Weight Changes in Young Service Members After Lower Limb Amputation: Insights From Group-Based Trajectory Modeling.

Introduction: Weight gain can contribute to osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, low back pain, and poor health-related quality of life. Weight trajectory patterns have been described in older veterans with limb loss; however, there is limited evidence of changes in weight in younger veterans with limb loss.

Materials And Methods: Service members with unilateral or bilateral lower limb amputations (LLAs) (and without an upper limb amputation) were included in this retrospective cohort analysis (n = 931).

Kinetic chain revisited: consensus expert opinion on terminology, clinical reasoning, examination, and treatment in people with shoulder pain.

Background: The purpose of this study was to reach consensus on the most appropriate terminology and issues related to clinical reasoning, examination, and treatment of the kinetic chain (KC) in people with shoulder pain among an international panel of experts.

Methods: A 3-round Delphi study that involved an international panel of experts with extensive clinical, teaching, and research experience in the study topic was conducted. A search equation of terms related to the KC in Web of Science and a manual search were used to find the experts.

Comparison of five different methodologies for evaluating ankle-foot orthosis stiffness.

Background: The mechanical properties of an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) play an important role in the gait mechanics of the end user. However, testing methodologies for evaluating these mechanical properties are not standardized. The purpose of this study was to compare five different evaluation frameworks to assess AFO stiffness.

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.

Ankle sprain bracing solutions and future design consideration for civilian and military use.

Introduction: Ankle sprains are common injuries within the civilian and military populations, with lingering symptoms that include pain, swelling, giving-way, and a high likelihood for recurrence. Numerous bracing systems are available to stabilize the ankle joint following sprains, with new design iterations frequently entering the market. Currently available braces generally include sleeve, lace-up, and stirrup designs.

Effects of women's footwear on the mechanical function of heel-height accommodating prosthetic feet.

The loaded mechanical function of transtibial prostheses that result from the clinical assembly, tuning, and alignment of modular prosthetic components can directly influence an end user's biomechanics and overall mobility. Footwear is known to affect prosthesis mechanical properties, and while the options of footwear are limited for most commercial feet due to their fixed geometry, there exists a selection of commercial prosthetic feet that can accommodate a moderate rise in heel height. These feet are particularly relevant to women prosthesis users who often desire to don footwear spanning a range of heel heights.

The Relationships Between Self-reported Pain Intensity, Pain Interference, and Quality of Life Among Injured U.S. Service Members With and Without Low Back Pain.

Low back pain is a prevalent military and veteran health problem and individuals injured on deployment may be at particularly high risk of pain conditions. Given that increasing numbers of active duty and veteran military personnel are seeking care in community settings, it is critical that health care providers are aware of military health issues. The current study examined the prevalence of low back pain among individuals with deployment-related injuries, compared their self-reported pain intensity and interference ratings, and assessed the relationship between low back pain, self-reported pain ratings, and quality of life.

Selective Atrophy of the Vastus Medialis: Does It Exist in Women With Nontraumatic Patellofemoral Pain?

Background: A commonly cited theory related to the pathomechanics of patellofemoral pain (PFP) states that atrophy of the vastus medialis (VM) muscle leads to lateral tracking of the patella. However, isolated atrophy of the VM or atrophy of the quadriceps muscle group as a whole, has not been consistently reported in this population.

Purpose: To compare individual and total quadriceps muscle volumes between women with nontraumatic PFP and women without PFP as measured on magnetic resonance imaging scans.

Prevalence of Low Back Pain and Relationship to Mental Health Symptoms and Quality of Life After a Deployment-related Lower Limb Amputation.

Study Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional study.

Objective: To assess the prevalence and association of low back pain (LBP) with psychosocial factors in Service members with amputations.

Summary Of Background Data: LBP is a common secondary health condition after amputation with important implications related to function and quality of life.

Healthy individuals are more maneuverable when walking slower while navigating a virtual obstacle course.

Introduction: Maintaining stability, especially in the mediolateral direction, is important for successful walking. Navigating in the community, however, may require people to reduce stability to make quick lateral transitions, creating a tradeoff between stability and maneuverability. Walking slower can improve stability during steady state walking, but there remains a need to better understand how walking speed influences maneuverability.

Locomotor adaptability in persons with unilateral transtibial amputation.

Background: Locomotor adaptation enables walkers to modify strategies when faced with challenging walking conditions. While a variety of neurological injuries can impair locomotor adaptability, the effect of a lower extremity amputation on adaptability is poorly understood.

Objective: Determine if locomotor adaptability is impaired in persons with unilateral transtibial amputation (TTA).

Sound limb loading in individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation across a range of walking velocities.

Background: Individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation demonstrate significantly increased rates of osteoarthritis in their sound knee. This increased risk is likely the result of altered knee mechanical loading and gait compensations resulting from limited function in the prosthetic limb. Altered knee loading as calculated using loading rates and peak external knee adduction moments and impulses have been associated with both the development and progression of knee osteoarthritis in other populations.

Mediolateral angular momentum changes in persons with amputation during perturbed walking.

Over 50% of individuals with lower limb amputation fall at least once each year. These individuals also exhibit reduced ability to effectively respond to challenges to frontal plane stability. The range of whole body angular momentum has been correlated with stability and fall risk.

Biomechanical risk factors for knee osteoarthritis when using passive and powered ankle-foot prostheses.

Background: Gait compensations following transtibial amputation negatively affect sound limb loading and increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis. Push-off assistance provided by new powered prostheses may decrease the demands on the sound limb. However, their effects in a young population in the early stages of prosthetic use are still unknown.