Could trochanteric pelvic stabilization be removed from the adolescent idiopathic scoliosis brace? A prospective pilot study.

Background: Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common musculoskeletal deformity in children. There is a dose-response relationship between compliance and improvement in scoliosis. The literature revealed that esthetic considerations have negative consequences on the quality of life (QOL) of patients and consequently on wearing time of the brace.

Daily socket comfort in transtibial amputee with a vacuum-assisted suspension system: study protocol of a randomized, multicenter, double-blind multiple N-of-1 trial.

Background: The main aim of this paper is to present the feasibility of rigorously designed multiple N-of-1 design in prosthetics research. While research of adequate power and high quality is often lacking in rehabilitation, N-of-1 trials can offer a feasible alternative to randomized controlled group trials, both increasing design power at group level and allowing a rigorous, statistically confirmed evaluation of effectiveness at a single patient level. The paper presents a multiple N-of-1 trial protocol, which aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of Unity, a prosthetic add-on suspension system for amputees, on patient-reported comfort during daily activities (main outcome measure), prosthesis wearing time, perception of limb-prosthesis fitting and stump volume and functional walking parameters.

Novel Use of Botulinum Toxin in Long-Standing Adductor-Related Groin Pain: A Case Series.

Background: Adductor-related groin pain (ARGP) is the most common groin injury in athletes. If conservative treatment fails, then adductor tenotomy to relieve tension can be considered. The use of botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) has shown good results in other musculoskeletal pathologies.

Assessing the contribution of lower limb mobilization, in the supine position, on shoulder-pelvis girdles dissociation.

Background: Several articular, muscular and neurological diseases generate mobility loss in the shoulder and pelvis girdles. Joint mobilization contributes to improving shoulder-pelvis girdles dissociation, but current mobilization techniques are not always successful and standardized. A robotic medical device, DPA Med®, by inducing trunk mobilization through lower limb oscillation has been developed for producing such a shoulder-pelvis girdles dissociation and is already used worldwide in rehabilitation hospitals.

Effect of Trunk Muscle Strengthening on Gait Pattern and Falls in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: The course of Parkinson's disease is characterized by gait disturbance and falls, which affect patients' quality of life and engender high healthcare costs. These factors are not greatly improved by levodopa therapy or deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nuclei. Indeed, the symptoms may even worsen with these treatment.

Number of botulinum toxin injections needed to stop requests for treatment for chronic lateral epicondylar tendinopathy. A 1-year follow-up study.

Background: Epicondylar tendinopathy ("tennis elbow") is a serious issue in manual labourers. Symptoms can persist over months or even more than 1 year, even when treated with trinitrine patches, acupuncture, sclerosis of neovessels, shock-wave therapy, autologous blood injections, platelet-rich plasma or hyaluronic acid. Botulinum toxin (BoNT-A) injections showed promising short-term results, but the long-term beneficial effects are not yet known.

Short-Term Effect of Low-Dose, Electromyography-Guided Botulinum Toxin A Injection in the Treatment of Chronic Lateral Epicondylar Tendinopathy: A Randomized, Double-Blinded Study.

Background: Botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) is a novel treatment for chronic lateral epicondylar tendinopathy. Preliminary studies have demonstrated promising results; however, confirmation of the effectiveness of BoNT-A treatment and further assessment of its side effects are required. This study investigated the analgesic effects of BoNT-A in the treatment of chronic lateral epicondylar tendinopathy.

Are paraspinous intramuscular injections of botulinum toxin a (BoNT-A) efficient in the treatment of chronic low-back pain? A randomised, double-blinded crossover trial.

Background: Treatment for patients with chronic low-back pain (LBP) is a public health issue. Intramuscular injections of botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) have shown an analgesic effect on LBP in two previous randomized controlled studies. The objective of the study was to verify the efficacy of paravertebral injections of BoNT-A in patients with LBP.

Patient-specific 3D models created by 3D imaging system or bi-planar imaging coupled with Moiré-Fringe projections: a comparative study of accuracy and reliability on spinal curvatures and vertebral rotation data.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the accuracy and reliability of spinal curvatures and vertebral rotation data based on patient-specific 3D models created by 3D imaging system or by bi-planar imaging coupled with Moiré-Fringe projections.

Methods And Materials: Sixty-two consecutive patients from a single institution were prospectively included. For each patient, frontal and sagittal calibrated low-dose bi-planar X-rays were performed and coupled simultaneously with an optical Moiré back surface-based technology.

An examination of camptocormia assessment by dynamic quantification of sagittal posture.

Objective: Camptocormia is a disabling pathology of the axial system that debilitates patients in their daily life. To date, there have been no studies evaluating the impact of camptocormia on walking performance. This study presents a new method for assessing sagittal posture under walking conditions in patients with camptocormia.

Metachronal propagation of motor activity.

A diverse array of biomechanical systems has evolved to satisfy locomotor requirements (reptation, swimming, walking, etc.) and in all cases, successful behabior achievement requires the integrated functioning of various segments, to ensure the appropriate positioning of the different body regions. From comparative studies on a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, it is now established that the basic motor patterns underlying limb and/or trunk movements during locomotion are driven by central networks of neurons, so-called central pattern generators (CPGs).

Communication activity in stroke patients with aphasia.

Objective: To study communication disability in stroke patients with aphasia.

Patients And Methods: Prospective, multicentric cohort study of patients with aphasia, consecutively included after a first stroke, and examined 1 year later at home. Assessment included a stroke severity scale, the Barthel Index, the boston diagnostic aphasia examination, a communication questionnaire, and the aphasia depression rating scale.

Comparison of trunk activity during gait initiation and walking in humans.

To understand the role of trunk muscles in maintenance of dynamic postural equilibrium we investigate trunk movements during gait initiation and walking, performing trunk kinematics analysis, Erector spinae muscle (ES) recordings and dynamic analysis. ES muscle expressed a metachronal descending pattern of activity during walking and gait initiation. In the frontal and horizontal planes, lateroflexion and rotation occur before in the upper trunk and after in the lower trunk.

Anatomical optimization of skin electrode placement to record electromyographic activity of erector spinae muscles.

Fine analysis of body movements is now technologically feasible, together with simultaneous recording of multiple muscle activity. This is especially true for the trunk and back muscles during human walking. However, there have been few anatomic studies of the area where deep back muscle activity is recordable by skin electrodes.

Sequential activation of axial muscles during different forms of rhythmic behavior in man.

In humans, studies of back muscle activity have mainly addressed the functioning of lumbar muscles during postural adjustments or rhythmic activity, including locomotor tasks. The present study investigated how back muscles are activated along the spine during rhythmical activities in order to gain insights into spinal neuronal organization. Electromyographic recordings of back muscles were performed at various trunk levels, and changes occurring in burst amplitudes and phase relationships were analyzed.

Coordinated network functioning in the spinal cord: an evolutionary perspective.

The successful achievement of harmonious locomotor movement results from the integrated operation of all body segments. Here, we will review current knowledge on the functional organization of spinal networks involved in mammalian locomotion. Attention will not simply be restricted to hindlimb muscle control, but by also considering the necessarily coordinated activation of trunk and forelimb muscles, we will try to demonstrate that while there has been a progressive increase in locomotor system complexity during evolution, many basic organizational features have been preserved across the spectrum from lower vertebrates through to humans.