Provision of ankle foot orthoses for children with cerebral palsy in Norway.

Introduction: Practice of ankle-foot orthoses (AFO) provision for ambulatory children with cerebral palsy is underreported and the literature is not consistent on choice of AFO-design. This study describes clinical practice of AFO provision for children with cerebral palsy and evaluates how clinical practice aligns with existing recommendations.

Methods: An online, cross-sectional survey was conducted, inviting all Norwegian orthotists working with children with cerebral palsy.

Clinical guidelines recommending prosthetics and orthotics in Sweden: Agreement between national and regional guidelines.

Background: Despite the presence of both national and regional clinical practical guidelines (CPGs) in Sweden, no previous studies have investigated the quality of CPGs or the level of agreement between national and regional CPGs.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the quality of national CPGs recommending prosthetics and orthotics (P&O) and quantify the agreement between national and regional CPGs in Sweden.

Study Design: Literature Review.

Quantitative methods used to evaluate balance, postural control, and the fear of falling in lower limb prosthesis users: A systematic review.

Problems with balance, postural control, and fear of falling are highly prevalent in lower limb prosthesis users, with much research conducted to understand these issues. The variety of tools used to assess these concepts presents a challenge when interpreting research outcomes. This systematic review aimed to provide a synthesis of quantifiable methods used in the evaluation of balance, postural control, and fear of falling in lower limb prosthesis users with an amputation level at or proximal to the ankle joint.

Personalized Offloading Treatments for Healing Plantar Diabetic Foot Ulcers.

Background: Non-removable knee-high devices are the gold-standard offloading treatments to heal plantar diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). These devices are underused in practice for a variety of reasons. Recommending these devices for all patients, regardless of their circumstances and preferences influencing their ability to tolerate the devices, does not seem a fruitful approach.

Wheelchair service provision education for healthcare professional students, healthcare personnel and educators across low- to high-resourced settings: a scoping review.

Purpose: This review aimed to collate and summarize available research literature about wheelchair service provision education available to healthcare professional students, healthcare personnel and educators across low- to high-resourced settings.

Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute methodological steps for scoping reviews were followed. Included studies were mainly sourced from Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Academic Search Complete and ProQuest.

Exploring the perspectives of prosthetic and orthotic users: past and present experiences and insights for the future.

Purpose: The aim of this work was to qualitatively explore the personal perspectives of prosthetic and orthotic users, in the context of their past and present experiences and understand their insights for the future.

Materials And Methods: A narrative exploration study design, employing a phenomenological approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three female and two male prosthetic and orthotic users from Australia and the United Kingdom.

Development and validation of a sensitive MEDLINE search strategy to identify literature relevant to limb prostheses.

Background: Researchers and clinicians may find it challenging to identify relevant articles about limb prostheses in online databases. Searches may be improved by using standardized strategies, also known as filters or hedges.

Objectives: To develop and validate a highly sensitive MEDLINE (EBSCOHost) search strategy for limb prostheses.

Development of a theoretical model for upright postural control in lower limb prosthesis users.

Methods used to assess quiet standing in unilateral prosthesis users often assume validity of an inverted pendulum model despite this being shown as invalid in some instances. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the validity of a proposed unilaterally-constrained pin-controller model in explaining postural control in unilateral prosthesis users. Prosthesis users were contrasted against the theoretical model as were able-bodied controls that stood on a platform which unilaterally constrained movement of the CoP.

Wheelchair service provision education for healthcare professional students, healthcare personnel and educators across low- to high-resourced settings: a scoping review protocol.

Purpose: Appropriate wheelchair provision is necessary for addressing participation barriers experienced by individuals with mobility impairments. Health care professionals involved in the wheelchair service provision process require a specific set of skills and knowledge to enable wheelchair use that meets individual posture, mobility and daily living requirements. However, inconsistencies exist in academic programmes globally about providing comprehensive education and training programmes.

Comment on van Netten, et al: Definitions and criteria for diabetic foot disease.

Objective: The International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) recently published updated definitions for the diabetic foot field. However, the suggested definitions of lower limb amputations differ from the definitions of the International Organization of Standardization (ISO), which may create problems when implementing the definitions. This paper compares and discusses the amputation definitions of IWGDF and ISO.

Transitioning to a microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee: Executive functioning during single and dual-task gait.

Background: Walking with a prosthesis requires substantial concentration on behalf of the user and places increased demands on executive functions. Little is known of the effects that prosthetic knee joint prescription may have on executive functioning.

Objectives: Evaluate executive functioning in trans-femoral prosthesis users during single and dual-task walking, before and after they transition to a Microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee unit.

Effects of knee orthoses on kinesthetic awareness and balance in healthy individuals.

Introduction: Conflicting evidence exists regarding the effects of knee orthoses on proprioception. One belief is that pressure applied by orthoses heightens kinesthetic awareness and that this affects balance. This study aimed to investigate the effects of two different orthosis designs on kinesthetic awareness and balance in healthy individuals.

Nordic clinical guidelines for orthotic treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: A systematic review using the AGREE II instrument.

Background: High-quality clinical practice guidelines are necessary for effective use of resources both at an individual patient- and national-level. Nordic clinical practice guidelines recommendations for orthotic treatment of knee osteoarthritis vary and little is known about their quality.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to critically evaluate the quality of clinical practice guidelines in orthotic management of knee osteoarthritis in the Nordic countries.

Adaptations from the prosthetic and intact limb during standing on a sway-referenced support surface for transtibial prosthesis users.

To investigate the bilateral postural adaptations as a result of standing on an increasingly unstable sway-referenced support surface with both the intact and prosthetic limb for transtibial prosthesis users (TPUs). TPUs ( = 14) and matched controls ( = 14) stood quietly in multiple foot placement conditions (intact foot, prosthetic foot and both feet) on a sway-referenced support surface which matched surface rotation to the movement of the centre of pressure (CoP). Force and motion data were collected and used to analyse CoP mean position, displacement integral and force components under intact and prosthetic limbs.

Do Predictive Relationships Exist Between Postural Control and Falls Efficacy in Unilateral Transtibial Prosthesis Users?

Objective: To assess whether variables from a postural control test relate to and predict falls efficacy in prosthesis users.

Design: Twelve-month within- and between-participants repeated measures design. Participants performed the limits of stability (LOS) test protocol at study baseline and at 6-month follow-up.

Development of a limits of stability protocol for use in transtibial prosthesis users: Learning effects and reliability of outcome variables.

The aims of this study were to empirically quantify reliability and learning effects of a Limits of Stability protocol for transtibial prosthesis users. Outcome variables from center of pressure and center of mass were tested on: 1) multiple test repetitions within a single test occasion; and 2) between multiple test occasions. Trantibial prosthesis users (n=7) and matched controls (n=7) executed five trials of the Limits of Stability protocol on two occasions per day, on two consecutive days.

The validity of forceplate data as a measure of rapid and targeted volitional movements of the centre of mass in transtibial prosthesis users.

Purpose: To validate outcome variables from the limits of stability protocol that are derived from the center of pressure with those same variables derived from the center of mass during rapid, volitional responses in transtibial prosthesis users.

Method: Prosthesis users (n = 21) and matched controls (n = 21) executed movements while force and motion data were collected. Correlation coefficients were used to investigate relationships between center of pressure and center of mass for: x/y coordinates positions, limits of stability outcome variables and muscular reaction times.

Validation of the Inverted Pendulum Model in standing for transtibial prosthesis users.

Background: Often in balance assessment variables associated with the center of pressure are used to draw conclusions about an individual's balance. Validity of these conclusions rests upon assumptions that movement of the center of pressure is inter-dependent on movement of the center of mass. This dependency is mechanical and is referred to as the Inverted Pendulum Model.