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Footwear can affect balance and the risk of slips, trips, and falls. Various studies have reported that slippers are associated with increased risk of falls when compared to other footwear. The objective of this study was to characterize slipper-related injuries of the lower extremity treated at United States (US) hospital emergency departments (EDs).
By Mathias B. Forrester, BS
If you have ever heard the song “Gravity” by John Mayer, you would be familiar with his lyrics, “Gravity is working against me, and gravity wants to bring me down.” So, what is this incredibly strong force called gravity that John Mayer is talking about? And how does it apply to every living organism on Earth?
By Philip Stotter, CEP
Biomechanics research is one of the more layered topics to digest, but it is necessary to keep up with if you want to improve your patient outcomes. Lately, the push has been for evidence-based medicine and that is an admirable goal. We must understand, however, that this goal is a work in progress.
By Ben Pearl, DPM
Millions of Americans are afflicted with painful, open, draining ulcers on their lower extremities. Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) cause significant clinical and economic burden to the healthcare system and society.1,2 It is not uncommon for clinicians to see patients who have suffered for years with VLUs.
By Windy Cole, DPM, CWSP
Protein plays a critical role in wound healing by supplying nitrogen and amino acids, which are needed to build new tissue. Nutritional interventions for wound healing often include a recommendation to increase the amount of protein consumed...
By Nancy Collins, PhD, RDN, LD, NWCC, FAND
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a slowly evolving articular disease that affects the underlying bone, soft tissue, and synovial fluid.1 Osteoarthritis typically affects the hands and large weight-bearing joints, such as the hips and knees.
By Ziya “Z” Altug, PT, DPT, MS, OCS
A recent systematic literature review, published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, suggests there is strong evidence for a short-term increase in ankle dorsiflexion range of motion after a single application of foam rolling (FR) in a healthy population. Furthermore, some of the evidence suggests that FR may be a...
Orthopedic footwear is often prescribed to improve postural stability during standing and walking in individuals with Hereditary Motor Sensory Neuropathy. However, supporting evidence in the literature is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of orthopedic footwear on quiet standing balance, gait speed, spatiotemporal parameters...
Plantar heel pain (PHP) is a common cause of foot complaints, for which treatment with custom-made insoles is frequently applied. So far, few studies have investigated patient characteristics that predict response to these treatments. The aim of this secondary exploratory analysis was twofold; firstly, to identify patient characteristics that predict prognosis in...
Fear of falling (FoF) and frailty often go hand-in hand for today’s older adults. In particular, FoF can lead to a self-limitation of activities. Such limitations are then followed by further decline in physical capacities which may predispose to frailty. But the exact nature of the relationship between the 2 conditions has never been clearly delineated.
New SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to evolve and prolong the COVID-19 pandemic. The surface of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is covered with spike proteins. These latch onto ACE2 receptors on human cells, allowing the virus to enter and infect the cells. Mutations in spike allow the virus to evade the immune system as well as...
KAFO is sometimes used for gait training in stroke patients. The impact of the time of wearing a KAFO on ADL recovery has not been clarified. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the days from onset to KAFO wearing and functional prognosis in patients after stroke.
Patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder (hEDS/HSD) have significant ankle and foot problems, which impact daily functioning. In this study, researchers in Belgium sought to identify alterations in multisegment ankle and foot kinematics during gait to better assess foot function and pain in these patients.
Newly formulated trehalose-hyaluronic acid (T-HA) has proven to be more stable in vitro to the effects of hyaluronidase enzyme. To compare clinical outcomes of T-HA with standard non-trehalose (NT-HA) hyaluronic acid when administered as infiltrative therapy in patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.
Innovation Lab, the Innovation Institute’s national healthcare incubator, and MultiCare Health System, a Washington state not-for-profit healthcare organization, announced the development of the Gait MyoElectric Stimulator (GMES), a functional electrical stimulation (FES) device that uses dual stimulator technology to help...
Mayo Clinic has launched the Limb Loss and Preservation Registry, a national collaborative warehouse for data on people who have lost limbs. The goal of the registry is to generate knowledge about which advances make a difference in the care of people with limb loss and limb difference.
University of Connecticut (UConn) bioengineers successfully regrew cartilage in a rabbit’s knee, a promising hop toward healing joints in humans. The lab of UConn bioengineer Thanh Nguyen, PhD, has been working on cartilage regeneration, and they’ve discovered that electrical signals are key to normal growth.
To prevent diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), research scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) have developed footwear technology that relieves pressure on areas of the feet that experience high stress during walking and other activities. The technology was developed in partnership with the University of North Texas Health...
Hanger, Inc. has completed and published the seventh and final study in its Mobility Analysis of Amputees (MAAT) series, which represents the largest national analyses of mobility among lower limb prosthetic users. The series, which has been published regularly by the Hanger Institute for Clinical Research and...
Strength and conditioning provision for young athletes offers unique challenges and opportunities for coaches. Periods of rapid and nonuniform growth in skeletal structures can result in temporary reductions in athletic performance and heightened injury risk.
