Effects of Chronic Pain on Static and Dynamic Postural Control in Chronic Ankle Instability.

Objective: To identify the effects of chronic pain levels on static and dynamic postural (DP) control in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Controlled laboratory.

Relationships Between Running Biomechanics and Femoral Articular Cartilage Thickness and Composition in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Patients.

Background: Although individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are at high risk for posttraumatic osteoarthritis, mechanisms underlying the relationship between running and knee cartilage health remain unclear.

Objective: We aimed to investigate how 30 min of running influences femoral cartilage thickness and composition and their relationships with running biomechanics in patients with ACLR and controls.

Methods: Twenty patients with ACLR (time post-ACLR: 14.

New Perspectives on Foot Segment Forces and Joint Kinetics-Integrating Plantar Shear Stresses and Pressures with Multi-segment Foot Modeling.

The role of the many small foot articulations and plantar tissues in gait is not well understood. While kinematic multi-segment foot models have increased our knowledge of foot segmental motions, the integration of kinetics with these models could further advance our understanding of foot mechanics and energetics. However, capturing and effectively utilizing segmental ground reaction forces remains challenging.

For plantar taping, direction of elasticity matters.

Plantar taping has been used in clinical settings as a short-term conservative treatment for plantar heel pain and related pathologies. The rise of at-home taping methods may offer patients more independence, but effectiveness has not been established. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of plantar taping on foot mechanics during gait.

The signed helical angle: A technique for characterizing midfoot motion during gait.

Quantifying motion in the midfoot during gait and other movements is important for a variety of applications, but challenging due to the complexity of the multiple small articulations involved. The most common motion capture based techniques are limited in their ability to characterize the non-planar nature of the midfoot joint axes. In this study we developed a novel Signed Helical Angle (SHA) to quantify midfoot angular displacement.

Kinetic coupling in distal foot joints during walking.

Background: Kinematic coupling between the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) and midtarsal joints is evident during gait and other movement tasks, however kinetic foot coupling during walking has not been examined. Furthermore, contributing factors to foot coupling are still unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate kinematic and kinetic coupling within the foot by restricting MTP motion during overground walking.

The influence of bed height as a percentage of participant height on low back forces when boosting a patient up in bed.

Background: Repositioning patients is a frequent task for healthcare workers causing substantial stress to the low back. Patient handling methodologies that reduce low back load should be used. Some studies have observed the effect of bed height on back forces using a limited range of heights.

Low-cost prosthetic feet for underserved populations: A comparison of gait analysis and mechanical stiffness.

Background: Lower-limb loss is an ongoing cause of disability throughout the world. Despite advancements in prosthetic technologies, there are numerous underserved populations in need of effective low-cost prosthetic foot options.

Objective: To evaluate the biomechanical performance of several low-cost prosthetic feet, using a combination of instrumented gait analysis and mechanical stiffness testing.

The effect of existing and novel walker boot designs on offloading and gait mechanics.

Background: Orthopedic walker boots are often used to treat foot ulcers and other wounds with the goal of offloading plantar pressure. However, poor ulcer healing outcomes and high recurrence rates show a need for additional solutions in the growing diabetes epidemic. We compared a novel spring-loaded walker boot to a traditional rigid ankle boot and a hinged ankle boot as well as a control shoe.

Up in the air: the efficacy of weighted gloves in figure skating jumps.

Successful performance of difficult, multi-revolution jumps is a critical aspect of singles and pairs figure skating. Key determinants of quality jumps include jump height, angular momentum at takeoff (L_Body) and total body moment of inertia (I_Body). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of weighted gloves on L_Body of figure skating jumps.

The influence of the windlass mechanism on kinematic and kinetic foot joint coupling.

Background: Previous research shows kinematic and kinetic coupling between the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) and midtarsal joints during gait. Studying the effects of MTP position as well as foot structure on this coupling may help determine to what extent foot coupling during dynamic and active movement is due to the windlass mechanism. This study's purpose was to investigate the kinematic and kinetic foot coupling during controlled passive, active, and dynamic movements.

Healthcare worker choice and low back force between self-chosen and highest bed height when boosting a patient up in bed.

Healthcare workers have a high rate of low back injury due to patient handling tasks. These workers receive training in patient handling methods such as adjusting bed height, but often ignore them. In this study, 35 healthcare workers completed patient boosts at a self-chosen bed height and again with the bed in a higher standardised position.

Effects of balance training with stroboscopic glasses on postural control in chronic ankle instability patients.

Unlabelled: Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) are believed to rely more on visual information during postural control due to impaired proprioceptive function, which may increase the risk of injury when their vision is limited during sports activities.

Objectives: To compare (1) the effects of balance training with and without stroboscopic glasses on postural control and (2) the effects of the training on visual reliance in patients with CAI.

Design: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

Deformable foot orthoses redistribute power from the ankle to the distal foot during walking.

Recently, carbon fiber plates, or orthoses, have been incorporated into footwear to improve running performance, presumably through improved energy storage and return. However, few studies have explored the energetic effects these orthoses have on the distal foot, have utilized such orthoses in walking, and none have sought to specifically harness metatarsophalangeal joint deformation to store and return energy to the ankle-foot complex. To address these gaps, we developed and tested a deformable carbon fiber foot orthosis aiming to harness foot energetics and quantify the resulting effects on ankle energetics during walking in healthy adults.

Added body mass alters plantar shear stresses, postural control, and gait kinetics: Implications for obesity.

Context: Obesity is a growing global health concern. The increased body mass and altered mass distribution associated with obesity may be related to increases in plantar shear that putatively leads to physical functional deficits. Therefore, measurement of plantar shear may provide unique insights on the effects of body mass and body distribution on physical function or performance.

IceSense Proof of Concept: Calibrating an Instrumented Figure Skating Blade to Measure On-Ice Forces.

Competitive figure skaters often suffer from overuse injuries, which may be due to the high impact forces endured during jump repetitions performed in practice and competition. However, to date, forces during on-ice figure skating have not been quantified due to technological limitations. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal calibration procedure for a previously developed instrumented figure skating blade (IceSense).

Whole body kinematic sex differences persist across non-dimensional gait speeds.

Sex differences in human locomotion are of interest in a broad variety of interdisciplinary applications. Although kinematic sex differences have been studied for many years, the underlying reasons behind several noted differences, such as pelvis and torso range of motion, are still not well understood. Walking speed and body size in particular represent confounding influences that hinder our ability to determine causal factors.

Ultrasound Imaging Is Reliable for Tibialis Posterior Size Measurements.

Objectives: The tibialis posterior (TP) is a vital muscle for controlling the medial longitudinal arch of the foot during weight-bearing activities. Dysfunction of this muscle is associated with a variety of pathologic conditions; thus, it is important to reliably assess its morphologic characteristics. Ultrasound (US) has been used to assess characteristics of TP tendons but not the muscle cross-sectional area (CSA).

Early-Stage Diabetic Neuropathy Reduces Foot Strength and Intrinsic but Not Extrinsic Foot Muscle Size.

Background: Tracking progression of diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy (DPN) is usually focused on sensory nerves and subjective testing methods. Recent studies have suggested that distal muscle atrophy may precede sensation loss. Methods to objectively measure distal muscle size and strength are needed to help understand how neuropathy affects muscle function.

Functional assessments of foot strength: a comparative and repeatability study.

Background: Evaluating the strength of the small muscles of the foot may be useful in a variety of clinical applications but is challenging from a methodology standpoint. Previous efforts have focused primarily on the functional movement of toe flexion, but clear methodology guidelines are lacking. A novel foot doming test has also been proposed, but not fully evaluated.

Use of Cine Loops and Structural Landmarks in Ultrasound Image Processing Improves Reliability and Reduces Error in the Assessment of Foot and Leg Muscles.

Objectives: Foot and leg muscle strength and size are crucial to proper function. It is important to assess these characteristics reliably. Our primary objective was to compare the measurement of still images to cine loops.

Diabetic Gait Is Not Just Slow Gait: Gait Compensations in Diabetic Neuropathy.

Background: Neuropathic complications from diabetes mellitus affect multiple nerve types and may manifest in gait. However, gait compensations are still poorly understood, as narrow analyses and lack of speed controls have contributed to conflicting or equivocal results.

Purpose: To evaluate gait mechanics and energetics in diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy.

Simultaneous ice and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation decrease anterior knee pain during running but do not affect running kinematics or associated muscle inhibition.

Background: Runners often experience anterior knee pain and this pain is associated with altered running neuromechanics. The purpose of this study was to examine potential therapeutic benefits (reduced pain and restored running neuromechanics) of simultaneously applied ice and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on experimentally-induced anterior knee pain.

Methods: Nineteen healthy subjects completed a sham and treatment data collection session.

Passive hallux adduction decreases lateral plantar artery blood flow: a preliminary study of the potential influence of narrow toe box shoes.

Background: Blood flow is essential in maintaining tissue health. Thus, compromised blood flow can prevent tissue healing. An adducted hallux, as seen inside a narrow shoe, may put passive tension on the abductor hallucis, compressing the lateral plantar artery into the calcaneus and restricting blood flow.