Publications by authors named "G J Crofts"

Objective: To determine the use of smart phones in clinical practice and to determine the perceived impact on patient safety.

Study Design: A closed questionnaire survey with an exploratory open question.

Setting, Materials And Methods: A questionnaire was sent to a sample of 216 delegates that have attended courses provided by an education provider in the North West of England between 2015–2017.

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Ultrasound (US) imaging offers significant potential in diagnosis of plantar fascia (PF) injury and monitoring treatment. In particular US imaging has been shown to be reliable in foot and ankle assessment and offers a real-time effective imaging technique that is able to reliably confirm structural changes, such as thickening, and identify changes in the internal echo structure associated with diseased or damaged tissue. Despite the advantages of US imaging, images are difficult to interpret during medical assessment.

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Study Design Descriptive, cross-sectional. Background Age-related muscle atrophy is common in lower-limb muscles. We therefore speculated that foot muscles may also diminish with age.

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The plantar soft tissue is a highly functional viscoelastic structure involved in transferring load to the human body during walking. A Soft Tissue Response Imaging Device was developed to apply a vertical compression to the plantar soft tissue whilst measuring the mechanical response via a combined load cell and ultrasound imaging arrangement. Accuracy of motion compared to input profiles; validation of the response measured for standard materials in compression; variability of force and displacement measures for consecutive compressive cycles; and implementation in vivo with five healthy participants.

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