Efficacy of 2 Regional Pain Control Techniques in Pediatric Foot Surgery.

Background: Peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) have the potential to reduce postoperative pain. The use of ultrasound (US) to guide PNBs may be more beneficial than nerve stimulation (NS); however, very few studies have studied this technique in children. The objective of this study was to compare postoperative pain control in pediatric patients who had general anesthesia (GA) alone compared with those who had PNB performed by NS, or PNB with both NS and US guidance.

Strength asymmetry and osteoarthritis risk factors in unilateral trans-tibial, amputee gait.

Persons with a unilateral, trans-tibial amputation have an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA) in the knee of their intact limb. Between-side strength discrepancies observed in individuals with an amputation may indicate overuse of the intact limb and increased osteoarthritis risk; however, the relationship between lower extremity strength and gait mechanics has not been addressed in previous literature. It was hypothesized that amputee subjects' strength and gait would be more asymmetrical than controls, and that strength asymmetry would positively correlate with gait variable asymmetry and intact side gait variables associated with osteoarthritis risk.