Motor imagery training speeds up gait recovery and decreases the risk of falls in patients submitted to total knee arthroplasty.

With Motor imagery (MI), movements are mentally rehearsed without overt actions; this procedure has been adopted in motor rehabilitation, primarily in brain-damaged patients. Here we rather tested the clinical potentials of MI in purely orthopaedic patients who, by definition, should maximally benefit of mental exercises because of their intact brain. To this end we studied the recovery of gait after total knee arthroplasty and evaluated whether MI combined with physiotherapy could speed up the recovery of gait and even limit the occurrence of future falls.

Effects of early virtual reality-based rehabilitation in patients with total knee arthroplasty: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Virtual reality (VR)-based rehabilitation is a promising approach for improving recovery in many conditions to optimize functional results, enhancing the clinical and social benefits of surgery.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of an early rehabilitation performed by the VR-based rehabilitation versus the traditional rehabilitation provided by physical therapists after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 85 subjects met the inclusion criteria and were randomized 3 to 4 days after TKA to an inpatient VR-based rehabilitation and a traditional rehabilitation.

Diagnostic test accuracy of an automated device as a screening tool for fall risk assessment in community-residing elderly: A STARD compliant study.

We aimed to determine the accuracy and failure of OAK device, an automated screening, for the assessment of fall risk in a prospective cohort of healthy adults aged over 65 years. The algorithm for fall risk assessment of the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) was used as reference standard. Of the 183 individuals recruited, the CDC algorithm classified 80 as being at moderate/high risk and 103 at low risk of falling.

Simultaneous bilateral unicompartmental knee replacement improves gait parameters in patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis.

Background: Unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) can provide reliable clinical and functional outcomes when performed simultaneously in both knees for treating bilateral osteoarthritis (OA). No studies to date have evaluated gait pattern after simultaneous bilateral UKR. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in gait variables after bilateral single-stage UKR (B-UKR) and to compare them with the outcomes after unilateral UKR in two other groups of patients: one with bilateral knee OA (P-UKR) and one with the contralateral knee unaffected (H-UKR).

Is rasterstereography a valid noninvasive method for the screening of juvenile and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis?

Purpose: Aim of the study was to verify the accuracy of rasterstereography (RST), as radiation-free alternative to plain radiography (RAD) in the monitoring of spine deformity and scoliosis progression in juvenile and adolescent subjects with idiopathic scoliosis.

Methods: 192 subjects underwent RST (by Formetric 4D device) and low-dose RAD (EOS Imaging, France) in the same session. A sub-group of 30 subjects, selected for conservative treatment with corrective bracing, was assessed at 6-months follow-up.

A functional limitation to the lower limbs affects the neural bases of motor imagery of gait.

Studies on athletes or neurological patients with motor disorders have shown a close link between motor experience and motor imagery skills. Here we evaluated whether a functional limitation due to a musculoskeletal disorder has an impact on the ability to mentally rehearse the motor patterns of walking, an overlearned and highly automatic behaviour. We assessed the behavioural performance (measured through mental chronometry tasks) and the neural signatures of motor imagery of gait in patients with chronic knee arthrosis and in age-matched, healthy controls.

Surgical treatment of spinal disorders in Parkinson's disease.

Purpose: Most patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibit alterations in the posture, which can in several cases give rise to spine deformities, both in the sagittal and the coronal plane. In addition, degenerative disorders of the spine frequently associated to PD, such as spinal stenosis and sagittal instability, can further impact the quality of life of the patient. In recent years, spine surgery has been increasingly performed, with mixed results.

Single leg squat performance in physically and non-physically active individuals: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Single-leg squat (SLS) is a functional test visually rated by clinicians for assessing lower limb function as a preventive injury strategy. SLS clinical rating is a qualitative evaluation and it does not count objective outcomes as kinematics data and surface electromyography (sEMG) assessment. Based on the SLS rating, the aims of this study were (i) to determine the clinical rating agreement among six raters and (ii) to assess kinematic and sEMG predictors of good SLS performance in physically and non-physically active individuals.

Validation of the AnyBody full body musculoskeletal model in computing lumbar spine loads at L4L5 level.

In the panorama of available musculoskeletal modeling software, AnyBody software is a commercial tool that provides a full body musculoskeletal model which is increasingly exploited by numerous researchers worldwide. In this regard, model validation becomes essential to guarantee the suitability of the model in representing the simulated system. When focusing on lumbar spine, the previous works aimed at validating the AnyBody model in computing the intervertebral loads held several limitations, and a comprehensive validation is to be considered as lacking.