1,721,000 research outputs found
Kinematics and baropodometry of half-shoe versus full-outsole design for forefoot offloading in normal and pathological feet
No full textThe use of specific orthopaedic shoes is often recommended for foot conservative treatments and after surgery. Patients are required to wear forefoot offloading shoes (FOS) to protect and unload the injured part of the foot. The effectiveness of the half-shoe desing in reducing forefoot pressure has been demostrated by several studies. However, there are concerns that the peculiar design of the outsole may cause patients' discomfort, gait instability and inefficiency. In order to find a good compromise between gait performance and forefoot plantar pressure relief, orginal shoe designs have recently entered into the market. The purpose of this study was to use baropodometry and detailed lower limb gait analysis to compare two post-operative FOS: a novel full-outsole FOS and a traditional half-shoe design
Functional Evaluation of a Shock Absorbing Insole during Military Training in a Group of Soldiers: A Pilot Study
No full textObjective: Soldiers' lower limbs and feet are frequently affected by overload- and overuse-related injuries. In order to prevent or limit the incidence of these injuries, the use of foot orthoses is often recommended. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of shock-absorbing insoles on in-shoe plantar pressure magnitude and distribution in a group of professional infantry soldiers wearing military boots during standard indoor military training. Methods: Twenty male professional soldiers of the Italian Army (age 35.1 ± 6.1 years; BMI 25.2 ± 2.3 kg/m2) were recruited for this study. Each subject underwent clinical examination to assess possible overuse-related diseases of the lower limb and trunk. Subjects with altered foot morphology according to the Foot Posture Index (FPI) were excluded from this study. Twelve subjects were considered eligible and therefore underwent an indoor training routine comprised of marching, running, jumping inside parallel bars and jumping from different heights. Soldiers repeated the training session twice wearing standard military boots along with two types of insoles: the standard prefabricated insole within the boots (STI), and a special shock-absorbing insole (SAI) featuring an elastic medial arch support. A 99-capacitive sensor insole system was used to record plantar pressure distribution in both feet. Analysis of in-shoe pressure parameters at rearfoot, midfoot and forefoot and in the total foot was performed via a custom-software application developed in MATLAB. Perceived foot comfort (VAS 0-15) was also assessed. Results: Pressure parameters recorded during walking and running were considered suitable for statistical analysis. In the whole foot region, pressure parameters were 18-22% lower in military boots fitted with the SAI during walking and 14-18% lower during running. SAI resulted in better comfort (+25%) with respect to the prefabricated boot orthotics (median comfort: SAI = 15/15; STI = 12/15; p = 0.0039) both during walking and running. Conclusions: Shock-absorbing insoles can be an effective solution when fitted inside military boots. The present functional evaluation shows that wearing a prefabricated shock-absorbing insole can provide a significant amelioration of perceived foot comfort and plantar pressure parameters. Further studies are now needed with a larger population and more demanding exercises
A professional athlete functionally active 10 years after an arthroscopic lateral collagen meniscus implant
No full textThe case of a former high-level professional soccer player is presented at 10-year follow-up after arthroscopically implanted lateral Collagen Meniscus Implant (CMI). The patient achieved a full-knee functional recovery and a complete sport resumption to the same pre-injury level for several soccer seasons and he is still performing semi-professional soccer activity (minor league) 10 years after surgery. Level of evidence Case Report. Level IV
ACL, PCL, Collaterals and Meniscus
No full textSince the launch of this course format during the 10th EFORT Congress in Vienna in 2009, the EFORT Comprehensive Review Course (CRC) has been a huge success and sold out months ahead of time. Created during Pierre Hoffmeyer’s time as President of EFORT, the CRC aims to provide the knowledge and skills required by every specialist, and to broaden the participant’s orthopaedic horizon. This course provides up-to-date presentations in five major areas: Lower extremity Upper extremity Spine Pediatrics Basic science The CRC usually takes place parallel to the Annual Congress. Therefore, registration for this course comes in addition to the Congress’ registration
Impiego di un sistema innovativo a sensori inerziali e feedback audio-visivi per il monitoraggio a distanza di esercizi riabilitativi
No full textGoing Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
What postoperative shoe is more indicated after forefoot surgery? Biomechanical comparison of two different shoes
No full textPlantar pressure analysis of custom-made insoles for safety shoes
No full textIntroduction: Current regulations in many countries require
workers to wear safety shoes in factory settings [1,2]. These shoes
are often heavy, rigid and uncomfortable and their daily use leads
to foot problems, discomfort and fatigue resulting also in loss of
many working days [3]. In order to limit the extent of these ailments
[4,5],we investigated the biomechanical outcome of custom
insoles, designed and produced to match the foot sole and the shape
of the safety shoe (CloudSME, FP7-608886).
Methods: 17 workers (6 women and 11 men, age 45.1±5.2
years; BMI 26.7±4.5 kg/m2; 42±3 shoe Euro-size) from a metalworking
factory (Bonfiglioli Riduttori, Italy) volunteered for the
study. These were selected following careful clinical examination.
Those with normal feet, or presenting severe pathologies
and systemic diseases, were excluded for ethical reasons. A custom
insole (CUS) was designed on the morphology of the plantar
aspect of each foot, and on the internal shape of the selected
safety-shoe, and was manufactured via subtractive manufacturing
from an EVA block. The foot sole was 3D scanned in double leg
up-right posture using an original system (3D Scan patent, Podoactiva),
which included a standard scanner and an elastic membrane
which helps restrain flattening of the foot on the scanner top.
The foot scans were shared with the manufacturer via a cloudbased
service, with an ad-hoc procedure for a real-time feedback
of their quality. The CUS were assessed against the prefabricated
standard insole within safety shoes (PSS) and a comfortable offthe-
shelf (OTS) insole. The three insoles were blind-tested on the
same shoe, and evaluated via comfort scores and plantar pressure
measurements (Pedar, Novel gmbh, Germany). Data from
static up-right postures, normal and fast walking, weight lifting,
stair ascending and descending were analysed using ad-hoc software
by dividing the footprint into three main regions of interest
[6].
Results: CUS showed better pedobarographic parameters in
several plantar regions and for most of the working activities. Peak pressure was the lowest in CUS at rearfoot and forefoot during normal
walking. Normal and fast walking resulted the most demanding
activities in terms of peak pressure (Table 1).
Discussion: The baropodometric effects of different insoles in
safety-shoes have been rarely investigated and reported in the literature
[7]. The present study has demonstrated that the design
of custom insoles for safety shoes is valuable and can be obtained
successfully with modern 3D foot scanning technology, by taking
into account both the foot and the shoe footbed shapes. This new
technological procedure can also benefit from recently available
cloud-based services, allowing remote design and production of
high-quality insoles and other orthotics
Effectiveness of a Virtual Reality rehabilitation in stroke patients with sensory-motor and proprioception upper limb deficit: A study protocol
Full text linkIntroduction: Stroke is the second leading cause of death in Europe. In the case of stroke survival (almost 70%), only 25% of patients recover completely, while the remaining 75% will undergo a rehabilitation phase that varying from months to years. The primary outcomes of a stroke involve motor impairment in the upper limbs, resulting in a partial or complete inability to move the limb on the right or left side, depending on the affected hemisphere. Furthermore, the motor deficit distorts the proprioception of the body and the embodiment ability of the injured limb. This could be rehabilitated through the paradigm of body illusion that modulates the motor rehabilitation. The present protocol aims to investigate the effectiveness of a Virtual Reality system for sensorimotor and proprioception upper limb deficit compared to a traditional upper limb rehabilitation program.
Method: This study has a randomized and controlled design with control and experimental groups, and 4 measurement times: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention, and two follow-ups (at 6 and 12 months). The inclusion criteria are: (a) Being 18 to 85 years old, both males and females; (b) Suffering from ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke; (c) The stroke event must have occurred from two to eighteen months before recruitment; (d) Patients must have moderate to severe upper limb motor deficit, and the alteration of sensorimotor and proprioception abilities of the injury upper limb; (e) Patients must understand and sign the written consent for enrolment. The rehabilitation last four weeks with three sessions per week at Bellaria Hospital of Bologna (Italy). The VR protocol uses two types of technology: immersive and non-immersive, and the control group follow the traditional rehabilitation program
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