August 2024
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Cover Story
The Lapidus bunionectomy, named after American orthopedic surgeon Paul Lapidus, has emerged as a highly popular surgical approach to correcting severe cases of hallux valgus, the deformity commonly known as a bunion. This procedure involves fusing the first tarsometatarsal joint to realign and stabilize the metatarsal bone, aiming to correct the deformity at its root and ideally prevent recurrence.
By Patrick DeHeer, DPM FACFAS, FFPM RCPS (Glasg)
Guest Perspective
Diabetic foot is defined as a foot affected by ulceration that is associated with neuropathy and/or peripheral arterial disease of the lower limb in a patient with diabetes. These authors focused on nutrition as a source of healing and examined the correlation between various trace elements and wound healing in patients with diabetic foot ulcers.
By Sang Heon Lee, Sung Hwan Kim, Kyung Bum Kim, Ho Sung Kim, and Young Koo Lee
Features
Varicose veins (VVs)—those bulging, twisted blood vessels typically seen on the legs—are more than an esthetic issue. They can be painful and affect patients’ quality of life; left untreated, they can lead to life-threatening chronic venous insufficiency and venous ulcers. And when seen or mentioned, will always warrant a clinician’s attention.
By Angela Kelley, PA-C, MSM
Aquatic-based exercises are used as an alternative to land-based exercises for older adults who have lower levels of physical activity or neuromuscular disorders that impact their balance function. Balance plays a crucial role in the daily activities of older adults. Aquatic-based exercises (AE) are widely conducted as an alternative to...
By Ying Deng, Zheng Tang, Zhengting Yang, Qi Chai, Wenting Lu, Yunshi Cai, Yiting Luo, and Yongzhao Zhou
Despite being less commonly discussed than other motor symptoms, such as tremors and bradykinesia, hypertonia of the hallux holds diagnostic and prognostic significance in Parkinson’s disease (PD). This motor anomaly is dissected within the context of the broader clinical spectrum of PD symptoms...
By Houssam Mahla, Abdelilah Rhoul, Mohammed Gartit, Souhail Yachaoui, Ahmed Amine EL Oumri
ShortTakes From the Literature
Meniscal tears are common knee injuries with limited endogenous healing capacity. This study aimed to investigate the association between the timing and administration of preoperative intra-articular corticosteroid injections (CSIs) and the risk of subsequent meniscectomy following meniscus repair. Using a national insurance claims database, patients age 18-40 years...
Muscle volume loss may progress in parallel with muscle-associated adipose tissue (MAAT) accumulation, impacting contractile performance in individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), according to an article recently published in the journal Gait & Posture. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, wanted to understand the muscle quality (normal, abnormal muscle, and adipose volumes) of...
T1 cross-sectional images of the legs of a control, a patient with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and a Type 2 diabetes patient with peripheral neuropathy (T2DMPN). These images exemplify the progression of obesity (control) to T2DMPN and the accompanying loss of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SQAT), accumulation of leg intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), loss of muscle volume (gastroc-scoleus% vol.), and...
With the twin goals of promoting safety of combat sports athletes and striving for the advancement of clean sport, the Association of Ringside Physicians (ARP) recently issued a position statement based on the available body of evidence regarding cannabis. ARP members oversee combat sports including boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts, fencing, pro-wrestling, judo, karate, taekwondo, and jiu-jitsu.
With the advent of mixed martial arts (MMA) growing in popularity, there has been a described increase in its participation. The term MMA generally describes the hybridization of combat disciplines including but not limited to: karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, taekwondo, boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai. With increased participation in MMA and martial arts, differing physical demands are placed on participants.
This study aimed to identify changes in the architecture and performance of the peri-ankle muscles in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and investigate the relationship between them. Inclusion criteria for the study included: (1) age ≥18 years or older; (2) previous history of ≥1 severe ankle sprain that caused pain, swelling, limited weight bearing, or complete immobility for ≥3 days...
Sensory peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus and the biggest risk factor for diabetic foot ulcers. There is currently no available treatment that can reverse sensory loss in the diabetic population. The application of mechanical noise has been shown to improve vibration perception threshold or plantar sensation (through stochastic resonance) in the short term...
Send us an email with the following: Publication title, Publication date and journal, Brief (100 words or less) explanation of its significance to the field, Your name and contact info. Send email to janice@lermagazine.com. We’ll review and get back to you for follow-up.
Industry News & Updates
The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) announced the recipients of the 2024 Howard R. Thranhardt Award are Andreas Kannenberg, MD (GER), PhD; Shane Wurdeman, PhD, CP, FAAOP (D); Tyler Klenow, MSPO, MBA, CPO, FAAOP; and Russell Lundstrom, MS. The award, established in 1996 by a gift from J.E. Hanger in memory of Howard R. Thranhardt, CP, has become..
Stroke survivors often experience walking asymmetry, where 1 step is shorter than the other. Now, new research from the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst pushes forward the bounds of stroke recovery with a unique, portable robotic hip exoskeleton. Their work reveals that the robotic hip exoskeleton has the potential to effectively train individuals to modify their...
Hanger, Inc., Austin, TX, announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) consulting firm O&P Insight, Las Vegas, NV. “O&P Insight is uniquely focused on helping O&P businesses run profitable and compliant business operations, and brings an incredible amount of credibility, talent, and value,” said Pete Stoy, Hanger’s CEO.
An electronic sock that detects an unhealthy walking style linked with diabetes and poor circulation shows promise for preventing foot ulcers and amputation. “Patients with diabetes tend to put pressure on the metatarsal area of the foot, rather than the heel,” said researcher Ki Hong Lee, PhD, of Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea. “This way of walking encourages ulcers...
Medtech innovator Bone Health Technologies (BHT), Redwood City, CA, recently announced the company has been awarded a 5th patent for Osteoboost—the 1st and only US Food & Drug Administration–cleared prescription medical device to treat osteopenia. The patent, titled ‘Wearable Apparatus for the Treatment or Prevention of Osteopenia and Osteoporosis...
Researchers are working on real-life robotic assistance that could protect workers from painful injuries and help stroke patients regain their mobility. So far, they have required extensive calibration and context-specific tuning, which keeps them largely limited to research labs. Mechanical engineers at Georgia Institute of Technology may be on the verge of changing that, allowing exoskeleton...
New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, aims to cut reaction times with a human action recognition (HAR) algorithm that uses local computing power to analyze sensor data and detect abnormal movements without transmitting to a processing center offsite. Professor Yu Chen, PhD, and PhD student Han Sun from the Thomas J. Watson College...
The Last Word
Caffeine ingestion significantly increased fat metabolism with a small effect. The increase in fat metabolism tended to be greater when consumed during rest compared with exercise, although both conditions elevated tat metabolism. This effect was independent of fitness level, sex, and caffeine dosage...
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