Safety and usability of proning pillows in intensive care: A scoping review.

Objectives: Proning is an established technique for the care of intubated patients with severe respiratory failure. Positioning devices used to support the head and body of patients placed in the prone position are often associated with the formation of pressure injuries. Despite robust literature on the prevention and monitoring of pressure injuries, little is described about the role of proning pillows on pressure injuries.

Relationship between scoliosis, windswept hips and contractures with pain and asymmetries in sitting and supine in 2450 children with cerebral palsy.

Purpose: This cross-sectional study of 2450 children with cerebral palsy aimed to analyse the prevalence and association of scoliosis, windswept hips, hip and knee contractures.

Methods: Logistic regression was used to estimate associations with pain, postural asymmetries, and ability to change position for children at Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I-V, aged 0-18 years.

Results: Most children with a deformity or contracture had postural asymmetries in both sitting and supine positions; 10.

Postural asymmetries, pain, and ability to change position of children with cerebral palsy in sitting and supine: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: To examine any associations between postural asymmetries, postural ability, and pain for children with cerebral palsy in sitting and supine positions.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 2,735 children with cerebral palsy, 0-18 years old, reported into the Swedish CPUP registry. Postural asymmetries, postural ability, the gross motor function classification system levels I-V, sex, age and report of pain were used to determine any relationship between these variables.

Development of a Synchronized System for Continuous Acquisition and Analysis of Ultrasound Joint Angle, and EMG.

Ultrasound and electromyography (EMG) are two of the most often used diagnostic tools for muscles. However, there is lack of a system for continuously capturing both signals with a synchronized procedure. This study presents a new system for this purpose.

Effect of prolonged pressure on flowmotion: An Investigation Using an in vivo Rat Model.

The objectives of this study is to assess the effect of prolonged loading on the skin blood flowmotion in rats as measured by Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) using wavelets transform and power spectral in the rat skin microcirculation. External pressure of 13.3kPa (100 mmHg) was applied to the trochanter area and the distal lateral tibia of Sprague-Dawley rats via two specifically designed pneumatic indentors.

Musculotendon parameters estimation by ultrasound measurement and geometric modeling: application on brachialis muscle.

Computational modeling for musculoskeletal system provides quantitative insights in analyzing human movement. One of the major challenges in neuromusculoskeletal modeling is to accurately estimate the musculotendon parameters on subject-specific basis. The ultrasound imaging technology presents a new approach to obtain the parameters in vivo.

The effect of prosthesis alignment on the symmetry of gait in subjects with unilateral transtibial amputation.

A high degree of gait symmetry is characteristic of healthy gait. The aim of this study is to examine the symmetry of various gait parameters in subjects with unilateral trans-tibial amputation over a range of acceptable anteroposterior translational and tilt alignments, and further to examine if a consistent alignment of highest symmetry can be found. Acceptable alignments were determined by bench, static and dynamic testing on level and non-level surfaces.

Consequences of partial and total plantar fascia release: a finite element study.

Background: Plantar fasciotomy, a common operative procedure to relieve chronic heel pain, has been suggested to decrease foot arch stability. A systematic evaluation of the biomechanical consequences of partial or total plantar fascia release is essential to the understanding of the biomechanical rationale behind these operative procedures.

Methods: A geometrical detailed three-dimensional (3-D) finite element (FE) model of the human foot and ankle, incorporating geometrical and contact nonlinearities, was constructed by 3-D reconstruction of MR images.

A cross-sectional study on the development of foot arch function of 2715 Chinese children.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the foot arch function of Chinese children. A total of 2715 children, 1246 girls, and 1369 boys, 4-18 years of age were recruited from kindergartens, primary, and secondary schools. The dynamic footprints of the children were collected using a portable pressure-sensing mat.

Fixation stiffness of Dynafix unilateral external fixator in neutral and non-neutral configurations.

A primary function of external fixator is to stabilize the fracture site after fracture reduction. Conventional fracture reduction method would result in fixator configurations deviated from its neutral configuration. How the non-neutral configurations would affect the biomechanical performance of unilateral external fixators is still not well-documented.

A comparison of treatment effectiveness between the CAD/CAM method and the manual method for managing adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

The treatment effectiveness of the CAD/CAM method and the manual method in managing adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) was compared. Forty subjects were recruited with twenty subjects for each method. The clinical parameters namely Cobb's angle and apical vertebral rotation were evaluated at the pre-brace and the immediate in-brace visits.

A work study of the CAD/CAM method and conventional manual method in the fabrication of spinal orthoses for patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

A study was conducted to compare the CAD/CAM method with the conventional manual method in fabrication of spinal orthoses for patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Ten subjects were recruited for this study. Efficiency analyses of the two methods were performed from cast filling/ digitization process to completion of cast/image rectification.

The effect of backpack load on the gait of normal adolescent girls.

Concerns regarding the effects of load carriage have led to recommendations that backpacks be limited to 10?-?15% of body weight, based on significant changes in physical performance. However, gait responses to backpack loads are not entirely consistent and there is a particular lack of data regarding load-bearing gait in adolescent females. Gait patterns of 22 normal adolescent girls were recorded at backpack loads of 0, 7.

Postural perturbation and muscular response following sudden release during symmetric squat and stoop lifting.

Squat and stoop lifting have been examined in some detail, but limited data exist regarding the sudden release of load during such lifting. Ten participants performed squat and stoop lifting trials with loads of 20, 40, 60 and 80N, and sudden release was randomly included in one of the lifting cycles. Postural perturbation was recorded via centre of pressure displacement using a force platform and the electromyographic response of trunk and lower limb muscles was recorded.

Development and validation of a new approach for computer-aided long bone fracture reduction using unilateral external fixator.

An innovative computer-aided method to plan and execute long bone fracture reduction using Dynafix unilateral external fixator (EF) is presented and validated. A matrix equation, which represents a sequential transformation from proximal to distal ends, was derived and solved for the amount of rotation and translation required at each EF joint to correct for a displaced fracture using a non-linear least square optimization method. Six polyurethane-foam models of displaced fracture tibiae were used to validate the method.

Design of monolimb using finite element modelling and statistics-based Taguchi method.

Background: Monolimb is a transtibial prosthesis having the socket and shank molded into one piece of thermoplastic material. If properly designed, the shank of a monolimb can have a controlled deflection during walking which simulates the ankle joint motions to some extent. However, there is no clear guidance for the design of monolimb considering the dilemma between shank flexibility and structural integrity.

A neuromusculoskeletal model to simulate the constant angular velocity elbow extension test of spasticity.

We developed a neuromusculoskeletal model to simulate the stretch reflex torque induced during a constant angular velocity elbow extension by tuning a set of physiologically-based parameters. Our model extended past modeling efforts in the investigation of elbow spasticity by incorporating explicit musculotendon, muscle spindle, and motoneuron pool models in each prime elbow flexor. We analyzed the effects of changes in motoneuron pool and muscle spindle properties as well as muscle mechanical properties on the biomechanical behavior of the elbow joint observed during a constant angular velocity elbow extension.

Effects of acupuncture on heart rate variability in normal subjects under fatigue and non-fatigue state.

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of acupuncture applied at Hegu (LI 4) points and Neiguan (PC6) points on heart rate variability (HRV) in normal subjects under fatigue and non-fatigue states using power spectral analysis. Twenty-nine normal male subjects were randomly divided into three groups. Subjects in Group A and Group B performed a simulated driving task for 3 h and acupuncture needles were then inserted perpendicularly into the LI 4 points in the middle of the dorsal thenar muscle and PC 6 points situated between the tendons of the palmaris longus and carpi radialis muscles for 15 min for Group A but inserted subcutaneously to the acupuncture points for Group B as a control.

Oscillations in the power spectra of motor unit signals caused by refractoriness variations.

The refractory period of a motor unit is an important mechanism that regulates the motor unit firing, and its variation has been found in many physiological cases. In this study, a new observation that an increase in the motor unit refractoriness results in an enhancement of oscillations, or ripple effects, in the motor unit output power density spectra (PDS) has been identified and studied. The effects of the refractoriness variation on the PDS of motor unit firing were investigated on three levels: theoretical modeling, simulation and electromyographic (EMG) experimentation on human subjects.

Estimation of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of soft tissue from indentation using two different-sized indentors: finite element analysis of the finite deformation effect.

Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of a tissue can be simultaneously obtained using two indentation tests with two different sized indentors in two indentations. Owing to the assumption of infinitesimal deformation of the indentation, the finite deformation effect of indentation on the calculated material parameters was not fully understood in the double indentation approach. However, indentation tests with infinitesimal deformation are not practical for the measurement of real tissues.

Regional differences in pain threshold and tolerance of the transtibial residual limb: including the effects of age and interface material.

Objectives: To compare the pain threshold (the minimum pressure inducing pain) and pain tolerance (the maximum tolerable pressure) of different regions of the residual limbs of amputees by the indentation method and to evaluate the interface pressure distribution and distortion of the skin surface on indentation by finite element (FE) analysis.

Design: Crossover trial.

Setting: Rehabilitation engineering center.

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of the foot during standing--a material sensitivity study.

Information on the internal stresses/strains in the human foot and the pressure distribution at the plantar support interface under loading is useful in enhancing knowledge on the biomechanics of the ankle-foot complex. While techniques for plantar pressure measurements are well established, direct measurement of the internal stresses/strains is difficult. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model of the human foot and ankle was developed using the actual geometry of the foot skeleton and soft tissues, which were obtained from 3D reconstruction of MR images.

A 3-dimensional finite element model of the human foot and ankle for insole design.

Objective: To investigate the effect of material stiffness of flat and custom-molded insoles on plantar pressures and stress distribution in the bony and ligamentous structures during balanced standing.

Design: A 3-dimensional (3-D) finite element model of the human ankle-foot complex and a custom-molded insole were developed from 3-D reconstruction of magnetic resonance images and surface digitization. The distal tibia and fibula, together with 26 foot bones and 72 major ligaments and the plantar fascia, were embedded in a volume of soft tissues.

Finite-element analysis to determine effect of monolimb flexibility on structural strength and interaction between residual limb and prosthetic socket.

Monolimb refers to a kind of transtibial prostheses having the socket and shank molded into one piece of thermoplastic material. One of its characteristics is that the shank is made of a material that can deform during walking, which can simulate ankle joint motion to some extent. Changes in shank geometry can alter the stress distribution within the monolimb and at the residual limb-socket interface and, respectively, affect the deformability and structural integrity of the prosthesis and comfort perceived by amputees.

Effectiveness of insoles on plantar pressure redistribution.

For this study, we compared the effectiveness of different design insoles for redistributing pressure during walking for diabetic patients and for normal control subjects. Comparisons of dynamic plantar foot pressure patterns were made with different support, including shoe-only, flat insole, and three contoured insoles. We custom-molded the three contoured insoles by casting the plantar surface of the foot under the conditions of non-weight-bearing, semi-weight-bearing, and full-weight-bearing.