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.

Decreased rate of torque development in ankle evertors for individuals with chronic ankle instability.

Background: Individuals with chronic ankle instability have decreased peak torque during maximum voluntary contraction in ankle evertors/invertors, and hip abductors. However, it is unclear whether individuals with chronic ankle instability and/or copers demonstrate decreased rate of torque development in ankle evertors/invertors, and hip abductors.

Methods: 54 university-aged participants (18 chronic ankle instability, 18 copers, and 18 controls) performed three maximal isometric contractions for ankle evertors and invertors, and hip abductors.

Serum Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein Concentration Increases More After Running Than Swimming for Older People.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis is common in older people. Serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (sCOMP) is a biomarker of knee articular cartilage metabolism. The purpose of this study was 2-fold: to (1) determine acute effects of running and swimming on sCOMP concentration in older people; and (2) investigate relationships between sCOMP concentration change due to running and swimming and measures of knee health in older people.

Dual-Sensing Piezoresponsive Foam for Dynamic and Static Loading.

Polymeric foams, embedded with nano-scale conductive particles, have previously been shown to display quasi-piezoelectric (QPE) properties; i.e., they produce a voltage in response to rapid deformation.

Disrupted vision impairs force steadiness and accuracy in chronic ankle instability patients.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effect of visual disruption on submaximal force steadiness and accuracy among three groups including chronic ankle instability (CAI) patients, lateral ankle sprain copers, and healthy controls. Twenty patients with CAI, 20 copers, and 20 matched-healthy controls volunteered to participate in the study. Submaximal force steadiness and accuracy for evertors, invertors, and hip abductors (10% and 20% of their maximal voluntary isometric contraction) were measured with an isokinetic dynamometer.

Accurate Prediction of Knee Angles during Open-Chain Rehabilitation Exercises Using a Wearable Array of Nanocomposite Stretch Sensors.

In this work, a knee sleeve is presented for application in physical therapy applications relating to knee rehabilitation. The device is instrumented with sixteen piezoresistive sensors to measure knee angles during exercise, and can support at-home rehabilitation methods. The development of the device is presented.

Quality of knee strengthening exercises performed at home deteriorates after one week.

Background: To compare the performance (as determined by lower extremity kinematics) of knee exercises in healthy middle-aged and older individuals immediately after instruction and one week later.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in a laboratory setting. Nineteen healthy volunteers (age [y] 63.

A Review of the Relationships Between Knee Pain and Movement Neuromechanics.

Context: Knee injury and disease are common, debilitating, and expensive. Pain is a chief symptom of knee injury and disease and likely contributes to arthrogenic muscle inhibition. Joint pain alters isolated motor function, muscular strength, and movement biomechanics.

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.

Anterior knee pain independently alters landing and jumping biomechanics.

Background Biomechanical effects of anterior knee pain are difficult to distinguish from effects of other factors also related to knee injury (e.g., joint effusion).

Prelanding movement strategies among chronic ankle instability, coper, and control subjects.

We describe feedforward neuromuscular control during a maximal jump landing/cutting task among groups of chronic ankle instability (CAI), coper, and uninjured control subjects. Sixty-six volunteers participated (22 CAI, 22 copers, and 22 uninjured controls). The subjects completed five trials of a maximal jump landing/cutting manoeuvre.

The Utility of Functional Data Analyses to Reveal Between-Limbs Asymmetries in Those With a History of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Context: Researchers have traditionally used motion capture to quantify discrete data points (peak values) during hop testing. However, these analyses restrict the evaluation to a single time point (ie, certain percentage of stance) and provide only a narrow view of movement. Applying more comprehensive analyses may help investigators identify important characteristics that are masked by discrete analyses often used to screen patients for activity.

Biomechanics Differ for Individuals With Similar Self-Reported Characteristics of Patellofemoral Pain During a High-Demand Multiplanar Movement Task.

Context: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is often categorized by researchers and clinicians using subjective self-reported PFP characteristics; however, this practice might mask important differences in movement biomechanics between PFP patients.

Objective: To determine whether biomechanical differences exist during a high-demand multiplanar movement task for PFP patients with similar self-reported PFP characteristics but different quadriceps activation levels.

Design: Cross-sectional design.

Gait Biomechanics in Individuals Meeting Sufficient Quadriceps Strength Cutoffs After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Context: Quadriceps weakness is associated with disability and aberrant gait biomechanics after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Strength-sufficiency cutoff scores, which normalize quadriceps strength to the mass of an individual, can predict who will report better function after ACLR. However, whether gait biomechanics differ between individuals who meet a strength-sufficiency cutoff (strong) and those who do not (weak) remains unknown.

Submaximal Force Steadiness and Accuracy in Patients With Chronic Ankle Instability.

Context: Patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) have demonstrated sensorimotor impairments. Submaximal force steadiness and accuracy measure sensory, motor, and visual function via a feedback mechanism, which helps researchers and clinicians comprehend the sensorimotor deficits associated with CAI.

Objective: To determine if participants with CAI experienced deficits in hip and ankle submaximal force steadiness and accuracy compared with healthy control participants.

A case study exploring associations between popular media attention of scientific research and scientific citations.

The association between mention of scientific research in popular media (e.g., the mainstream media or social media platforms) and scientific impact (e.

Predicting vertical ground reaction force during running using novel piezoresponsive sensors and accelerometry.

Running is a common exercise with numerous health benefits. Vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) influences running injury risk and running performance. Measurement of vGRF during running is now primarily constrained to a laboratory setting.

Functional Data Analyses of Gait Data Measured Using In-Shoe Sensors.

In studies of gait, continuous measurement of force exerted by the ground on a body, or ground reaction force (GRF), provides valuable insights into biomechanics, locomotion, and the possible presence of pathology. However, gold-standard measurement of GRF requires a costly in-lab observation obtained with sophisticated equipment and computer systems. Recently, in-shoe sensors have been pursued as a relatively inexpensive alternative to in-lab measurement.

Biomechanical effects of manipulating peak vertical ground reaction force throughout gait in individuals 6-12 months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Background: We aimed to determine the effect of cueing an increase or decrease in the vertical ground reaction force impact peak (peak in the first 50% of stance) on vertical ground reaction force, knee flexion angle, internal knee extension moment, and internal knee abduction moment waveforms throughout stance in individuals 6-12 months after an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Methods: Twelve individuals completed 3 conditions (High, Low, and Control) where High and Low Conditions cue a 5% body weight increase or decrease, respectively, in the vertical ground reaction force impact peak compared to usual walking. Biomechanics during High and Low Conditions were compared to the Control Condition throughout stance.

Bilateral Gait 6 and 12 Months Post-Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Compared with Controls.

Purpose: To compare gait biomechanics throughout stance phase 6 and 12 months after unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) between ACLR and contralateral limbs and compared with controls.

Methods: Vertical ground reaction force (vGRF), knee flexion angle (KFA), and internal knee extension moment (KEM) were collected bilaterally 6 and 12 months post-ACLR in 30 individuals (50% female, 22 ± 3 yr, body mass index = 23.8 ± 2.

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.

Characterization of Multiple Movement Strategies in Participants With Chronic Ankle Instability.

Context: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is characterized by multiple sensorimotor deficits, affecting strength, postural control, motion, and movement. Identifying specific deficits is the key to developing appropriate interventions for this patient population; however, multiple movement strategies within this population may limit the ability to identify specific movement deficits.

Objective: To identify specific movement strategies in a large sample of participants with CAI and to characterize each strategy relative to a sample of uninjured control participants.

Altered Movement Biomechanics in Chronic Ankle Instability, Coper, and Control Groups: Energy Absorption and Distribution Implications.

Context: Patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) exhibit deficits in neuromuscular control, resulting in altered movement strategies. However, no researchers have examined neuromuscular adaptations to dynamic movement strategies during multiplanar landing and cutting among patients with CAI, individuals who are ankle-sprain copers, and control participants.

Objective: To investigate lower extremity joint power, stiffness, and ground reaction force (GRF) during a jump-landing and cutting task among CAI, coper, and control groups.

Altered Walking Neuromechanics in Patients With Chronic Ankle Instability.

Context: The literature on gait kinematics and muscle activation in chronic ankle instability (CAI) is limited. A comprehensive evaluation of all relevant gait measures is needed to examine alterations in gait neuromechanics that may contribute to recurrent sprain.

Objective: To compare walking neuromechanics, including kinematics, muscle activity, and kinetics (ie, ground reaction force [GRF], moment, and power), between participants with and those without CAI by applying a novel statistical analysis to data from a large sample.