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Strategies for rehab after Achilles tendon surgery: At the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, rehabilitation following operative repair of Achilles ten... 
Rehabilitation following microfracture surgery: Much of the success of microfracture surgery for articular cartilage lesions in the knee depends on... 
Functional hallux limitus: Diagnosis and treatment: Once identified, functional hallux limitus can be effectively managed with orthotic devices.
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Rehab speeds return after ACL surgery: At this knee center, return to play is based not on the calendar but on range of motion and strength...
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Category Archives: News
September 2010
Intriguing AFO effects
Gait speed linked to braking force By Jordana Bieze Foster Rigid ankle foot orthoses increase gait speed in hemiplegic stroke patients, but not for the reasons one might think, according to research from the Kessler Foundation Research Center in New … Continue reading
September 2010
Training targets trips
Fall simulations help AK amputees By Jordana Bieze Foster Thanks to an improved ability to simulate falls in the laboratory, researchers are identifying variables that contribute to falls in above-knee amputees and implementing training programs to improve response to tripping. … Continue reading
September 2010
Robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation boosts functional mobility scores
Robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation significantly improves functional mobility in stroke patients, according to research from Northwestern University in Chicago. Researchers customized a continuous passive motion machine to create a portable rehabilitation robot that is used for both passive stretching and active … Continue reading
September 2010
Gait study finds FES of plantar flexors fails to improve mechanical recovery
Functional electrical stimulation of the plantar flexor muscles in addition to the dorsiflexors surprisingly had no effect on mechanical recovery during post-stroke gait in a study performed at the University of Delaware. Researchers analyzed the effects of dorsiflexion FES alone … Continue reading
Posted in 2010, In the moment: Stroke, September
Tagged dorsiflexion, electrical stimulation, fes, gait, plantar flexor
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September 2010
Diabetic boot bests TCC for offloading forefoot area but not for ulcer healing
A cast-boot ankle foot orthosis decreases plantar pressures under the forefoot more effectively than a total contact cast, but its relative effectiveness for ulcer healing is still a function of compliance, according to research from Washington University in St. Louis. … Continue reading
Posted in 2010, In the moment: O&P, September
Tagged diabetic boot, diabetic neuropathy, foot ulcer, total contact cast
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September 2010
Effects of prosthetic gel liner thickness on pressure lack statistical significance
The choice of a thick or thin gel liner in transtibial amputees may ultimately come down to personal preference, according to research from Northwestern University in Chicago. Investigators compared two prosthetic gel liners, one 3 mm thick and one 9 … Continue reading
Posted in 2010, In the moment: O&P, September
Tagged amputee, gel liner, transtibial amputee
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September 2010
Lateral loading during cutting affects perceptions of turf shoe performance
A football player’s perception of a shoe may be related to the amount of lateral loading associated with that shoe during cutting, according to research from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Investigators analyzed cutting movements in 17 male teenaged football players as … Continue reading
Posted in 2010, In the moment: Footwear, September
Tagged football, lateral loading, turf shoe
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September 2010
Even motion control footwear allows midfoot movement while running
Practitioners who recommend so-called motion control running shoes may want to think of “control” as a relative term, in light of research demonstrating significant sagittal plane movement of the foot within motion control shoes. Investigators from Northern Arizona University in … Continue reading
Posted in 2010, In the moment: Footwear, September
Tagged footwear, motion control running shoe, running shoes
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September 2010
Sport-specific neuromuscular training program improves tennis performance
A tennis-specific version of the neuromuscular training program developed in Cincinnati could significantly improve performance on the court, according to research published in the September issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The Sportsmetrics training program developed by … Continue reading
Posted in 2010, In the moment: Sports medicine, September
Tagged neuromuscular training, tennis
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August 2010
A twist in ACL-OA link
Studies clash over surgery’s significance
In the wake of a Dutch report that surgery does not decrease the risk of radiographically diagnosed osteoarthritis following anterior cruciate ligament injury, research presented in July identified preoperative variables that could predict the development of OA after ACL reconstruction.
Plus: • Hamstring injuries • Hip screening
August 2010
Orthoses relieve PFPS
Key variables predict response
Prefabricated foot orthoses improve the ability to perform weight-bearing knee flexion tasks in patients with patellofemoral pain, according to research from La Trobe University in Australia.
Plus: • Lacing techniques • Fatter, flatter feet
August 2010
Saving limbs at home
Studies spotlight American outcomes
For years, the amputation prevention literature has been dominated by studies performed outside the United States. Two recent studies, however, have served notice that that trend is starting to change.
Plus: • Depressive effects • Antibiotic regimens
July 2010
In the moment: Sports medicine
As a growing body of research supports the idea that fatigue contributes to sports-related injury, investigators are now working to identify those athletes who may be most vulnerable to the effects of fatigue and interventions that could counteract those effects.
Plus: • Variable co-contraction • Afferent traffic jam
Posted in July 2010, News
Tagged dynamic balance, fatigue, joint laxity, kinetic chain, soccer, unstable ankles
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July 2010
in the moment: Footcare
Ulcer prevention is the key to amputation prevention in patients with Charcot arthropathy, according to research from Chicago that raises the question of whether pre-emptive surgical correction of deformities is warranted in Charcot patients.
Plus: • Orthoses and HV • Effects of high heels Continue reading
Posted in July 2010, News
Tagged achilles tendons, Alexander Rabinovich, amputation, bracing, charcot, Charcot Arthropathy, custom orthoses, diabetic footwear, dorsal pressures, foot ulcer, hallux valgus, high heels, Jesse Doty MD, Loyola University, Marco Narici MD, michael pinzur, plantar pressures, ulcer
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June 2010
In the moment: Sports medicine
After more than a decade of discord and sometimes contentious debate, biomechanists appear moving toward a consensus that the mechanism of anterior cruciate ligament injury cannot be wholly attributed to either the frontal or sagittal planes but is in fact multiplanar.
Plus: • Shoes and knee OA • Foot strike patterns
Posted in 2010, June, News
Tagged abduction loads, acl injury, ACL strain, Allison R. Altman, anterior tibial acceleration, anterior tibial shear loads, Carmen Quatman, knee abduction, knee valgus, knee varus torque, lateral compartment knee osteoarthritis, MCL strain, medial wedge, Melissa A. Elpers, midfoot strike, motion control running shoes, multiplanar, Off-loading, rearfoot strike, sagiital plane, Scott G. McLean, stride length, tibial slope, transient vertical impact peak
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May 2010
In the moment: O&P
Net gain for ankle bracing – Rigid and semi-rigid ankle braces may help prevent inversion ankle sprains in female volleyball players with no previous history of sprain, according to research published in the April issue of Foot & Ankle International. Plus: • Neuropathyandgait • Partialweightbearing • Erratum
Posted in 2010, May, News
Tagged Abergavenny, ankle bracing, ankle orthoses, ankle sprains, Carol Frey, female volleyball players, fiberglass cast, MD, Nevill Hall Hospital, peripheral neuropathy, pneumatic brace, proprioception, rigid ankle brace, semi-rigid ankle brace, UK, University of Michigan, West Coast Center for Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
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May 2010
In the moment: Footcare
PTTD prognostication – Four variables, identifiable at an initial clinical evaluation, can help predict whether bracing will be successful in patients with posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, according to research from the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY.
Plus: • Athleticshoetraction • OrthosesandMTSS
Posted in 2010, May, News
Tagged Adolph Flemister, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, athletic shoes, calf stretching, custom bracing, Foot Function Index, Foot Orthoses, gastrocnemius stretches, Jr, knee adduction, MD, medial tibial stress syndrome, outsole traction, peak external rotation, posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, pttd, Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment, soleus stretches, tread-soled shoe, University of Calgary, University of Kansas, University of Rochester Medical Center
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April 2010
In the moment: Diabetes
The photo shows a hospital scene that under different circumstances might be comical. A patient with a diabetic foot problem lies in a bed, surrounded by practitioners. But none of the practitioners are communicating with each other, and all but one have their backs to the patient.
Plus: • Platelet-rich plasma •Tendon lengthening • TCC utilization
Posted in 2010, April, News
Tagged amputation, Andrew J.M. Boulton, david armstrong, DFCon, diabetes, Diabetic Foot Global Conference, diabetic foot ulcers, George Andros, Gerry Rayman, Ipswich Diabetic Foot Unit, J. Monroe Laborde, John S. Steinberg, Karel Bakker, metatarsal ulcers, percutaneous toe flexor tenotomy, Peter Cavanagh, plantar pressures, platelet rich plasma, Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance, tendon lengthening, total contact cast
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April 2010
In the moment: knee OA
Two studies presented in March suggest that bracing for knee osteoarthritis may be effective in two patient populations that are not well represented in the OA bracing literature: those with lateral tibiofemoral compartment OA and those with severe disease. Plus: • Effects of footwear • PRP vs hyaluronan
April 2010
In the moment: sports medicine
Soccer is already the world’s most popular sport, but new research could very well broaden its appeal even further. Multiple studies from Denmark suggest that playing soccer can improve bone mineral density and other musculoskeletal risk factors associated with falls and fractures.
Plus: • FieldTurf vs grass • Pitchers leg it out
Posted in 2010, April, News
Tagged bone mineral density, Elliott Hershman, FieldTurf, FIFA exercise regimen, pitching motion, soccer
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February 2010
In the Moment: O&P
Amputees fight another day: Better care increases return-to-duty rates
U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are no less likely to suffer an injury requiring amputation than their counterparts who served in previous conflicts, but such an injury is far less likely to keep today’s soldiers from returning to duty.
Plus:
• Balance, more than foot positioning, may affect amputee stair ambulation
• Time to stabilization fails to detect effect of ankle brace on stability
Posted in 2010, February, News
Tagged amputees, ankle brace, foot positioning, military amputees
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February 2010
In the Moment: Neuromuscular
CP: Means sap strength data:Subgroup analysis may be key to gait link
Gait researchers’ frustrations in demonstrating benefits of strength training in children with cerebral palsy can be traced to the heterogeneity of the study population, according to a National Institutes of Health study that offers some insight as to which patients are most likely respond.
Plus:
• Treadmill outperforms outdoor walking for stroke rehabilitation
• Ankle weakness, not instability, explains reduced speed after TBI
Posted in 2010, February, News
Tagged ankle weakness, gait, gait kinematics, stroke rehabilitation, TBI
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