Lower Extremity Review
Patient-specific implant wear rates following total hip arthroplasty (THA) are more strongly associated with gait patterns than component positioning, according to research from Chicago that suggests implant wear could be reduced with the use of predictive wear models.
By Katie Bell
Increasingly, lower extremity experts are being called on to assist with crime scene investigations by analyzing footprints, shoe prints, and the gait patterns of shadowy figures on security videos. For members of this fledgling field, as Sherlock Holmes famously said, the game is afoot.
By Shalmali Pal
Footwear with rocker soles are best known for helping to redistribute plantar pressures during gait in patients with diabetes, but research suggests they also have clinically relevant effects on balance and gait that can be beneficial for some populations but potentially dangerous for others.
By Greg Gargiulo
Insoles with sensory-enhancing technology, previously demonstrated to help address balance and proprioceptive deficits, can also improve agility in athletes, according to research from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.
By Chris Klingenberg
The risk of knee osteoarthritis in the intact limb of longtime unilateral amputees is much higher than in nonamputees, and the range of potential contributing factors is even more complex. Optimizing prosthetic fit and function, in addition to more conventional OA interventions, can help address gait issues that contribute to knee joint degeneration.
By Emily Delzell
Running may increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA) onset or progression for some people, but in many others the knees will be safe during running; in such individuals, the benefits of physical activity can positively affect weight management and other means of reducing OA risk.
By Nicole M. Cattano, PhD, LAT, ATC; and Jeffrey B. Driban, PhD, ATC, CSCS
Even patients who obediently wear their O&P devices can pose a clinical challenge if they wear their devices past the point of breakdown. Experts offer suggestions for dealing with patients who are hard on devices—including those who are very large, very active, or very frugal.
By Shalmali Pal
To understand the association between jumping biomechanics and transmission of forces through the patellar tendon, practitioners must have a working knowledge of the anatomy of the knee, as well as the biomechanical factors that determine force transmission through the knee.
By Rob Halle, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS
Increasing running shoe bending stiffness helps improve running energetics up to the point at which it impairs metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint flexion—a threshold that varies between individuals—according to research from the Republic of Korea.
By Jordana Bieze Foster
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