Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis Exhibit More Regular Center of Mass Accelerations After Physical Therapy.

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to explore if a physical therapy program involving strength, flexibility, balance, and walking can improve the uncharacteristic gait variability and overall mobility of persons living with multiple sclerosis (pwMS).

Design: Pre-post design to evaluate the mobility improvements after undergoing 6 weeks of a gait and balance physical therapy intervention.

Setting: The initial 2 weeks were conducted at a medical center under close supervision of a physical therapist.

Effect of Kinesiology Taping on Upper Torso Mobility and Shoulder Pain and Disability in US Masters National Championship Swimmers: An Exploratory Study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to observe changes in shoulder pain and upper-extremity functional movement after kinesiology taping (KT) in competitive swimmers.

Methods: Seventy-six healthy participants competing in the US Masters Swimming 2017 National Championship participated in the study. Participants performed functional movement of shoulder flexion along with Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand index assessments for the shoulder before and 30 minutes after application of KT.

Intramuscular Pressure of Human Tibialis Anterior Muscle Reflects Muscular Activity.

Intramuscular pressure (IMP) is the fluid hydrostatic pressure generated within a muscle and reflects the mechanical forces produced by a muscle. By providing accurate quantification of interstitial fluid pressure, the measurement of IMP may be useful to detect changes in skeletal muscle function not identified with established techniques. However, the relationship between IMP and muscle activity has never been studied in healthy human muscles.

Impaired anticipatory vision and visuomotor coordination affects action planning and execution in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

Background: Action-planning and execution deficits in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP) are potentially due to deficits in the integration of sensory information, such as vision, with motor output.

Aims: To determine differences in anticipatory visual patterns in children with HCP compared to typically developing (TD) children, and to assess visuomotor coordination in children with HCP.

Methods And Procedures: We included 13 children with HCP (Age = 6.

Intramuscular Pressure of Tibialis Anterior Reflects Ankle Torque but Does Not Follow Joint Angle-Torque Relationship.

Intramuscular pressure (IMP) is the hydrostatic fluid pressure that is directly related to muscle force production. Electromechanical delay (EMD) provides a link between mechanical and electrophysiological quantities and IMP has potential to detect local electromechanical changes. The goal of this study was to assess the relationship of IMP with the mechanical and electrical characteristics of the tibialis anterior muscle (TA) activity at different ankle positions.

Errors in the ankle plantarflexor force production are related to the gait deficits of individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) often have limited mobility that is thought to be due to the neuromuscular impairments of the ankle. Greater isometric motor control of the ankle has been associated with better standing postural balance but its relationship to mobility is less understood. The objectives of this investigation were to quantify the motor control of the ankle plantarflexors of individuals with MS during a dynamic isometric motor task, and explore the relationship between the ankle force control and gait alterations.

Individuals with multiple sclerosis redistribute positive mechanical work from the ankle to the hip during walking.

Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) typically walk slower, have reduced cadences and shorter step lengths. While these spatiotemporal gait alterations have been thought to be due to decreased power generation at the ankle, the distribution of mechanical work across the ankle, knee and hip joints during walking is not well understood. By quantifying the mechanical work at each joint, the compensatory mechanisms utilized by individuals with MS to maintain gait speed may be better understood.

Two Different Types of High-Frequency Physical Therapy Promote Improvements in the Balance and Mobility of Persons With Multiple Sclerosis.

Objective: To evaluate the mobility and postural balance improvements that could be achieved in a cohort of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) who participated in a motor adaptation protocol and a cohort of persons with MS who participated in a therapeutic exercise protocol.

Design: A cohort design, where subjects were evaluated before and after a 6-week intervention period.

Setting: Clinical laboratory setting.

Multiple sclerosis influences the precision of the ankle plantarflexon muscular force production.

Objective: To quantify the precision of the steady-state isometric control of the ankle plantarflexors musculature of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), and to evaluate if the precision is related to the mobility impairments.

Methods: Individuals with MS and healthy adults performed a submaximal steady-state isometric contraction with the ankle plantarflexors. The coefficient of variation was used to assess the amount of variability or error in the precision of the torques generated by the ankle plantarflexor musculature.

Dissipation of disturbances seen in the knee joint kinematics of children with cerebral palsy.

Purpose: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often use a crouch gait pattern that has disturbances in the knee joint kinematics. Although the length and rate of lengthening of the hamstring musculature have been speculated to be the reason that these disturbances are not adequately dissipated, this relationship has not been adequately explored. The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to use simulations of a musculoskeletal model and Floquet analysis to evaluate how the performance of hamstrings musculature during gait may be related to the knee joint instabilities seen in children with CP.

Age-related differences in the motor planning of a lower leg target matching task.

While the development and execution of upper extremity motor plans have been well explored, little is known about how individuals plan and execute rapid, goal-directed motor tasks with the lower extremities. Furthermore, the amount of time needed to integrate the proper amount of visual and proprioceptive feedback before being able to accurately execute a goal-directed movement is not well understood; especially in children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to initially interrogate how the amount of motor planning time provided to a child before movement execution may influence the preparation and execution of a lower leg goal-directed movement.

Neurorehabilitation Strategies Focusing on Ankle Control Improve Mobility and Posture in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background And Purpose: The neuromuscular impairments seen in the ankle plantarflexors have been identified as a primary factor that limits the mobility and standing postural balance of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, few efforts have been made to find effective treatment strategies that will improve the ankle plantarflexor control. Our objective was to determine whether an intensive 14-week neurorehabilitation protocol has the potential to improve the ankle plantarflexor control of individuals with MS.

Children with cerebral palsy have greater stochastic features present in the variability of their gait kinematics.

Children with CP have a more variable gait pattern. However, it is currently unknown if these variations arise from deterministic variations that are a result of a change in the motor command or stochastic features that are present in the nervous system. The aim of this investigation was to use a Langevin equation methodology to evaluate the deterministic and stochastic features that are present in the variability of the gait kinematics of children with cerebral palsy (CP).

The Stochastic Component of the Postural Sway Variability is Higher in Children with Balance Impairments.

Children with balance impairments have an increased amount of variability in the sway of the center of pressure (COP) during standing. Limited efforts have been made to quantify the nature of the variability. This exploratory investigation examined the deterministic and stochastic features that comprise the time-dependent postural sway variability during standing.