Modern Cartilage Imaging of the Ankle.

 Talar osteochondral lesions are an important risk factor for the development of talar osteoarthritis. Furthermore, osteochondral lesions might explain persistent ankle pain. Early diagnosis of accompanying chondral defects is important to establish the optimal therapy strategy and thereby delaying or preventing the onset of osteoarthritis.

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and T mapping of talar osteochondral lesions: Indicators of clinical outcomes.

Purpose: To evaluate the utility of delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and T mapping in evaluation of type II osteochondral lesions (OCLs) of the talus and define cutoff values for identifying patients with good/poor clinical outcomes.

Materials And Methods: 28 patients (mean age, 42.3 years) underwent T mapping and dGEMRIC at least 1.

A marker placement laser device for improving repeatability in 3D-foot motion analysis.

Background: In 3D gait analysis, the repeated positioning of markers is associated with a high error rate, particularly when using a complex foot model with many markers. Therefore, a marker placement laser device was developed that ensures a reliable repositioning of markers. We report the development and reliability of this device for the foot at different tape conditions.

Ball games and nutrition counseling improve postural control in overweight children.

Background: Motor skills are impaired in overweight children whose levels of physical activity are low and these children are more likely to sustain lower extremity injuries. The purpose of this study was to analyze prospectively in overweight children the influence of ball games and nutrition counseling on postural control.

Methods: In all, 46 overweight children (age: 6-12 years, BMI: female: 25.

Pain threshold correlates with functional scores in osteoarthritis patients.

Background And Purpose: Pain sensitization may be one of the reasons for persistent pain after technically successful joint replacement. We analyzed how pain sensitization, as measured by quantitative sensory testing, relates preoperatively to joint function in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) scheduled for joint replacement.

Patients And Methods: We included 50 patients with knee OA and 49 with hip OA who were scheduled for joint replacement, and 15 control participants.

Impaired jump landing after exercise in recreational and in high-performance athletes.

The risk of sustaining injuries increases with fatigue. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of fatigue on dynamic postural control in jump landing and stabilization (ST) in athletes of different levels. In all, 18 high-performance ball sports athletes and 24 recreationally active subjects performed a jump test (JT) before and at 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes after a 30-minute treadmill run at the individual anaerobic threshold.

Foot kinematics in walking on a level surface and on stairs in patients with hallux rigidus before and after cheilectomy.

Background: Walking down stairs is a clinically relevant daily activity for older persons. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the impact of cheilectomy on walking on level ground and on stairs.

Methods: 3D motion analysis of foot kinematics was performed in eight patients with hallux rigidus and 11 healthy control participants with a 12-camera system, using the Heidelberg foot measurement method before and one year after surgery.

Altered force ratio in unanticipated side jumps after treadmill run.

Objective: The aim was to investigate the influence of a run at the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT) on postural control in jumps with an unanticipated change of direction.

Hypothesis: Dynamic postural control is less affected by the run in trained athletes than in recreational ones.

Design: : Controlled prospective cohort study with an intervention.

Determining knee joint alignment using digital photographs.

The objective of this work is to find out how reliably knee joint alignment can be measured from a standardized photograph and what influence changes in the standing position have on the angles measured. The interrater, intrarater, and test-retest reliability were evaluated. The influence of image-object distance, the distance between the legs and leg rotation on the measured angles was evaluated.

Influence of professional dance training on peak torque and proprioception at the ankle.

Objective: To investigate the influence of professional dance training on the peak torque ratio of plantar flexion to dorsiflexion (PF/DF), angle replication ability, and balance in comparison to age-matched and gender-matched controls. The effects of injuries sustained before and during the study time period were also assessed.

Design: Prospective age-matched and gender-matched nonrandomized intervention study.