Prosthesis and health-related factors of mobility in people with nontraumatic unilateral transtibial amputation.

Background: Numerous factors can affect mobility of individuals with lower limb amputation, including prosthesis-dependent, physical and psychological determinants.Objective:This study aimed to investigate the prosthesis and health-related factors of mobility in people with nontraumatic unilateral transtibial amputation.Study Design:Cross-sectional observational study.

A New Socket Prototype Design with a Heat-Exchanging Metal Layer for Individuals with Below-knee Amputation.

Background: Individuals who have undergone lower limb amputation often struggle with excessive heat and sweating in their prosthetic sockets. This is due to the closed environment of the socket, which disrupts the body's natural cooling mechanisms and can lead to increased skin temperature, sweating, and various skin problems. This study aimed to develop a new socket to alleviate heat buildup in those with below-knee amputation.

Acute effect of Dynamic Tape™ application to the gluteus medius muscle on lower limb kinetics in healthy women: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: Dynamic tape™ (DT) is a biomechanical tape used to manage load directly, modify movement patterns, and assist functioning. Despite its increasing use in clinical practice, few studies have evaluated its effectiveness in improving postural stability, balance, and lower limb kinetics during jump landing tasks. This study aimed to investigate the acute effect of applying DT to the gluteus medius (GM) muscle on balance strategies during squatting, as well as on jump landing kinetics in asymptomatic active women.

Investigating the impact of various insole applications on balance and postural stability in the elderly.

Objectives: Aging leads to physical and cognitive declines, notably affecting balance and motor skills, making falls a prevalent health concern among the elderly. Falls, a significant health issue among the elderly, often stem from these impairments. This study aims to investigate the impact of different insole materials, specifically cork and silicone, on balance and postural stability in the elderly.

The efficacy of lower limb orthoses on quality of life, well-being, and participation following stroke: A systematic review.

Stroke is the main cause of acquired adult disability globally, with motor impairment affecting 80% of people after stroke. To regain mobility, diminish falls, and improve quality of life (QoL), after a stroke, orthoses are recommended. Most studies, to date, have focused on the positive impact of ankle-foot orthoses on spatial-temporal, kinematic, and kinetic outcomes.

Survival rate of diabetic-related lower extremity amputees in hospitals in the Eastern Cape.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global health concern that has greatly affected South Africa. The gap in the current management of DM has resulted in complications such as lower extremity amputations (LEAs) and death. Eastern Cape province reflects this struggle, with disparities in access to healthcare and poor health outcomes.

Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of the persian version of the functional assessment scale for acute hamstring injuries.

Background: The Functional Assessment Scale for Acute Hamstring Injuries (FASH) which measure symptom's severity and impact on physical activity and sports ability in individuals with acute hamstring muscle injury, is not available in Persian. The aim of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the FASH questionnaire to Persian and to assess the psychometric properties of the translated version.

Methods: The Persian-translation and cross-cultural adaptation processes were based on World Health Organization method.

A systematic review of energy storing dynamic response foot for prosthetic rehabilitation.

The purpose of this paper is to undertake a systematic review on various mechanical design considerations, simulation and optimization techniques as well as the clinical applications of energy storing and return (ESAR) prosthetic feet used in amputee rehabilitation. Methodological databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS were searched till July 2022, and the retrieved records were evaluated for relevance. The design, mechanism, materials used, mechanical and simulation techniques and clinical applications of ESAR foot used in developed and developing nations were reviewed.

Motion tracking with automated pose estimator can enhance ankle-foot-orthoses alignment.

Background: Ankle-foot orthoses are commonly prescribed to address motor impairments in individuals with neurological disorders. Proper alignment of Ankle-foot orthoses, commonly assessed by the ground reaction force in relation to the knee joint center and the shank-to-vertical angle, is crucial for their effectiveness but is time-consuming. This study validates automated pose estimator DeepLabCut on measuring these metrics using 2D videos with force vector overlay in individuals with neurological disorders wearing ankle-foot orthoses.

Paradoxıcal effect of body mass index ranges on pedobarographic evaluatıon.

Although there is evidence suggesting that obesity alters plantar pressure distribution, the specific effects of certain body mass index (BMI) ranges on pedobarographic measures in healty individuals has been poorly investigated. A cross-sectional study with 167 healthy participants was conducted to assess plantar pressure changes across 4 BMI ranges: Under/normal weight (NW), overweight (OW), obese (OB), severe obese (SO). Subjects walked on the Footscan® pressure plate at a self-selected speed, and peak plantar pressure (PPP), load rate, and contact area values were recorded.

[Not Available].

Ingrown toenail is a common condition with many different treatment options. This review finds evidence that mild cases can be treated safely with non-surgical methods like change of ill-fitted shoes and nail brace. With failure in non-surgical treatment or in more severe cases surgical methods can be performed with note to the risk of complications - most frequently infection and the risk of recurrence at 3-13%.

Wearable Technology Applications and Methods to Assess Clinical Outcomes in Foot and Ankle Disorders: Achievements and Perspectives.

Foot and ankle disorders are a very common diseases, represent a risk factor for falls in older people, and are associated with difficulty performing activities of daily living. With an increasing demand for cost-effective and high-quality clinical services, wearable technology can be strategic in extending our reach to patients with foot and ankle disorders. In recent years, wearable sensors have been increasingly utilized to assess the clinical outcomes of surgery, rehabilitation, and orthotic treatments.

Passive-dynamic ankle-foot orthoses change post-stroke lower extremity constituent work profile.

Stiffness-customized passive-dynamic ankle-foot orthoses (PD-AFOs) have been shown to reduce the mechanical cost of transport (COT) of individuals post-stroke. However, the mechanisms underlying this reduced COT are unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the factors driving COT reduction with PD-AFO use for individuals post-stroke.

An environmental scan of limb loss rehabilitation centers across Canada.

Background: The clinical landscape of limb loss rehabilitation across Canada is poorly delineated, lacks standard rehabilitation guidelines, and is without a shared clinical database.

Objective: To address these gaps, the objective of the present study was to undertake an environmental scan of the rehabilitation centers across Canada that provide inpatient and/or outpatient services to the limb loss community.

Study Design: An environmental scan was conducted to describe the rehabilitation service structure, program services, and outcome measures of sites across Canada.

Listening to children with lower limb loss: Rationale, design, and protocol for delivery of a novel globally applicable research toolkit-Prosthetic user needs, quality of life, pain, and physical function.

Introduction: Rehabilitation after childhood lower limb loss is complex and dependent on multiple stakeholders and environmental factors. While research with adults underscores the importance of involving prosthetic limb users and caregivers in discussions to drive innovation, children are often excluded or not effectively engaged. This protocol lays out the development and implementation protocol for an internationally applicable research toolkit which has been designed and evaluated around the essential presence of the child.

Evaluation of the Working Mechanism of a Newly Developed Powered Ankle-Foot Orthosis.

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are commonly prescribed to children with cerebral palsy (CP). The conventional AFO successfully controls the first and second ankle rocker, but it fails to correct the third ankle rocker, which negatively effects push-off power. The current study evaluated a new powered AFO (PAFO) design, developed to address the shortcomings of the conventional AFO.

Treatment of Lesser Toe Deformities Based on Physical Therapy.

Forefoot problems are highly relevant in the general population. It leads to a loss of autonomy and increases the risk of falls. Treatment needs to consider the underlying cause, and conservative measures are generally instituted before surgical intervention.

Orthotics for the Treatment of Lesser Toe Deformities.

Lesser toes play an important role in foot (and body) locomotion. Despite the high incidence of lesser toe disorders, their conservative treatments have rarely been studied. This study focuses on the conservative management of lesser toe deformities and will try to provide the reader with an overview on the portfolio of shoe modifications and orthotics available for the conservative treatment of lesser toe deformities, indication of each specific type of device, how they can impact on pain relief, and the rationale after considering conservative management as a first line of treatment and potentially avoiding surgery.

The effectiveness of custom hard-shell 3D-printed foot orthoses in a cohort of patients who did not respond to treatment with custom ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) foot orthoses.

Background: Patients who do not achieve positive outcomes with custom ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) foot orthoses will often be escalated to other services for treatment, which may include surgery.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of custom hard-shell 3D-printed foot orthoses for patients who did not respond to treatment with custom EVA foot orthoses and were being considered for treatment escalation.

Design: An eight-week clinical evaluation and a two-year review of relevant medical records.

Cultural adaptation, validity and reliability of the Turkish version of north star ambulatory assessment.

Purpose: The North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) is a functional motor outcome measure originally developed for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The aim of this study was to perform the cultural adaptation and investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the NSAA (T-NSAA) in DMD.

Methods: After translation process, internal consistency, interrater and test-retest reliability of the NSAA were determined by using the Cronbach Alpha Coefficient and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), respectively.