Rehabilitation interventions for foot drop in neuromuscular disease

"Foot drop" or "Floppy foot drop" is the term commonly used to describe weakness or contracture of the muscles around the ankle joint. It may arise from many neuromuscular diseases

Stair Gait Classification from Kinematic Sensors

Gait measurement is of interest for both orthopedists and biomechanical engineers. It is useful for analysis of gait disorders and in design of orthotic and prosthetic devices. In this chapter an algorithm is presented to suit estimation of one foot angle in the sagital plane, independent on gait conditions. Only one gyro is used during swing and two accelerometers are needed for calibration during stance. Also, the sensor placement at the front foot avoids the need for heel strike for stance transition. Stair walking can therefore be studied. From the estimated swing trajectory three different gait conditions: up stair, horizontal and down stair are classified.Abstracting and non-profit use of the material is permitted with the credit to the source. After this work has been published by the I-Tech Education and Publishing, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in any publication of which they are an author or editor, and the make other personal use of the work. (www.ars-journal.com)</p

Rehabilitation interventions for foot drop in neuromuscular disease

"Foot drop" or "Floppy foot drop" is the term commonly used to describe weakness or contracture of the muscles around the ankle joint. It may arise from many neuromuscular diseases

Biomechanical demands of the 2-step transitional gait cycles linking level gait and stair descent gait in older women

Stair descent is an inherently complex form of locomotion posing a high falls risk for older adults, specifically when negotiating the transitional gait cycles linking level gait and descent. The aim of this study was to enhance our understanding of the biomechanical demands by comparing the demands of these transitions. Lower limb kinematics and kinetics of the 2-step transitions linking level and descent gait at the top (level-to-descent) and the bottom (descent-to-level) of the staircase were quantified in 36 older women with no falls history. Despite undergoing the same vertical displacement (2-steps), the following significant (p&lt;.05) differences were observed during the top transition compared to the bottom transition: reduced step velocity; reduced hip extension and increased ankle dorsiflexion (late stance/pre-swing); reduced ground reaction forces, larger knee extensor moments and powers (absorption; late stance); reduced ankle plantarflexor moments (early and late stance) and increased ankle powers (mid-stance). Top transition biomechanics were similar to those reported previously for continuous descent. Kinetic differences at the knee and ankle signify the contrasting and prominent functions of controlled lowering during the top transition and forward continuance during the bottom transition. The varying musculoskeletal demands encountered during each functional sub-task should be addressed in falls prevention programmes with elderly populations where the greatest clinical impact may be achieved. Knee extensor eccentric power through flexion exercises would facilitate a smooth transition at the top and improving ankle plantarflexion strength during single and double limb stance activities would ease the transition into level gait following continuous descent

A Biomechanical Analysis of Trunk Motion During Stair Descent in Total and Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty Patients Compared to Healthy Controls.

M.S. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2018

Moving out of the lab:movement analyses in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee

Osteoarthritis of the knee is one of the main causes of physical limitations. In addition to osteoarthritis, obesity is also a growing public health problem. Research has shown that obese people are almost four times as likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knee. Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee develop compensation mechanisms during daily activities. This dissertation focuses on the analysis of biomechanical components in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. The focus was on the knee adduction moment (KAM) during walking, stair climbing and sit-to-stand. A high KAM is associated with the onset and progression of osteoarthritis of the knee. Furthermore, this study focused on physical activity in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee with and without obesity. In this way, this research wanted to gain more insight into small changes in movement behaviour in these patients. Accelerometery is a good way to understand quantity and quality of physical activity. Patients with both osteoarthritis of the knee and obesity have a significantly increased KAM compared to healthy subjects. However, presence of only osteoarthritis of the knee, does not result in an increased KAM. Furthermore, more insight was gained into the actual physical activity and limitations in daily life in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee

Effects of tai chi on postural control during dual-task stair negotiation in knee osteoarthritis : a randomised controlled trial protocol

Stair ascent and descent require complex integration between sensory and motor systems; individuals with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have an elevated risk for falls and fall injuries, which may be in part due to poor dynamic postural control during locomotion. Tai chi exercise has been shown to reduce fall risks in the ageing population and is recommended as one of the non-pharmocological therapies for people with KOA. However, neuromuscular mechanisms underlying the benefits of tai chi for persons with KOA are not clearly understood. Postural control deficits in performing a primary motor task may be more pronounced when required to simultaneously attend to a cognitive task. This single-blind, parallel design randomised controlled trial (RCT) aims to evaluate the effects of a 12-week tai chi programme versus balance and postural control training on neuromechanical characteristics during dual-task stair negotiation. Sixty-six participants with KOA will be randomised into either tai chi or balance and postural control training, each at 60 min per session, twice weekly for 12 weeks. Assessed at baseline and 12 weeks (ie, postintervention), the primary outcomes are attention cost and dynamic postural stability during dual-task stair negotiation. Secondary outcomes include balance and proprioception, foot clearances, self-reported symptoms and function. A telephone follow-up to assess symptoms and function will be conducted at 20 weeks. The findings will help determine whether tai chi is beneficial on dynamic stability and in reducing fall risks in older adults with KOA patients in community. Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (#2018KY-006-1). Study findings will be disseminated through presentations at scientific conferences or publications in peer-reviewed journals. ChiCTR1800018028. [Abstract copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

Work flow improvement at Kenny Leather (M) Sdn. Bhd.

Kenny Leather who was located at Merlimau Industrial Estate, Melaka driving force in the manufactures of leather. The company supply its product internationally and the product are well known globally due to their product’s quality and their commitment to give their best to the customer. Former world number one player of golf, Tiger Wood is among the user of hand glove that were made by this company. Kenny Leather has 200 workers and all of their workers are Malaysian. The managing director is Mr. Tadashi Fujisawa and main share partner is Kenny Co. Ltd. The company motto is ‘one for all and all for one’. Kenny Leather (M) Sdn Bhd is the factory processed all the material consists of leather. The nature of business is manufacturing leather gloves (for gloves), betting gloves, dress leather, cut leather and dyed sheep/goat skin leather. This factory is one of the biggest suppliers for leather material. In fact the former number one golfer in the world which is, Mr. Eldrick Tont Woods, known as Tiger Woods is using leather products made by the Kenny Leather. One company known as FootJoy which is the main company that sponsor Tiger Wood accessories for golfing is almost 80% was supplied by Kenny Leather