Biomechanics Commons^™

Increased Minimum Toe Clearance Variability In Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease, Troy Rand, Shane R. Wurdeman, Jason M. Johanning, Iraklis Pipinos, Sara A. Myers

Journal Articles

Individuals with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) report difficulty walking and experience 73% more falls than their healthy counterparts, but no studies have investigated functional mechanisms contributing to increased falls. Minimum toe clearance (MTC) is the minimum vertical distance between the toe of the swinging leg and the walking surface when the leg is swinging, and decreased values are associated with an increased risk for falls. This study is the first such analysis in patients with PAD. Eighteen individuals with PAD and eighteen healthy controls walked on a treadmill before and after the onset of claudication pain. Mean MTC and the …

Step Activity And Stride-To-Stride Fluctuations Are Negatively Correlated In Individuals With Transtibial Amputation, Jenny A. Kent, Nicholas Stergiou, Shane Wurdeman

Journal Articles

Background

Variability occurs naturally from stride to stride in healthy gait. It has been shown that individuals with lower limb loss have significantly increased stride-to-stride fluctuations during walking. This is considered indicative of movement disorganization and is associated with less healthy movement. Given that lower limb prosthesis users perform on average less physical activity than able bodied individuals, the purpose of this study was to determine whether increased fluctuations also correspond to a reduced level of activity in daily life.

Methods

Twenty-two transtibial amputees wore an activity monitor (Actigraph, Pensacola, FL, USA) for 3 weeks. Lower limb kinematics during treadmill …

Breast Cancer Rehabilitation: Clinical Examination And Outcomes Assessment, Nicole L. Stout, Shana Harrington, Lucinda Pfalzer, Mary Insana Fisher

Mary Insana Fisher

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States. The treatment for breast cancer occurs along a protracted time period and includes many different disease treatment modalities. These treatments carry with them a large number of adverse effects that negatively impact function in both the short term and long term. It is necessary for rehabilitation providers to interface with patients being treated for breast cancer throughout the continuum of care so that interval assessments can be conducted to identify emerging impairments and alleviate disability. To achieve this, the rehabilitation provider must have an understanding of …

Breast Cancer Rehabilitation: Clinical Examination And Outcomes Assessment, Nicole L. Stout, Shana Harrington, Lucinda Pfalzer, Mary Insana Fisher

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States. The treatment for breast cancer occurs along a protracted time period and includes many different disease treatment modalities. These treatments carry with them a large number of adverse effects that negatively impact function in both the short term and long term. It is necessary for rehabilitation providers to interface with patients being treated for breast cancer throughout the continuum of care so that interval assessments can be conducted to identify emerging impairments and alleviate disability. To achieve this, the rehabilitation provider must have an understanding of …

Home Exercise Adherence In An Underserved Ecuadorian Community, Joseph M. Day, Jean Irion, Meridith Anile, Jared Henson, Ben Roussel, Christina Shepherd, Huybrechts Bindele

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Purpose: Physical therapy service learning projects and volunteer experiences in foreign countries are becoming more commonplace. Patients in underserved regions are not likely to receive therapy services regularly; therefore, adherence to a home exercise program (HEP) is critical. The primary purpose of this study was to observe home exercise adherence rates between the 1st and 2nd visits in an underserved population. The secondary purpose of this study was to determine specific factors that affect HEP adherence in this population.

Methods: Consecutive patients seen in Santo Domingo, Ecuador were considered for participation in this observational study. All patients were recruited from …

A Neuromechanics-Based Powered Ankle Exoskeleton To Assist Walking Post-Stroke: A Feasibility Study, Kota Z. Takahashi, Michael D. Lewek, Gregory S. Sawicki

Journal Articles

Background: In persons post-stroke, diminished ankle joint function can contribute to inadequate gait propulsion. To target paretic ankle impairments, we developed a neuromechanics-based powered ankle exoskeleton. Specifically, this exoskeleton supplies plantarflexion assistance that is proportional to the user’s paretic soleus electromyography (EMG) amplitude only during a phase of gait when the stance limb is subjected to an anteriorly directed ground reaction force (GRF). The purpose of this feasibility study was to examine the short-term effects of the powered ankle exoskeleton on the mechanics and energetics of gait.

Methods: Five subjects with stroke walked with a powered ankle exoskeleton …