September 2012

Cover Story


Triple threat: The female athlete triad and injury risk
Triple threat: The female athlete triad and injury risk
The Triad’s new definition specifies low energy availability, menstrual irregularity, and low bone mineral density as predictors of future health risks, including lower extremity injuries. This broader definition means far more female athletes may be at risk than previously thought, particularly in the high school setting. By Jill Thein-Nissenbaum, PT, DSc, SCS, ATC

Editor Message


Out on a limb: Surviving the Triad
Out on a limb: Surviving the Triad
I set foot in a gym this summer for the first time in 14 years. I was nervous, but not for the reasons you might think. I wasn’t worried about not knowing how to use the equipment, or being less fit than other members, or the possibility of running into someone I knew. Jordana Bieze Foster, ...

Departments


Patient Perspective: Communication takes edge off pain of recovery
Patient Perspective: Communication takes edge off pain of recovery
When I first entered my podiatrist’s office for treatment of a moderately painful case of plantar fasciitis, I never thought that healthcare for my feet could get complicated. I subsequently developed sesamoiditis and my podiatrist prescribed custom orthotics for both my foot conditions. But then came the clincher: one night, I fell down a short ...
Rethinking device design to improve compliance
Rethinking device design to improve compliance
Reducing the shaft height of a removable cast walker, which results in a lighter device and may also help improve postural stability, can help improve compliance in patients at risk for diabetic foot ulcers without compromising the device’s offloading capability. By Sai Vikas Yalla, PhD, and Ryan T. Crews, MS, CCRP
Effects of minimalist shoes on running gait
Effects of minimalist shoes on running gait
Research suggests that when transitioning to a minimalist running shoe, foot strike pat­tern is key to preventing lower extrem­ity injuries. A transitional minimalist shoe, with slightly thicker and softer soles, may help prevent certain injuries in some runners. By Everett B. Lohman III, DSc, PT, OCS
Knee OA interventions: A look at value for money
Knee OA interventions: A look at value for money
Even if an intervention results in a positive clinical outcome in patients with knee oste­o­­arthritis, another important factor to consider is whether that treatment’s benefits justify its costs. Increasingly, cost effectiveness studies are comparing OA interventions to determine value. By Daniel Pinto, PT, PhD
Clinical assessment of ankle joint laxity
Clinical assessment of ankle joint laxity
Ankle joint laxity can be a complicating factor in patients with acute ankle sprains or chronic instability, and testing for excessive laxity can help practitioners choose an appropriate method of treatment. However, not all tests for ankle joint laxity are created equal. By Theodore Croy, PhD, PT, OCS, and Jay Hertel, PhD, ATC, FNATA

News


In the Moment: Sports medicine

By Emily Delzell and Jordana Bieze Foster

Lost in transition: Minimalist shoes don’t always alter gait
Lost in transition: Minimalist shoes don’t always alter gait
Barefoot-simulating and minimalist shoes are capturing the imagination of runners who hope to avoid injury and increase performance by adopting a forefoot or midfoot strike pattern, but recent research suggests runners don’t necessarily convert their gait simply by switching shoes.
Lower extremity work contributes to golf swing velocity, performance
Lower extremity work during a golf swing is positively correlated with both club head velocity and golfer skill level, according to research from the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH.
Soccer study explores factors that may link limb dominance to ACL injury risk
Kinematic and kinetic differences between dominant and nondominant limbs during cutting in soccer players could help explain previous findings regarding limb dominance and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk, according to research from Ball State University in Muncie, IN.

In the Moment: Retraining

By Jordana Bieze Foster

Ambling modifiers: Finding a patient-friendly gait for knee OA
Ambling modifiers: Finding a patient-friendly gait for knee OA
In the interest of improving compliance, studies of gait modifications to reduce moments and forces at the knee in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) are increasingly focusing on gait alterations that will not make patients self-conscious.
Kinetic biofeedback training reduces knee abduction moment on landing
Real-time biofeedback training can help female athletes reduce knee abduction moments (KAM) during landing, which may in turn reduce risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury, according to preliminary research from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Multimodal adaptive rehab improves propulsive impulse in stroke patients
Gait training on a dual-belt treadmill in an adaptive virtual environment can help improve propulsive impulse in the paretic limbs of individuals with hemiparesis following stroke, according to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Market Mechanics


Products


Pediatric Walkers
Pediatric Walkers
Otto Bock offers the Yogi Anterior Walker and Walk Star Posterior Walker pediatric mobility products. The light, functional Yogi features caster swivel locks and a friction brake for gait stability and extra-low hand grips for young children, while its two ...
Lower Limb Ultrasound DVD
Lower Limb Ultrasound DVD
Primal Pictures introduces a new DVD-ROM, “3D Anatomy for MSK Ultrasound: Lower Limb,” a training or reference tool for practitioners who use ultrasound to diagnose and treat conditions of the hip, knee and foot. Detailed, interactive 3D anatomical images are ...
Corganics Shave Gel
Corganics Shave Gel
Corganics offers Smooth Shave Gel, which can be used to shave patients’ lower extremities prior to medical procedures. The therapeutic formula includes essential oils, vitamins, antioxidants, and aloe vera. Appropriate for any skin type, including sensitive skin, the shave gel ...
Dr Jack’s Skin Cream
Dr Jack’s Skin Cream
Active Feet offers Dr. Jack’s Extra Strength Skin Care Crème for use on dry and cracked skin, including feet, heels, and knees. The cream is both a keratolytic and an emollient, engineered with ingredients that are similar to the natural ...
Alignment Socks
Alignment Socks
My-Happy Feet offers Foot Alignment Socks, featuring dividers that separate the toes to improve alignment and help relieve foot pain. Designed to be worn while sleeping, the socks stretch the foot muscles, spread the metatarsals, and encourage circulation. Initially the ...
OA Nano Knee Brace
OA Nano Knee Brace
DJO Global has launched the OA Nano, the company’s lightest off-loading knee brace, for patients with mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis. Sold under the DonJoy brand, the 14.2-oz brace is manufactured using nanoMag, a metal as light as magnesium with the strength of ...
ArtAssist Compression
ArtAssist Compression
The ArtAssist, a home-use device for treating peripheral arterial disease (PAD), applies intermittent pneumatic compression to the foot, ankle, and calf. The compression regimen is designed to simulate the vascular benefits of brisk walking, but without pain. The arterial pump ...
Intelligent Ice Cold Therapy
Intelligent Ice Cold Therapy
Intelligent Ice is a temperature controlled cooling solution from Intelligent Inventions. Intelligent Ice can be used for up to four hours at a safe temperature of 7°-8° C to minimize tissue and nerve damage. Each reusable, solution-filled pad comes with ...
Black Tamarack Flexure Joint
Black Tamarack Flexure Joint
With the recent growth in the use of black thermoplastic and carbon fiber materials for ankle foot orthoses (AFOs), Becker Orthopedic offers a new matching thermoformable joint option: the Black Tamarack Flexure Joint. Tamarack Flexure Joints self co-align the medial ...
Travel Size Roller Massager
Travel Size Roller Massager
Pro-Tec Athletics offers the new Pro-Tec Travel Size Roller Massager with Trigger Point Release Grips, the newest addition to the company’s full line of sports medicine products. The travel size roller massager is designed to reduce muscle tightness, soreness, and ...