 1 out of every 2 US adults will be obese by 2030, and nearly 1 in 4 will be severely obese, according to estimates published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers used 1993-2016 data on 6.3 million US adults who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to project the prevalence of different body-mass index (BMI) categories through 2030. Continue reading
April 2020
Preventing Re-ulceration in Diabetes
In a recent short review, Michael J. Mueller, PT, PhD, FAPTA, provided 5 evidence-based suggestions for helping patients with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy (PN) safely and effectively increase their mobility after a healed foot ulcer. Mueller is a professor of physical therapy and radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Continue reading
March 2020
AFO Configuration Can Improve Efficacy of the Orthotic Intervention on Gait Patterns in CP Patients
Cerebral Palsy (CP) represents the most common cause of motor disability in childhood with dysfunctional gait being one of the main problems. Early adoption of intervention programs adapted to the patient’s functional limitation and disability represent the current standard of care; therapeutic approaches include Ankle-Foot Orthoses (AFOs) for which the evidence shows they…
By Keith Loria Continue reading
March 2020
Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy in Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Use of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is growing in the management of complex wounds as well as foot and ankle surgery. Researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and Wake Forest Baptist Health Center in North Carolina recently published a review of the evidence for NPWT in Foot & Ankle International. Their findings related to diabetic foot and neuropathic ulcers are excerpted here. Continue reading
March 2020
Updated Treatment Guideline for OA Published
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Arthritis Foundation (AF) partnered to update and publish the 2019 ACR/AF Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis [OA] of the Hand, Hip and Knee. Last published in 2012, the updated guideline includes contributions to the literature since the last publication, and for the first time direct patient participation was incorporated.
By Laura Fonda Hochnadel Continue reading
March 2020
What you need to know about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 is spreading from person to person in parts of the United States. Risk of infection with COVID-19 is higher for people who are close contacts of someone known to have COVID-19, for example healthcare workers, or household members. Continue reading
February 2020
One Claudication Question May Be Quick Screen for PAD
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) affects more than 200 million adults around the world. If identified early, PAD is highly treatable and may prevent patients from suffering major adverce cardiac events (MACE) and major adverse limb events (MALE). The most important criterion for definition of PAD is an ankle-brachial index (ABI) below 0.90.
By Lynn Soban, PhD, MPH, RN Continue reading
February 2020
Science Meets Fun on National Biomechanics Day: April 8, 2020
National Biomechanics Day (NBD) is a worldwide celebration of biomechanics in its many forms for middle- and high-school students and their teachers. Designed to introduce biomechanics science and its applications to young minds around the world, the event seeks to teach young people about all that biomechanics contributes to society with the hope of encouraging them to pursue it as a career. Continue reading
February 2020
Study Shows Heel Lifts Affect Biomechanics, Muscle Function
Clinicians use a variety of in-shoe heel lifts to treat a range of musculoskeletal conditions. The mechanics of how these orthotic devices work, however, is unclear. So a group from LaTrobe University in Australia put together a study that asked this question: Do heel lifts affect lower limb biomechanics and muscle function during walking and running? Continue reading
February 2020
1064-nm Laser Technique Shows Positive Results for Onychocryptosis
Onychocryptosis, more commonly known as in-grown toenail, affects nearly 20% of all patients who present a foot problem to their doctor. Current treatments include incisional procedures and nonincisional procedures, such as chemical matrixectomies and physical matrixectomies using a carbon dioxide laser.
By Keith Loria Continue reading
February 2020
Custom AFO With Walking Shoes Improves Balance, Reduces Fear of Falling for Seniors
Research shows that one out of every four older Americans falls annually. Fall-related injuries continue to be a costly and debilitating health risk, costing the US healthcare system about $50 billion annually. More importantly, falling once doubles an older adult’s risk of falling again, increasing their fear of falling and negatively impacting quality of life. Continue reading
