Publications by authors named "Foucher K"

Article Synopsis
  • The JBJS symposium focused on the importance of including sex and gender in orthopaedic research to enhance study methods and patient outcomes, addressing current shortcomings in reporting.
  • Barriers to proper reporting stem from cultural resistance, inadequate education on terminology and study design, insufficient funding for larger studies, and the need for better understanding of how biological and social factors like gender and race interact in health research.
  • To overcome these challenges, the development of best-practice statistical methods and ongoing education for all stakeholders in research is crucial, with existing guidelines like the SAGER providing a framework for improvement and support from academic institutions and funders being essential for meaningful progress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study explored the impact of ischemic preconditioning (IC) on hip abductor strength and power in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis (KOA), involving a sample of 10 participants.
  • Results indicated that after a single IC session, there were significant improvements in hip abductor strength (isokinetic peak torque) and power for the affected limb, while the unaffected limb also showed some strength gains.
  • The findings suggest that IC is a promising and safe method to enhance muscle function in KOA patients and should be further researched as an additional therapeutic option.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Health indices in the U.S. show significant regional disparities, with certain areas experiencing high rates of unhealthy behaviors and chronic diseases, including arthritis.
  • A study analyzed data from 3,073 counties and found strong correlations between arthritis prevalence and factors like lifestyle health, depression, disability, and social vulnerability.
  • The research highlights the need for a more integrated and proactive approach to health care, moving away from condition-specific treatment to a more holistic model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As we age, reliance on the ankle musculature for push-off during walking reduces and increased reliance on the hip musculature is observed. It is unclear how joint pathology like osteoarthritis may affect this distal-to-proximal redistribution of propulsion. Here, we revisited a proof-of-concept study to study the effect of split-belt treadmill training, designed to reduce step length asymmetry, on forward propulsion during walking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To examine associations of vibration sensitivity and pressure pain sensitivity with knee osteoarthritis (OA) outcomes across sex and race, which may relate to known sex and race disparities in clinical outcomes.

Design: Data were from the 2013-2015 visit of the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project. Exposures were vibration perception threshold (VPT) measured at the bilateral medial femoral condyle (MFC) and first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP), and pressure pain threshold (PPT) measured at the bilateral upper trapezius.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Identifying potential contributing factors for physical inactivity in people with knee osteoarthritis is vital for designing practical activity promoting interventions. Walking is a common activity, but it is unknown how gait characteristics may influence physical activity and if psychological factors, specifically fear of movement (kinesiophobia), contribute to this relationship. The aim of our study was to investigate the contributions of select gait parameters and kinesiophobia to activity levels.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The digital health industry is experiencing fast-paced research which can provide digital care programs and technologies to enhance the competence of healthcare delivery. Orthopedic literature also confirms the applicability of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models to medical diagnosis and clinical decision-making. However, implant monitoring after primary surgery often happens with a wellness visit or when a patient complains about it.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To explore real-life experiences of people with osteoarthritis (OA) to increase understanding of how they perceive contributing factors to falls, circumstances at time of falls, and consequences of falls.

Materials And Methods: Four focus groups of 3-7 people with OA from the Chicago, IL, USA, and neighboring areas were conducted remotely via web-based videoconferencing. Inclusion criteria included history of falls in previous 12 months and hip and/or knee OA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Loss of sagittal plane hip range of motion (ROM) is a commonly reported walking gait impairment in people with hip osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether sagittal plane hip ROM reduction and the resulting altered sagittal plane ankle kinetics during gait influence the energy cost of walking in people with hip OA. We evaluated 24 women with unilateral hip OA (60 ± 9.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Any mechanical instability associated with total hip replacement (THR) excites elastic waves with different frequencies and propagates through the surrounding biological layers. Using the acoustic emission (AE) technique as a THR monitoring tool provides valuable information on structural degradations associated with these implants. However, several factors can compromise the reliability of the signals detected by AE sensors, such as attenuation of the detected signal due to the presence of biological layers in the human body between prosthesis (THR) and AE sensor.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A step length difference between the involved and uninvolved limbs in participants with hip osteoarthritis (OA) has been reported. The implications of step length asymmetry on other aspects of walking mechanics are as yet unknown. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the consequences of step length asymmetry on motion of the center of mass (COM) and energy cost of walking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between muscle strength and physical activity level in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA), and determine whether this association is mediated by pain-related fear of movement (kinesiophobia) and self-reported pain. Cross-sectional data from 37 subjects (age 58.8 ± 8.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Aberrant biomechanics may influence osteoarthritis-associated physical activity limitations. Our purpose was to evaluate the association of walking energetics, fatigue, and fatigability on physical activity in people with knee osteoarthritis. We hypothesized that using increased energy for walking, experiencing more fatigue, or being more fatigable are associated with less activity, and that fatigue and fatigability mediate the relationships between walking energetics and physical activity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) can hinder physical activity in older adults for reasons that are not fully understood. Functional barriers may exist such as reduced muscle strength around the affected joint, potentially affecting physical activity. Aging-associated declines in energy capacity may also be exacerbated by OA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Physical activity is important for physical function and pain relief in people with lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA). Unfortunately, people with OA are not as active as their peers without OA. The objective of this study was to determine whether aerobic capacity and fatigability are associated with physical activity in women with hip OA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Trip-specific training improves the kinematics of trip-specific compensatory stepping response (CSR) in the laboratory and reduces prospectively measured trip-related fall-rate of middle age and older women. We examined whether one session of trip-specific perturbation training could improve recovery step kinematics in women with knee osteoarthritis (OA), a condition known to increase fall risk. Seventeen women with self-reported symptomatic knee OA (age 61.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Our primary objective was to examine external hip joint moments during walking in people with mild radiographic hip osteoarthritis (OA) with and without symptoms and disease-free controls. Three groups were compared (symptomatic with mild radiographic hip OA, n = 12; asymptomatic with mild radiographic hip OA, n = 13; OA-free controls, n = 20). Measures of the external moment (peak and impulse) in the sagittal, frontal and transverse plane during walking were determined.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: A subset of total hip arthroplasty patients experience functional impairments past the first postoperative year. Poor hip abductor function is common before and in the early postoperative period. It is not known if abductor impairment is associated with long-term functional impairment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Abnormalities in gait remain after total hip replacement (THR). The purpose of this study was to evaluate step length asymmetry and its links to other aspects of gait and physical function after THR and to investigate links with mechanical energy exchange. The rationale is that step length asymmetry may influence gait efficiency, which could adversely influence fatigue and physical function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: While surgical reconstruction restores mechanical stability following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, many experience early-onset osteoarthritis despite surgery. Neurophysiological changes are hypothesized to contribute to knee osteoarthritis progression. Proprioceptive deficits have been reported following ACL injury/reconstruction; however, vibration perception threshold (VPT) has been less studied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Impaired descending pain inhibition has been linked to chronic pain and poorer patient outcomes. Vibration perception threshold (VPT) has also been observed and linked to radiographic stage of OA. However, it is not known how duration of symptoms may influence these neurophysiological measures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There are sex-specific gait differences in men and women before and after total hip arthroplasty (THA) but we do not know their impact on clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify sex-specific associations between pre- and postoperative changes in pain and function and (i) gait mechanics, (ii) passive range of motion, and (iii) abductor strength.

Methods: Pre- and one-year postoperative data were identified from a data repository (n = 124; 64 Women; Age 61 (SD 10); BMI 29 (SD 5)).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction:: Little is known about the loading patterns in unilateral hip osteoarthritis (OA) and their relationship to radiographic severity and pain. We aimed to examine the loading patterns at the hips of those with unilateral symptomatic hip OA and identify associations between radiographic severity and pain with loading alterations.

Methods:: 61 subjects with symptomatic unilateral hip OA underwent gait analyses and evaluation for radiographic severity (Kellgren-Lawrence [KL]-grade) and pain (visual analogue scale) at bilateral hips.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

While differences in joint kinematics and kinetics between control subjects and patients before and after total hip arthroplasty (THA) has often been studied, inter-joint coordination has not been fully characterized. We hypothesized that in patients undergoing THA, inter-joint coordination (i) is different from control subjects before surgery, (ii) changes from pre-operative to post-operative, and (iii) remains different from control subjects after surgery. Seventy-eight subjects underwent gait analysis before and ∼1 year after primary unilateral THA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF