Cover Story
Cryotherapy applied to a joint may not necessarily have the same effects on balance and physical performance that have been demonstrated in applications involving muscle.
By Emily E. Williams, ATC, and Giampietro L. Vairo, PhD, ATC
Editor Message
“You are what your record says you are.” Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells said it first, and it’s a saying that applies to many aspects of life. But when it comes to prescribing orthotic and prosthetic devices, clinicians know that the numbers don’t always tell the whole story.
Jordana Bieze Foster, Editor
Special Education Series: Pediatric Hypotonia
Mobility and More
At the most basic level, mobility is about getting from point A to point B. But, for many children with hypotonia, it’s about so much more.
It’s about independence. It’s about confidence. It’s about maintaining strength, fitness, and healthy bones. It’s about not being excluded from activities enjoyed by their typically developing peers.
Sponsored by an educational grant from SureStep.
Departments
A growing body of research is demonstrating that the focus of actions or movements is critical to how well athletes and patients respond to feedback from instructors or clinicians, and one of the central issues is the distinction between internal focus and external focus.
By Cary Groner
Some practitioners find plantar fasciitis patients respond to corticosteroid injection when other treatments have failed, but concerns about complications make others cautious. With evidence-based guidelines in short supply, the decision often comes down to clinical experience.
By Larry Hand
Interface use has long been the subject of study and clinical emphasis in prosthetics, but too little attention has been given to the role of interfaces—padded socks in particular—in protecting the skin and soft tissues from forces experienced during ankle foot orthosis use.
By Harry “J.R.” Brandt Jr, CO, LO, BOCO
Excess body weight is considered by many experts to be the primary modifiable etiological factor in knee osteoarthritis (OA) development. However, the relationship among body mass index (BMI), the anatomical manifestations of knee OA, and knee pain is not clear-cut.
By Elizabeth Weiss, PhD
Research supports the use of compression stockings for managing peripheral edema, venous insufficiency, and venous leg ulcers. But, outside the laboratory, issues related to patient compliance and achieving a proper stocking fit remain significant clinical challenges.
By Greg Gargiulo
News
In the Moment: Rehab
By Hank Black and Emily Delzell
A recent study using innovative technology has questioned the potential role of standard running shoes with slightly elevated heels for the prevention and treatment of Achilles tendon pathology.
By Hank Black
Using a video game balance board that provides high intensity, task-oriented, visual feedback training induces favorable short-term changes in brain microarchitecture related to movement and balance in people with multiple sclerosis, according to a study conducted by …
By Emily Delzell
Both direct local muscle vibration (LMV) and whole body vibration (WBV) improve quadriceps arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI), according to a study from neuromuscular researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The findings suggest vibratory stimuli can enhance …
By Emily Delzell
Market Mechanics
By Emily Delzell
Products
The new footwear styles from Sole—which include the Navigate, Inhale, and Gasp—are designed to help the wearer feel confident and comfortable during any ambitious adventure. Made with moldable platforms that adapt to the shape of the wearer’s foot, Sole footwear…
The DynaFlange insole, exclusive to The Orthotic Group and Langer Biomechanics, introduces a new method of proprioceptive stimulation to awaken the nervous system, moving it out of a stuck posture with every step. Studied at Noraxon USA…
New from DJO Global is the DonJoy Stabilizing Speed Pro ankle brace, designed to meet the needs of demanding athletes. Improving on the Stabilizing brace design that has been associated with a 61% reduction in the incidence of ankle injuries, the Stabilizing Speed Pro features…
Streifeneder USA introduces a new addition to its Kinegen Knee Line: the Kinegen.air-active 3A1800. Using polycentric technology, the knee joint provides an expanded range of motion with flexion angles up to 150°, as well as extra mechanical stance-phase safety in the…
Nolaro24 introduces new sizes for littleSteps, its prefabricated foot orthoses specifically designed for kids. Four new sizes (00, 0, 8, and 9) have been added to the line, which now accommodates kids from toddler size 5 up to adult/children’s size 9.
Mephisto USA introduces new styles for fall within its Mobils by Mephisto handcrafted women’s shoe collection. Multiple advanced technical features enhance the comfort of the wearer.
D30 comfort insoles from Rightstride Orthotics feature smart-material technology based on a rate-sensitive dilatant fluid, in which viscosity increases with the rate of shear strain, so the choice of an orthotic material is no longer limited to soft or hard.
nora systems offers LunaPur M, a transparent and flexible material made of pure EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate). LunaPur M is an elastic material used in orthopedic shoe engineering and general orthopedics when a particularly flexible material is required for stabilizing purposes.
Becker Orthopedic offers the new Modular Ring Lock Knee Joint, model 1402-B. Like the traditional Modified Ring Lock, the new model has no protrusions in the flexed position. The design minimizes size and weight without compromising strength or durability…
Hames Ortho Tech introduces the Hames Air Brace, a day brace for treating plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis. When in use, with each step the heel is cushioned by a U-shaped bladder surrounding the plantar insert.
