Telehealth competencies for allied health professionals: A scoping review.

Introduction: Telehealth has become one of the main methods of delivering allied health professional services world-wide, yet many professionals do not have sufficient training to deliver high-quality telehealth services. This review aims to identify what competencies allied health professionals require for effective telehealth service delivery.

Methods: This scoping review used the Population Concept Context framework and searched the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Cochrane, EMBASE, Web of Science, PEDro, United Kingdom Health Forum, WHO, Health Education England, and all UK and Australian AHP professional bodies.

Establishing trace element concentrations for lichens and bryophytes in the ring of fire region of the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Ontario, Canada.

Peatlands dominate the landscape of the Hudson Bay Lowlands in Ontario, Canada. Recently, mineral deposits of chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu) were discovered in the region and anticipated future industrial mining operations have the potential to impact the environment. Lichens and bryophytes are considered excellent biomonitors and indicators of deposition, deriving their nutrients directly from the atmosphere.

Demographic, practice and clinical management characteristics of osteopaths referring to podiatrists: secondary analysis of a nationally representative sample of Australian osteopaths.

Background: Interprofessional care is paramount in contemporary healthcare practice. How different professions interact, and the characteristics of those practitioners who practice in an interprofessional way are rarely described in the literature. The aim of the current work was to identify the demographic, practice and clinical management characteristics of Australian osteopaths who report referring to podiatrists.

Fate and budget of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances in three common garden plants after experimental additions with contaminated river water.

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become ubiquitous contaminants in the environment. Contamination of the terrestrial ecosystem can occur from the release of aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) used in firefighting operations. Following soil contamination with AFFF, studies report root uptake and translocation of PFAS to other plant organs, typically favouring the short chain moiety.

Evaluating the outcomes of a podiatry-led assessment service in a public hospital orthopaedic unit.

Background: In Australia, the demand for foot and ankle orthopaedic services in public health settings currently outweighs capacity. Introducing experienced allied health professionals into orthopaedic units to initiate the triage, assessment and management of patients has been proposed to help meet demand. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of introducing a podiatry-led assessment service in a public hospital orthopaedic unit.

Foot posture, leg length discrepancy and low back pain--their relationship and clinical management using foot orthoses--an overview.

Mechanical low back pain (LBP) is a very common, expensive, and significant health issue in the western world. Functional musculoskeletal conditions are widely thought to cause mechanical low back pain. The role of foot posture and leg length discrepancy in contributing to abnormal biomechanics of the lumbopelvic region and low back pain is not sufficiently investigated.

The effect of different depths of medial heel skive on plantar pressures.

Background: Foot orthoses are often used to treat lower limb injuries associated with excessive pronation. There are many orthotic modifications available for this purpose, with one being the medial heel skive. However, empirical evidence for the mechanical effects of the medial heel skive modification is limited.

Ultrasound guided corticosteroid injection for plantar fasciitis: randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of ultrasound guided corticosteroid injection in the treatment of plantar fasciitis.

Design: Randomised, investigator and participant blinded, placebo controlled trial.

Setting: University clinic in Melbourne, Australia.

A comparison of augmented low-Dye taping and ankle bracing on lower limb muscle activity during walking in adults with flat-arched foot posture.

Objective: To compare the effect of taping and bracing on lower limb muscle activity during gait.

Design: Cross-sectional laboratory study.

Methods: Twenty-seven asymptomatic adults with flat-arched foot posture were recruited to this study.

Ultrasound guided injection of dexamethasone versus placebo for treatment of plantar fasciitis: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Plantar fasciitis is the most commonly reported cause of chronic pain beneath the heel. Management of this condition commonly involves the use of corticosteroid injection in cases where less invasive treatments have failed. However, despite widespread use, only two randomised trials have tested the effect of this treatment in comparison to placebo.

Diagnostic imaging for chronic plantar heel pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Chronic plantar heel pain (CPHP) is a generalised term used to describe a range of undifferentiated conditions affecting the plantar heel. Plantar fasciitis is reported as the most common cause and the terms are frequently used interchangeably in the literature. Diagnostic imaging has been used by many researchers and practitioners to investigate the involvement of specific anatomical structures in CPHP.

Reliability of lower limb electromyography during overground walking: a comparison of maximal- and sub-maximal normalisation techniques.

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of investigating electromyography (EMG) of selected leg muscles during walking. Tibialis posterior and peroneus longus EMG activity were recorded via intramuscular electrodes. Tibialis anterior and medial gastrocnemius EMG activity were recorded with surface electrodes.

Effect of foot posture, foot orthoses and footwear on lower limb muscle activity during walking and running: a systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the literature pertaining to the effect of foot posture, foot orthoses and footwear on lower limb muscle activity during walking and running. A database search of Medline, CINAHL, Embase and SPORTDiscus without language restrictions revealed 504 citations for title and abstract review. Three articles were translated to English and a final 46 articles underwent a two-tiered quality assessment.

A weightbearing technique for the measurement of ankle joint dorsiflexion with the knee extended is reliable.

Measurement of ankle joint dorsiflexion is routinely undertaken by clinicians who manage lower limb musculoskeletal pathology. This study aimed to determine the reliability of a technique to measure ankle joint dorsiflexion in a weightbearing position with the knee extended. Four raters with varying clinical experience measured ankle joint dorsiflexion in a weightbearing position with the knee extended on 30 asymptomatic participants.

The effect of three levels of foot orthotic wedging on the surface electromyographic activity of selected lower limb muscles during gait.

Background: Some types of foot orthoses have been researched for their effect on lower limb electromyographic muscle activity during walking. However, foot orthoses with high levels of medial rearfoot wedging ('inverted' foot orthoses) have not been investigated.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, asymptomatic participants with a pronated foot type (n=15) were each issued with a pair of 0 degrees, 15 degrees and 30 degrees inverted custom-made foot orthoses.

The effect of foot wedging on electromyographic activity in the erector spinae and gluteus medius muscles during walking.

The use of foot orthoses for treatment of low back pain (LBP) has received some attention in the literature, mainly from a clinical or theoretical perspective. It has been proposed that this treatment alleviates pain by altering muscle activity in the area of the low back but there is no direct evidence of such an effect. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different types of foot wedging on the bilateral surface electromyographic activity of erector spinae (ErSp) (L3 level) and gluteus medius (GlMed) of 13 participants without LBP.