Exercise and footwear in medial knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial comparing flat flexible footwear to stable supportive shoes.

Objective: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigated whether adding daily use of flat flexible footwear (FFF) to a strengthening and aerobic exercise program improved short- and longer-term outcomes compared with adding stable supportive shoes (SSS) in people with medial tibiofemoral OA.

Methods: Participants ( = 97) with medial tibiofemoral OA were randomly assigned (1:1) to the FFF ( = 50) or SSS ( = 47) group. Participants in both groups received a 9-month intervention (3 months supervised followed by 6 months unsupervised exercise).

Maximal Exercise Tolerance, Objective Trunk Strength, and Mobility Measurements in Axial Spondyloarthritis.

Objective: Although exercise therapy is safe, effective, and recommended as a nonpharmacological treatment for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), there is a lack of guidelines regarding type and dosage. Insufficient knowledge about physical and physiological variables makes designing effective exercise programs challenging. Therefore, the goal of this study was to simultaneously assess trunk strength, spinal mobility, and the cardiorespiratory fitness of patients with axSpA.

Three-Dimensional Upper Limb Movement Analysis in Children and Adolescents With Brachial Plexus Birth Injury: A Systematic Review.

Background: To synthesize the current evidence on clinical use of three-dimensional upper limb movement analysis (3D-ULMA) in children and adolescents with brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI).

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for relevant studies up to April 2022. An automatic e-mail alert was installed to ensure no eligible article was missed.

Neuropathic-like pain in knee osteoarthritis: exploring differences in knee loading and inflammation. A cross-sectional study.

Background: A subgroup of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) reports symptoms attributable to a neuropathic cause. Little to no attention has been invested on investigating differences in knee loading and inflammation in these patients.

Aim: To explore differences in inflammation and knee loading in patients with knee OA categorized based on the presence of neuropathic-like pain.

Associations between markers of inflammation and altered pain perception mechanisms in people with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review.

To provide an extensive review on the associations between knee inflammation and altered pain perception mechanisms in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA). MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE and Scopus were searched up to 13 December 2022. We included articles reporting associations between knee inflammation (measured by effusion, synovitis, bone marrow lesions (BMLs) and cytokines) and signs of altered pain processing (assessed by quantitative sensory testing and/or questionnaire for neuropathic-like pain) in people with knee OA.

Statistical shape model-based tibiofibular assessment of syndesmotic ankle lesions using weight-bearing CT.

Forced external rotation is hypothesized as the key mechanism of syndesmotic ankle injuries, inducing a three-dimensional deviation from the normal distal tibiofibular joint (DTFJ) alignment. However, current diagnostic imaging modalities are impeded by a two-dimensional assessment, without considering ligamentous stabilizers. Therefore, our aim is threefold: (1) to construct an articulated statistical shape model of the normal DTFJ with the inclusion of ligamentous morphometry, (2) to investigate the effect of weight-bearing on the DTFJ alignment, and (3) to detect differences in predicted syndesmotic ligament length of patients with syndesmotic lesions with respect to normative data.

Altered Multisegment Ankle and Foot Kinematics During Gait in Patients With Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome/Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder: A Case-Control Study.

Objective: Ankle-foot problems have a considerable impact on daily functioning in patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder (hEDS/HSD). Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify alterations in multisegment ankle and foot kinematics during gait and to assess foot function and pain in these patients.

Methods: Twenty-three women with hEDS/HSD and 23 healthy controls participated in this 3-dimensional gait analysis.

Repetitive Knee Bending and Synovitis in Individuals at Risk of and With Knee Osteoarthritis: Data From the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Osteoarthritis Biomarkers Consortium.

Objective: To investigate associations between engagement in knee bending (stair climbing, kneeling, squatting, heavy lifting, getting in/out of a squatting position) and synovitis prevalence on noncontrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in individuals at risk of and with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: We included baseline data from 594 participants (mean ± SD age 61.5 ± 8.

Effect of mechanical stress on magnetic resonance imaging of the sacroiliac joints: assessment of military recruits by magnetic resonance imaging study.

Objective: To assess the baseline condition of the SI joints (SIJs) in healthy individuals without symptoms of back pain and to study the effect of mechanical stress caused by intense physical training on MRI of the SIJs.

Methods: Twenty-two military recruits underwent an MRI of the SIJs before and after 6 weeks of intense standardized physical training. Bone marrow oedema and structural lesions were scored based on the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) method, by three trained readers blinded for time sequence and clinical findings.

A Nationwide Survey on Patient's versus Physician´s Evaluation of Biological Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis in Relation to Disease Activity and Route of Administration: The Be-Raise Study.

Objectives: Biological treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the cornerstones of current treatment strategies for the disease. Surprisingly little information exists on whether the route of administration affects patients' treatment satisfaction. It is equally unclear whether rheumatologists are able to accurately perceive their patients' appreciation.

Orthostatic intolerance and fatigue in the hypermobility type of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Objective: To investigate whether orthostatic intolerance (OI) is a significant predictor for fatigue in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, hypermobility type (EDS-HT).

Methods: Eighty patients with EDS-HT and 52 controls participated in the first part of the study, which consisted of questionnaires. Fatigue was evaluated using the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS).

T2* mapping of subtalar cartilage: Precision and association between anatomical variants and cartilage composition.

Hindfoot arthritis is an important contributor to foot pain and physical disability. While the subtalar joint (STJ) is most frequently affected, anatomical variants such as facet configuration were suggested to further STJ cartilage deterioration. T2* mapping enables detection of ultra-structural cartilage change, particularly in thin cartilage layers, but its feasibility in the STJ has not yet been evaluated.

The effect of ankle muscle strength and flexibility on dolphin kick performance in competitive swimmers.

The velocity of a swimmer is determined by biomechanical and bioenergetics factors. However, little is known about the effect of ankle flexibility on dolphin kick performance. Next to this, scientific evidence is lacking concerning the influence of ankle muscle strength.

Foot orientation affects muscle activation levels of ankle stabilizers in a single-legged balance board protocol.

Context: The main goal of balance training is regaining a normal neuromuscular control to a functional level. Although uniaxial balance boards are commonly used, no research has been done on the effect of foot orientation on muscle activation levels.

Objective: To investigate the effect of foot orientation on muscle activation levels and modulation of the ankle stabilizing muscles in a single-legged balance protocol on a uniaxial balance board.

Quantitative assessment of foot structure in rheumatoid arthritis by a foot digitizer: detection of deformities even in the absence of erosions.

Objective: Foot involvement is a major feature in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), leading to structural deformities. Methods to allow a 3-dimensional (3-D) evaluation of foot structure in RA to be applicable in daily clinical practice have not been evaluated. This study assessed the use of a foot digitizer, a noninvasive 3-D scanner collecting objective quantitative data of the feet, to evaluate the presence of foot structure abnormalities in an RA outpatient cohort.

Intratest reliability in determining the subtalar joint axis using the palpation technique described by K. Kirby.

Background: Exact determination and classification of the spatial position of the subtalar joint axis could be a predictive clinical variable in biomechanical analysis and a valuable tool in the design of functional foot orthoses.

Methods: Three clinicians with different levels of experience determined and classified the subtalar joint axis location, three times, on 52 individuals, using the clinical palpation, allocation and interpretation technique, as described by K. Kirby.

A clinically applicable six-segmented foot model.

We describe a multi-segmented foot model comprising lower leg, rearfoot, midfoot, lateral forefoot, medial forefoot, and hallux for routine use in a clinical setting. The Ghent Foot Model describes the kinematic patterns of functional units of the foot, especially the midfoot, to investigate patient populations where midfoot deformation or dysfunction is an important feature, for example, rheumatoid arthritis patients. Data were obtained from surface markers by a 6 camera motion capture system at 500 Hz.

Reliability and validity of the INFOOT three-dimensional foot digitizer for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Abnormal foot posture and deformities are identified as important features in rheumatoid arthritis. There is still no consensus regarding the optimum technique(s) for quantifying these features; hence, a foot digitizer might be used as an objective measurement tool. We sought to assess the validity and reliability of the INFOOT digitizer.

A reliability study of biomechanical foot function in psoriatic arthritis based on a novel multi-segmented foot model.

The objective of this study was to determine the within-and between-day reliability of spatio-temporal, plantar pressure, kinematic and kinetic measurements based on a novel, seven segment foot model applied in patients with Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). Nine PsA patients and matched healthy adult controls underwent three-dimensional gait analysis on two occasions, one week apart using a seven segment foot model. A core-set of functional variables including inter-segment kinematics, kinetics, spatio-temporal and plantar pressure distribution were analysed using the coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC), Bland-Altman plots, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and the standard error of measurement (SEM).