Prophylactic ankle brace use in high school volleyball players: a prospective study.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of prophylactic ankle bracing on the incidence of ankle injuries in a high school population of interscholastic volleyball players followed prospectively for one season.

Materials And Methods: The study was designed to evaluate the effect of different types of ankle braces on the incidence of ankle sprains in high school volleyball players. There were 957 players in the group that wore braces and 42 in the control group who did not wear a brace.

Surgical advancements: arthroscopic alternatives to open procedures: great toe, subtalar joint, Haglund's deformity, and tendoscopy.

Advancements in surgical techniques have broadened the use of arthroscopy as a viable alternative to open procedures in evaluating and treating common foot, ankle, and tendon injuries. These techniques can result in a shorter and more comfortable recovery, decreased postoperative pain, and fewer complications. This article discusses diagnostic and technical points in relation to advanced uses of the arthroscope.

Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy is safe and effective in the treatment of chronic recalcitrant plantar fasciitis: results of a confirmatory randomized placebo-controlled multicenter study.

Background: Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy is an effective treatment for chronic plantar fasciitis that can be administered to outpatients without anesthesia but has not yet been evaluated in controlled trials.

Hypothesis: There is no difference in effectiveness between radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy and placebo in the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.

Study Design: Randomized, controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

The effects of obesity on orthopaedic foot and ankle pathology.

Background: It is believed that obese individuals may have an increased number of foot and ankle problems. The World Health Organization recommends a standard classification of adult overweight and obesity using the following body mass index (BMI) calculations: a BMI of 25.0 to 29.

Arthroscopy of the posterior subtalar joint.

The subtalar joint is a complex and functionally important joint of the lower extremity. It plays a major role in the movement of inversion and eversion of the foot. With the development of small-joint arthroscopes and instrumentation, surgeons became interested in posterior subtalar joint arthroscopy.