A pilot study testing an Achilles tendinopathy human cadaver model using intratendinous injection of collagenase.

Background: Achilles tendinopathy is one of the most frequently occurring soft-tissue injuries. Despite decades of research, there is still much that is unknown about the progression of tendinopathy. Animal models, such as collagenase injection, allow researchers to gain insight into disease progression and investigate clinical interventions, yet are limited in their direct application to humans.

Prospective, Single-blind, Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a Digital Exercise Therapy Application Compared With Conventional Physical Therapy for the Treatment of Nonoperative Knee Conditions.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and adherence of a home exercise therapy program using a digital exercise therapy application (DETA) compared with conventional physical therapy (PT).

Design: Parallel group, randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Two clinics in a tertiary care academic center.

A pilot study to evaluate micro-fragmented adipose tissue injection under ultrasound guidance for the treatment of refractory rotator cuff disease in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury.

Context/objectives: Wheelchair users with chronic shoulder pain have few options after conservative treatments fail. This pilot study's purpose was to establish safety and treatment effects of micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) injections under ultrasound guidance for treatment of refractory shoulder pain caused by rotator cuff disease in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) to prepare for a larger trial.

Design: Pilot clinical trial.

Clinical evaluation of micro-fragmented adipose tissue as a treatment option for patients with meniscus tears with osteoarthritis: a prospective pilot study.

Purpose: The management of knee pain secondary to meniscal tears with osteoarthritis is limited by the poor inherent healing potential of the meniscus. Previous studies have reported on the benefit of autologous micro-fragmented fat as a therapeutic for various knee pathologies. The goal of this prospective pilot study was to determine the safety and potential treatment effect of micro-fragmented adipose tissue injection for patients with knee pain secondary to osteoarthritis and meniscal tears who have failed conservative management.

Ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injection for the treatment of recalcitrant rotator cuff disease in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: A pilot study.

Wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) have a high risk of developing shoulder pain, caused by rotator cuff disease. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a potential treatment after conservative treatments fail and prior to surgical intervention; however, it has not been tested in wheelchair users who have recalcitrant shoulder pain associated with rotator cuff disease. The objective of this pilot project was to test the safety and potential treatment effect of an ultrasound-guided PRP injection for shoulder pain in the aforementioned population.

Changes in supraspinatus and biceps tendon thickness: influence of fatiguing propulsion in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury.

Study Design: A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design.

Objectives: To identify acute changes in the supraspinatus and biceps tendon following fatiguing wheelchair propulsion and to associate tendon changes with risk factors associated with shoulder pain in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting: Biomechanical laboratory Swiss Paraplegic Research.

Autologous, micro-fragmented adipose tissue as a treatment for chronic shoulder pain in a wheelchair using individual with spinal cord injury: a case report.

Introduction: Shoulder pain is common in persons with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), with a prevalence reported as high as 70%. Current treatment of shoulder pain includes conservative measures such as physical therapy, pain medications, patient education, injections, and assistive devices. When conservative treatments fail, shoulder surgery is often the next option.

A Cross-Sectional Study to Investigate the Effects of Perceived Discrimination in the Health Care Setting on Pain and Depressive Symptoms in Wheelchair Users With Spinal Cord Injury.

Objectives: In a sample of wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI), the objectives were to investigate which participant characteristics are associated with greater perceived discrimination in the health care setting, and how such discrimination relates to health outcomes of pain and depressive symptoms.

Design: Survey, cross-sectional.

Setting: Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) Center.

Start-up propulsion biomechanics changes with fatiguing activity in persons with spinal cord injury.

Shoulder pathology is a common condition in wheelchair users that can considerably impact quality of life. Shoulder muscles are prone to fatigue, but it is unclear how fatigue affects start-up propulsion biomechanics. This study determines acute changes in start-up wheelchair propulsion biomechanics at the end of a fatiguing propulsion protocol.

Microdialysis to Quantify Inflammatory Cytokines in the Glenohumeral Joint: A Brief Methods Report.

Microdialysis quantifies in vivo soft-tissue biochemical concentrations via passive diffusion of interstitial molecules through a porous membrane into a dialysate. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate a technique to measure inflammatory cytokines associated with rotator cuff tendinopathy by inserting a microdialysis catheter into the posterior glenohumeral joint. The technique was tested in a convenience sample of six pain-free, able-bodied veterans.

Wheelchair Breakdowns Are Associated With Pain, Pressure Injuries, Rehospitalization, and Self-Perceived Health in Full-Time Wheelchair Users With Spinal Cord Injury.

Objectives: To evaluate the relation between wheelchair breakdowns, their immediate consequences, and secondary health complications after spinal cord injury. "Immediate consequences" occur when part of a wheelchair breaks and leaves an individual stranded or injured, or causes him or her to miss medical appointments, work, or school.

Design: Survey, cross-sectional.

Investigating the Efficacy of Web-Based Transfer Training on Independent Wheelchair Transfers Through Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objectives: To determine the efficacy of a web-based transfer training module at improving transfer technique across 3 groups: web-based training, in-person training (current standard of practice), and a waitlist control group (WLCG); and secondarily, to determine subject factors that can be used to predict improvements in transfer ability after training.

Design: Randomized controlled trials.

Setting: Summer and winter sporting events for disabled veterans.

Longitudinal Prediction of Quality-of-Life Scores and Locomotion in Individuals With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

Objectives: To examine (1) differences in quality-of-life scores for groups based on transitions in locomotion status at 1, 5, and 10 years postdischarge in a sample of people with spinal cord injury (SCI); and (2) whether demographic factors and transitions in locomotion status can predict quality-of-life measures at these time points.

Design: Retrospective case study of the National SCI Database.

Setting: Model SCI Systems Centers.

Acute Response of the Infraspinatus and Biceps Tendons to Pitching in Youth Baseball.

Purpose: Youth baseball frequently results in repetitive strain injuries. Quantitative ultrasound allows real-time imaging with the ability to identify acute markers of tendon change. The study objective was to determine acute quantitative ultrasound changes in the long head of the biceps and infraspinatus tendons of the throwing and nonthrowing shoulders during a pitching performance.

Cross-Sectional Investigation of Acute Changes in Ultrasonographic Markers for Biceps and Supraspinatus Tendon Degeneration After Repeated Wheelchair Transfers in People With Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: The objectives of this work were to investigate how wheelchair transfers influence acute changes in ultrasound markers for biceps and supraspinatus tendon degeneration and to determine how such changes correlate with transfer technique and demographic characteristics.

Design: Participants underwent quantitative ultrasound examinations for markers of biceps and supraspinatus tendon degeneration (tendon width, echogenicity, variance, and contrast) before and after a stressful repeated-transfers protocol. The Transfer Assessment Instrument was completed for each participant to identify transfer skills.

Relationship between linear velocity and tangential push force while turning to change the direction of the manual wheelchair.

Wheelchair propulsion is a major cause of upper limb pain and injuries for manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). Few studies have investigated wheelchair turning biomechanics on natural ground surfaces. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between tangential push force and linear velocity of the wheelchair during the turning portions of propulsion.

Transfer component skill deficit rates among Veterans who use wheelchairs.

The purpose of this study was to quantify the deficit rates for transfer component skills in a Veteran cohort and explore the relationship between deficit rates and subject characteristics. Seventy-four men and 18 women performed up to four transfers independently from their wheelchair to a mat table while a therapist evaluated their transfer techniques using the Transfer Assessment Instrument. The highest deficit rates concerned the improper use of handgrips (63%).

Transfer Technique Is Associated With Shoulder Pain and Pathology in People With Spinal Cord Injury: A Cross-Sectional Investigation.

Objectives: To evaluate how transfer technique and subject characteristics relate to ultrasound measures of shoulder soft tissue pathology and self-reported shoulder pain during transfers in a sample of wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Cross-sectional observational study.

Setting: Research laboratory, national and local veterans' wheelchair sporting events.

Ultrasonographic Median Nerve Changes After Repeated Wheelchair Transfers in Persons With Paraplegia: Relationship With Subject Characteristics and Transfer Skills.

Background: Wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries are susceptible to peripheral neuropathies from overuse, yet no studies have established a relationship between median neuropathy and wheelchair transfers. A more thorough understanding of how transfers and technique contribute to pathologic conditions may guide interventions that curtail its development.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of repeated transfers on ultrasound markers for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in people with spinal cord injuries and to relate changes to subject characteristics and transfer skills.

Computer keyboarding biomechanics and acute changes in median nerve indicative of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common and costly peripheral neuropathy. Occupations requiring repetitive, forceful motions of the hand and wrist may play a role in the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. Computer keyboarding is one such task, and has been associated with upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorder development.

The relationship between independent transfer skills and upper limb kinetics in wheelchair users.

Transfers are one of the most physically demanding wheelchair activities. The purpose of this study was to determine if using proper transfer skills as measured by the Transfer Assessment Instrument (TAI) is associated with reduced loading on the upper extremities. Twenty-three wheelchair users performed transfers to a level-height bench while a series of forces plates, load cells, and a motion capture system recorded the biomechanics of their natural transferring techniques.

Evacuation preparedness in full-time wheelchair users with spinal cord injury.

Objective: To analyze and evaluate the efficacy of evacuation plans described by individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Descriptive study from a convenience sample.

Setting: Outpatient population center in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.