Published guidelines for management of plantar fasciitis don’t cover every detail of which interventions to try, in what order, and for how long. As a result, every practitioner tends to interpret the gray areas just a little differently. By Cary Groner

With the Supreme Court weighing the constitutionality of President Obama’s healthcare reform law as this magazine went to press and another presidential election looming this fall, the topic of government healthcare spending is sure to get a lot of airtime in the coming months. That means we can expect to get used to hearing from ...

A patient presenting with both end-stage knee osteoarthritis and a painful foot-ankle deformity is not uncommon, but the medical literature offers practitioners little guidance as to which condition should be managed first or whether they should be addressed simultaneously. by Michael S. Pinzur, MD, and William Hopkinson, MD

Advances in communications technol­ogy now make it possible for an expert in one location to assess a diabetic foot ulcer in a patient who is miles away. But telehealth efforts face a number of hurdles, the most daunting of which may be patient privacy. By Emily Delzell

When prescribing an ankle foot orthosis or neuroprosthesis for a patient with acute drop foot following stroke, lower extremity practitioners should consider the device’s potential effects on neural plasticity and motor relearning in addition to its potential effects on gait. By Chad Lairamore, PhD, PT, CBISt

Newly published proceedings of an inter­dis­ciplinary osteoarthritis summit hosted by the Hospital for Special Surgery ex­plore how researchers are working to under­stand the complexities of the disease and break down the barriers facing the development of new interventions. By Cary Groner

Indications for operative versus nonoper­ative treatment of tarsometatarsal joint injuries depend on the specific injury pattern and disruption of normal anatomy, which may be evident on physical ex­amin­ation or radiographs but may also present more subtly. By Andrew Rosenbaum, MD, John DiPreta, MD, and Richard Uhl, MD

Essential to achieving the goal of prevent­ing amputation in patients with diabetes is recognizing barriers that stand in the way, according to a Swedish diabetic foot expert who spoke in March at the Diabetic Foot Global Conference (DFCon) in Los ...

A national strategy of risk stratification in Scotland significantly decreased the incidence of amputation within the first years of its implementation, according to unpublished data presented in March at the Diabetic Foot Global Conference (DFCon) in Los Angeles.

Participation in a support group for diabetic amputees is associated with significant clinical and educational benefits, according to unpublished data from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center San Antonio presented in March at the Diabetic Foot Global Conference (DFCon).

Idiopathic toe-walking is a bilateral toe-to-toe gait diagnosed when children con­tinue this behavior, which is considered part of the normal spectrum of toddlers’ gait development, past age 2. By Emily Delzell

Findings presented at in March at the American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists annual meeting in Atlanta suggest rigid knee orthoses (KOs) likely have no negative impact on energy efficiency or performance.

Ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) designed to correct foot drop during swing and provide toe clearance may facilitate more accurate foot placement, according to preliminary data presented in March at the American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists annual meeting in Atlanta.

Darco International unveils the new Body Armor Vario Brace, a general-use ankle brace with an added element of customization. The Body Armor Vario Brace comes with three posting discs of 2°, 4°, and 6° to correct varus/valgus alignment and three ...

Trulife introduces the Matrix Split Toe and Matrix Max Split Toe AFOs. These custom-fit, carbon composite ankle foot orthoses feature a split footplate for improved balance and stability. Both devices include a height-adjustable anterior shell, trimmable footplate, open calcaneal design, ...

Battle Creek Equipment Company has introduced the Ice It! ColdComfort systems. The non-toxic, reusable cold packs are filled with 99% recycled materials that freeze quickly, maintain temperature, and stay flexible when frozen. The Stay-Put cover has an insulated side away ...

Kevin Orthotics by Foot In Motion introduces the A-Brace 250 Overlap Free Motion. The custom molded footplate and custom-fit ankle struts are designed to provide relief from ankle instability, ankle sprains, tendinitis, tendon dysfunction, arthritis, trauma, and congenital pathologies. The ...

Preferred Medical Supply Company offers a new walking shoe available in women’s lace-up (DR818), men’s lace-up (DR218), women’s Velcro (DR819), and men’s Velcro (DR219) under its Dr.2 Shoes banner. An extra deep toe box accommodates custom and/or diabetic orthotic devices, ...

Medi-Dyne Healthcare Products has introduced the new Range Roller line of multi-layer massage therapy rollers with Trigger Treads, which enable users to massage multiple layers of muscles and connective tissue to more effectively increase circulation, relieve knots, warm muscles, eliminate ...

Vasyli Medical and Think Tank member Trevor Prior, podiatric surgeon and sports injury management specialist, announce the development of the Vasyli + Prior low profile sports orthotic. It has been specifically designed to fit into the confines of soccer or ...

Cho-Pat’s new VE Ankle Compression Sleeve combines warmth, compression, and support with a proprietary closure. The easy-to-use sleeve applies uniform dynamics to help reduce ankle pain and discomfort, promoting circulation and generating warmth to enhance healing. The sleeve’s three-dimensional knit ...

Sonostics introduces MyoWave , a function analysis device that converts muscle vibration to absolute effort to identify muscle imbalance. Comprising a laptop, small data collection pack and accelerometers, MyoWave captures information from up to six muscles simultaneously during functional movements. ...

The Go AFO from Hersco is a new rear-entry ankle gauntlet. The gauntlet is a traditional thermoplastic ankle foot orthosis with a thin leather lining and outer layer that secures posteriorly with either a Velcro or lace closure.  The gauntlet ...