Effects of Diabetes and Attentional Focus on Learning of a Novel Balance Task.

Background And Purpose: Chronic diabetes is a prevalent systemic disease that impairs neuromotor functioning and often leads to increased risk of falls. Adopting an external focus of attention during motor skill practice has been shown to improve learning outcomes; however, it has not been examined in this population. We examined how attentional focus instructions (internal vs external) affect balance performance and learning in older adults with and without diabetes.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and measurement properties of the Traditional Chinese version of the Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire in Taiwanese community-dwelling adults.

Purpose: This study aimed to translate the Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire (FFABQ) into Traditional Chinese (FFABQ-TC) and to evaluate the psychometric properties of FFABQ-TC in Taiwanese adults.

Methods: We translated and culturally adapted the FFABQ into Traditional Chinese, ensuring linguistic accuracy and cultural relevance. A total of 230 Taiwanese community-dwelling adults participated in the study.

Utilization and Perception of Peer-Support After Lower Limb Loss in the United States: Potential Benefits on Mobility Outcomes.

Objective: To examine participants' experiences with peer-support after lower limb loss (LLL) and the associations between the peer-support experience (perceived benefits and barriers) and mobility outcomes.

Design: Quantitative and qualitative descriptive study with a cross-sectional design.

Setting: National survey (distributed to 169 peer-support groups in 44 states in the US).

Returning to work after dysvascular lower limb amputation-A novel multivariate approach to examine relative contributions of biopsychosocial predictors.

Background: Returning to work is a key outcome of rehabilitation and social re-integration after lower limb amputation. It is important to understand what biopsychosocial factors contribute to returning to work after dysvascular amputation.

Objective: Examining relative contributions of functional and contextual predictors of returning to work in participants with lower limb amputation due to diabetes and other dysvascular diseases.

Association of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender to Disparities in Functional Recovery and Social Health After Major Lower Limb Amputation: A Cross-sectional Pilot Study.

Objective: To assess if evidence of disparities exists in functional recovery and social health post-lower limb amputation.

Design: Race-ethnicity, gender, and income-based group comparisons of functioning and social health in a convenience sample of lower limb prosthetic users.

Setting: Prosthetic clinics in 4 states.

Description, reliability and utility of a ground-reaction-force triggered protocol for precise delivery of unilateral trip-like perturbations during gait.

Tripping is a common cause of falls and a focus of many biomechanical investigations. Concerns regarding the precision of delivery of simulated-fall protocols reside in the current biomechanical methodology literature. This study aimed to develop a treadmill-based protocol that generated unanticipated trip-like perturbations during walking with high timing precision.

Comparison of clinical and biomechanical characteristics between individuals with lower limb amputation with and without lower back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Lower back pain is a debilitating condition common to individuals with lower limb amputation. It is unclear what risk factors contribute to the development of back pain. This study systematically reviewed and analyzed the available evidence regarding the clinical and biomechanical differences between individuals with amputation, with and without lower back pain.

Patient Experience and Perceived Benefits of Physical Therapy after Lower Limb Amputation in Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

The current study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of receiving post-amputation physical therapy (PT) on individuals' self-reported functional outcomes and quality of life in middle-aged to older adults with lower limb amputation (LLA). Further, we qualitatively explored the patients' perception and experience of PT post-amputation. We assessed participants' functional outcomes using Short-Form Health Survey, Prosthetic Evaluation Questionnaire-Physical Mobility portion, and Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire.

Acute Handgrip Fatigue and Forearm Girth in Recreational Sport Rock Climbers.

Indoor sport rock climbing has been increasing in popularity both recreationally and competitively. Despite this increase in popularity, the physiological responses to sport climbing as an exercise to specific muscle groups are not well defined. The purpose of this study was to quantify the change in handgrip strength over a 30-minute bout of continuous climbing, specifically in intermediate-level sport climbers.

Direction of attentional focus in prosthetic training: Current practice and potential for improving motor learning in individuals with lower limb loss.

Objective: Adopting an external focus of attention has been shown to benefit motor performance and learning. However, the potential of optimizing attentional focus for improving prosthetic motor skills in lower limb prosthesis (LLP) users has not been examined. In this study, we investigated the frequency and direction of attentional focus embedded in the verbal instructions in a clinical prosthetic training setting.

Disparities in functional recovery after dysvascular lower limb amputation are associated with employment status and self-efficacy.

Purpose: Employment status is considered a determinant of health, yet returning to work is frequently a challenge after lower limb amputation. No studies have documented if working after lower limb amputation is associated with functional recovery. The study's purpose was to examine the influence of full-time employment on functioning after lower limb amputation.

Patient engagement in cosmetic designing of prostheses: current practice and potential outcome benefits.

Background: Making a prosthesis for an individual with limb loss is a highly personalized process. A currently unexplored area is whether there are tangible benefits in greater patient engagement during the cosmetic designing of their prostheses. We examined the current clinical practice of engaging patients in prosthetic cosmetic designing and identified factors associated with patient outcomes.

Do people with low back pain walk differently? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The biomechanics of the trunk and lower limbs during walking and running gait are frequently assessed in individuals with low back pain (LBP). Despite substantial research, it is still unclear whether consistent and generalizable changes in walking or running gait occur in association with LBP. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify whether there are differences in biomechanics during walking and running gait in individuals with acute and persistent LBP compared with back-healthy controls.

Post-acute physical therapy for a patient with critical illness associated with COVID-19: A case report.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to bring a surge of survivors in need of post-acute rehabilitation. Preliminary research and clinical guidelines suggest patients recovering from critical illness associated with COVID-19 will present compromised function similar to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and ICU-acquired weakness (ICUAW). However, information regarding physical therapy and progressions of physiological and functional outcomes is currently limited.

Maximal force production requires OPTIMAL conditions.

The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning identifies several motivational and attentional factors that draw out latent motor performance capabilities. One implication of the OPTIMAL theory of motor learning (Wulf & Lewthwaite, 2016) is that standardized motor performance assessments likely do not reflect maximal capabilities unless they are "optimized" with appropriate testing conditions. The present study examined the effects of three key motivational (enhanced expectancies, EE, and autonomy support, AS) and attentional (external focus, EF) variables in the OPTIMAL theory on maximum force production.

Fear of falling avoidance behavior affects the inter-relationship between vision impairment and diminished mobility in community-dwelling older adults.

Background: Age-related decline in vision may contribute to the development of fear of falling (FOF) behavior and reduced mobility, which are related to increased fall risk in older adults.

Purpose: To investigate the inter-relationship between vision impairment, physical mobility performance, and FOF behavior in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: A total of 400 participants from community centers (267 females; age = 74.

Step Count Reliability and Validity of Five Wearable Technology Devices While Walking and Jogging in both a Free Motion Setting and on a Treadmill.

Wearable technology devices are used by millions of people who use daily step counts to promote healthy lifestyles. However, the accuracy of many of these devices has not been determined. The purpose was to determine reliability and validity of the Samsung Gear 2, FitBit Surge, Polar A360, Garmin Vivosmart HR+, and the Leaf Health Tracker when walking and jogging in free motion and treadmill conditions.

Financial difficulty in community-dwelling persons with lower limb loss is associated with reduced self-perceived health and wellbeing.

Background: Socioeconomic status has been shown to be an important factor in the disparate prevalence and selected treatment of limb loss, but how personal financial difficulty affects patients' health outcomes is currently unclear.

Objective: Examining how presence and experience of personal financial difficulty affects perceived health and wellbeing in individuals with lower limb loss.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Individuals With Recurrent Low Back Pain Exhibit Significant Changes in Paraspinal Muscle Strength After Intramuscular Fine Wire Electrode Insertion.

Objective: To examine how insertion and presence of intramuscular fine-wire electromyography electrodes (IFWEs) in lumbar multifidus affect paraspinal muscle strength, endurance, and activation in persons with and without recurrent lower back pain (RLBP) during activities that require high levels of muscle contraction.

Design: Case-control with randomization of conditions.

Setting: Clinical research laboratory.

Patellar tendon morphology in trans-tibial amputees utilizing a prosthesis with a patellar-tendon-bearing feature.

A patellar-tendon-bearing (PTB) bar is a common design feature used in the socket of trans-tibial prostheses to place load on the pressure-tolerant tissue. As the patellar tendon in the residual limb is subjected to the perpendicular compressive force not commonly experienced in normal tendons, it is possible for tendon degeneration to occur over time. The purpose of this study was to compare patellar tendon morphology and neovascularity between the residual and intact limbs in trans-tibial amputees and healthy controls.

Heel-Raised Foot Posture Does Not Affect Trunk and Lower Extremity Biomechanics During a Barbell Back Squat in Recreational Weight lifters.

Lee, S-P, Gillis, CB, Ibarra, JJ, Oldroyd, DF, and Zane, RS. Heel-raised foot posture does not affect trunk and lower extremity biomechanics during a barbell back squat in recreational weight lifters. J Strength Cond Res 33(3): 606-614, 2019-It is claimed that weightlifting shoes with a raised heel may lead to a more upright trunk posture, and thus reduce the risk of back injuries during a barbell back squat.

Four weeks of training with simple postural instructions changes trunk posture and foot strike pattern in recreational runners.

Objectives: Previous studies showed that adopting forward trunk lean and forefoot strike patterns may reduce risk of running-related knee injuries. However, the process of learning such forms is unclear. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of a 4-week training using simple postural instructions to elicit these changes.

Risk Factors Associated With Low Back Pain in Golfers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Context:: Low back pain is common in golfers. The risk factors for golf-related low back pain are unclear but may include individual demographic, anthropometric, and practice factors as well as movement characteristics of the golf swing.

Objective:: The aims of this systematic review were to summarize and synthesize evidence for factors associated with low back pain in recreational and professional golfers.

Gender and posture are significant risk factors to musculoskeletal symptoms during touchscreen tablet computer use.

[Purpose] To investigate the prevalence of neck and shoulder symptoms during the use of tablet computer, and to identify the risk factors associated with these symptoms. [Subjects and Methods] A cross-sectional survey was conducted to study tablet computer usage, posture during use, and neck and shoulder symptoms in 412 participants in a school setting. Significant risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms during tablet computer use were identified.