Lower Extremity Review
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.
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…
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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?
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
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