Publications by authors named "Claire Hiller"

Disorders affecting the neurological and musculoskeletal systems represent international health priorities. A significant impediment to progress in trials of new therapies is the absence of responsive, objective, and valid outcome measures sensitive to early disease changes. A key finding in individuals with neuromuscular and musculoskeletal disorders is the compositional changes to muscles, evinced by the expression of fatty infiltrates.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Gait retraining, through altering foot progression angle, has the potential to reduce pain and offload the medial tibiofemoral compartment in people with knee osteoarthritis. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of toe-in and toe-out gait retraining on self-reported pain and physical function, and proxy measures of medial knee load, in individuals with medial knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: Twenty participants with symptomatic medial knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated to receive either toe-in or toe-out gait retraining for six-weeks, consisting of weekly clinician-supervised sessions and ≥ 30 min of daily self-practice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • In 2012, the SMCI of IADMS introduced 6 recommendations aimed at standardizing dance injury surveillance and definitions to enhance data reliability in dance medicine and science.
  • The IADMS has updated these recommendations through expert collaboration and literature review to reflect current evidence and improve upon the initial guidelines.
  • The updated guidelines stress the importance of utilizing clear injury definitions, recommend self-reporting for certain surveillance aspects, and emphasize the need for relevant measures tailored to specific research questions to enhance injury risk management in dance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to investigate how Australian healthcare and athletic professionals view and use ankle taping and bracing to manage and prevent lateral ankle sprains.
  • - An anonymous online survey was conducted with 160 respondents, mainly podiatrists and physiotherapists, revealing strong support for ankle supports, with high effectiveness ratings for both bracing and taping techniques.
  • - Results indicated that the figure eight taping method and various types of braces were the most commonly utilized methods for both managing and preventing these injuries, reflecting a positive overall attitude towards these practices among professionals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

There is limited validation for portable methods in evaluating high-speed running biomechanics, with inertial measurement unit (IMU) systems commonly used as wearables for this purpose. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of an IMU system in high-speed running compared to a 3D motion analysis system (MAS). One runner performed incremental treadmill running, from 12 to 18 km/h, on two separate days.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The static and dynamic correlations of postural stability to its three potential contributors, namely, proprioception, tactile sensation, and strength remain unclear among people with chronic ankle instability (CAI). This study aimed to compare static and dynamic postural stability, along with proprioception, tactile sensation, and strength between people with and without CAI and explore their correlations.

Methods: Sixty-seven participants with CAI and 67 participants without CAI were enrolled in this study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzed 17 cases of lateral ankle ligament sprains from Australian netball games between 2020 and 2023, focusing on the circumstances and mechanics of the injuries.
  • Most injuries occurred either while players were trying to maneuver for a pass or were attempting to intercept or mark opponents, with players often landing awkwardly on their feet.
  • The findings suggest that landing mechanics and weight transfer onto the injured foot are critical factors in these injuries, indicating a need for specific exercises to improve balance and control during play.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Proximal phalangeal fractures are common injuries in children, traditionally treated with a 5-week splinting period, even when healing is apparent at 3 weeks.
  • A study involving 80 children assessed whether a 3-week splinting duration is as effective as the standard 5-week approach by comparing total active motion in the injured digit.
  • Results indicated that early removal of the splint is just as effective, suggesting a shift in practice towards using clinical healing assessments to guide treatment in children with these fractures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Physical activity is known to improve psychological and cognitive outcomes. Learning dance sequences may challenge cognition, partnered or group dance may benefit social interactions, and the artistic aspect may improve psychological wellbeing. Dance is an equally effective form of physical activity compared with other structured physical activities to improve physical health, but it is unclear how effective dance could be for psychological and cognitive outcome measures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Children with chronic ankle instability (CAI) frequently experience ankle unsteadiness, causing trips, falls, and ankle sprain injuries resulting in poor quality of life. A specific exercise program focused on physical and psychological purposes in children with CAI is needed.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a 4-week home-based exercise training program using active video games (AVGs) for balance, motor proficiency, foot and ankle ability, and intrinsic motivation in children with CAI.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A study investigated dance-related injuries among young Chinese dance practitioners in Hong Kong, focusing on prevalence and risk factors.
  • It found that young dancers (ages 15-24) experienced a higher injury rate (6.5 injuries per 1000 dance hours) and a greater 12-month injury prevalence (52.5%) compared to child dancers (ages 10-14).
  • Key injury sites included the knee, lower back, and ankles, with age and height identified as significant risk factors for certain injuries, indicating younger and taller dancers face more risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We aimed to investigate the effects of delivering 3 gait retraining interventions (toe-in, toe-out, and placebo gait) on proxy measures of medial knee load (early- and late-stance peak knee adduction moment [KAM], KAM impulse, and varus thrust) in people with knee osteoarthritis, using a hybrid model of face-to-face and telehealth-delivered sessions over 5 months. This was an originally planned 3-arm randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. However, during the 2021 COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown in Sydney, Australia, the study became a pilot randomized controlled trial with the remainder of interventions delivered via telehealth.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Our primary aim is to determine the effect of a six-week toe-in, toe-out and active placebo gait retraining program on proxy measures of medial knee joint load and varus thrust in people with medial knee osteoarthritis. Our secondary aim is to determine the intervention effects on patient reported outcomes and physical function and determine if changes are maintained at three-months follow-up.

Methods: We will conduct a three-arm randomised placebo-controlled trial.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ankle braces are commonly recommended for prevention of ankle sprains, especially secondary sprains, rehabilitation, and return to normal activity or sport after injury. One common resistance to use is the feeling that braces will impede functional performance. For people with chronic ankle instability, the limited research indicates that the use of semirigid, lace-up, or soft-shell braces will not affect, and in some cases, may enhance performance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study developed a Thai version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT-THA) specifically for younger adults, focusing on assessing chronic ankle instability (CAI).
  • It involved validating the tool's psychometric properties by comparing two groups (those with CAI and those without) using various assessment methods like internal consistency and test-retest reliability.
  • The CAIT-THA demonstrated strong reliability and validity, with a determined cut-off score of ≤ 25 effectively distinguishing between individuals with and without CAI, making it a valuable tool for clinicians and researchers in rehabilitation settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Nurses face a high risk of low back pain due to their work, prompting a study focused on promoting low back health through education.
  • The research involved a randomized-controlled trial with two educational approaches— in-person and social media— and assessed changes in knowledge, attitude, and behavior over time.
  • Results showed that both groups improved at 3 months, but social media proved more effective for long-term maintenance of knowledge and behavior related to low back health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Our primary aim was to determine the cross-sectional relationship between knee biomechanics during gait and pain in people with medial knee osteoarthritis. Our secondary aim was to evaluate differences in knee biomechanics between symptomatic and asymptomatic participants with medial knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: Four online databases were searched from inception to July 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Globally, 20-25% of people will experience chronic pain in their lifetimes. Dance is a physical activity with psychosocial benefits that might positively impact pain. This review aimed to investigate the effect of dance interventions on the experience of pain by quantitative measures and qualitative themes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cultural beliefs and values are increasingly understood to influence the experience of pain, health-seeking, and pain management behaviours. Research exploring cultural beliefs about pain is particularly needed for Indian migrants, who have a high prevalence of pain and are among the largest migrant communities in Australia and internationally. The objective of this study was to explore pain-related beliefs and coping strategies of Hindi-speaking Indian migrants with chronic back pain living in Sydney.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study systematically reviewed literature on how ankle supports affect lower limb biomechanics during physical activities.
  • After searching eight databases, 42 studies with 761 participants were included, revealing that most studies showed no significant effects of ankle supports on ground reaction forces or ankle inversion angles.
  • The only notable finding was that ankle taping reduced the plantarflexion angle during landing from a jump, indicating limited evidence on the impact of ankle supports on broader ankle biomechanics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) and Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) into Marathi, and to evaluate their clinimetric properties in a native Marathi speaking population with chronic low back pain.

Material And Methods: The BBQ and PSEQ were translated into Marathi using international published guidelines. Fifty native Marathi speakers were recruited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: One of the largest migrant communities in Australia is the Indian migrant community. Current back pain guidelines recommend assessment of patients' beliefs; however, little is known about these beliefs in Indian communities. We aimed to investigate beliefs about back pain among Indian migrants living in Sydney.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Some studies suggested that adolescent scoliotic dancers were more likely to sustain dance injuries than non-scoliotic dancers. This study aimed to investigate the association between scoliosis and dance injury among children and adolescent recreational dancers. Identical web-based and paper-based questionnaires were distributed to children and adolescent recreational dancers to collect demographic information, dance experiences, history and location of dance injuries, as well as the frequency of dance injury in the last 12 months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite increased awareness of the multifactorial nature of Hamstring Strain Injury (HSI), the role of running biomechanics remains unclear. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate whether an association exists between running biomechanics and HSI. Five databases were searched from inception to January 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Despite being the most commonly incurred sports injury with a high recurrence rate, there are no guidelines to inform return to sport (RTS) decisions following acute lateral ankle sprain injuries. We aimed to develop a list of assessment items to address this gap.

Methods: We used a three-round Delphi survey approach to develop consensus of opinion among 155 globally diverse health professionals working in elite field or court sports.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF