Equinus

Student awarded NIH Fellowship to examine balance, walking in children with cerebral palsy

Hassan Farah, a Virginia Tech translational biology, medicine, and health graduate student, has been awarded a $98,000 National Institutes of Health grant that will fund his remaining predoctoral research. The award supports … READ MORE

Software recreates complex movements for medical, rehabilitation, and basic research

An open-source movement simulator that has already helped solve problems in medicine, paleontology, and animal locomotion has been expanded and improved, according to a new publication in the open-access journal PLOS Computational … READ MORE

Limited evidence of botox superiority in alleviating muscle tightness in children with CP

A review found limited evidence that botox outperforms other forms of treatment in improving walking, joint motion, or muscle spasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The study was published in the Cochrane Database of … READ MORE

Early orthotic intervention in pediatric patients, Part 2: Down syndrome, other neurological conditions, and toe walking

The Case For Early Intervention. Down Syndrome is associated with a long list of compensatory gait symptoms due to hypotonia, triplanar foot and ankle misalignments, sagittal and coronal compensation at the knee, proximal weakness, … READ MORE

Children’s toe walking not a sign of bigger problems

More than half of young children who toe walk will stop doing so on their own by about age 5. And most children who are toe walkers will not have any developmental or neuropsychiatric problems, a new study finds. Idiopathic toe … READ MORE

Learning to improve foot control in cerebral palsy

A device to measure foot control is being trialled to improve walking ability for adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy. Learning to improve foot control in Cerebral Palsy, Shari O’Brien. School of Human Movement and … READ MORE

Children should spend more time barefoot to encourage a healthier foot structure

Humans have gone unshod for millions of years; it is only in the last few centuries that people have started wearing shoes. However, a recent survey shows that shoe wearing among young boys isn’t universal. German children and … READ MORE

Prevalence of idiopathic toe-walking in children from birth to 10 years of age

Investigators found 79% of children who had ever been toe-walkers spontaneously developed typical gait by 10 years of age and did so without intervention or contractures of the ankle dorsiflexion. There are a number of reasons some … READ MORE

Footwear habits influence child and adolescent motor skill development

Researchers show that regular physical activity without shoes may improve children’s and adolescents’ balancing and jumping skills. CC0 Public Domain Pixabay Science Daily July 11, 2018 New research finds that children and … READ MORE

Health Canada approves Dysport to treat kids with cerebral palsy

Health Canada has approved Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) for the treatment of leg spasticity in children and teens ages 2 and older, including those with cerebral palsy. Six months ago, 13-year-old Georges Vermast rode her bike for the … READ MORE

Effectiveness of passive stretching in children with cerebral palsy

Neurological disorders often cause increased muscle tone — too much tightness — in muscles of the arms and legs. Spasticity results from significantly increased muscle tone, limiting movement and joint mobility. Cerebral palsy — … READ MORE

What it means when kids walk on their toes

When toddlers are learning to walk, many spend some time walking up on their tip toes, which is known as toe walking. Commonly this is to get into things they aren’t meant to, but as they perfect their walking, they walk more with … READ MORE

Positive results for pediatric patient with idiopathic toe walking

A multidisciplinary approach offered benefits for a pediatric patient who had idiopathic toe walking with severe contractures, according to Nicole M. Harris, PT, PCS, BOCO, of The Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, Colo. Harris … READ MORE

Treating pediatric toe walking – is it idiopathic?

Pediatric toe walking is not necessarily idiopathic and can be the result of an underlying deficit, Megan Smith, CO, director of clinical research at Surestep, said at the Association of Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics Annual … READ MORE

Walking barefoot on gravel improves gait for children with idiopathic toe walking

Walking barefoot on a gravel surface significantly improved gait in children with idiopathic toe walking, according to research presented here at the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association National Assembly. Researcher Mark … READ MORE

High heels: Elevating the discussion

The biomechanical implications of high-heeled shoes are well known, and now dramatic weight-bearing images and new study findings are taking practitioner and patient awareness to the next level. But many women are still sacrificing … READ MORE

Pediatric orthotic management: Children are different

They are not just small adults; some things are very different, though some are just smaller. I often tell our physical medicine and rehabilitation residents in training that there are only two differences between adult and pediatric … READ MORE

FES showed no benefits in patients with isolated foot drop

Patients with hemiplegia who used a functional electrical stimulation device for isolated foot drop showed no significant functional differences during gait, according to results presented at the Association of Children’s … READ MORE

AFO users must rethink concept of ‘normal’ gait

Ankle foot orthoses can make a neuromuscular patient’s gait pattern more like that of an unaffected person, but the devices can also be associated with compensations of their own. And in some patients, a more ‘normal’ gait … READ MORE

Improving foot posture, balance in CMT may aid ankle stability

Early care advised for FAI prevention. “…ankle sprains in children with CMT are not prevented adequately as the neurological condition is not often diagnosed in childhood, unless present in another family member. He noted that … READ MORE

Biomechanics of propulsion: Implications for AFOs

For many patients, the ability of an ankle foot orthosis to enhance propulsion is key to improving gait efficiency and reducing fatigue. But experts are only beginning to understand the biomechanical complexities that influence … READ MORE

Equinus: Its surprising role in foot pathologies

Treatment for equinus should be aimed at increasing ankle joint dorsiflexion to facilitate normal gait mechanics. In most cases, non-spastic forms of equinus tend to be more treatable and easily corrected than the spastic … READ MORE

Toe walking treatment and management

The management of toe walking is controversial — the natural history is poorly defined, and only limited data are available regarding direct comparisons of different treatment modalities. Therefore, the physician’s first decision … READ MORE

Orthotic solutions for children with hypotonia

New research underscores years of positive clinical results. When it comes to orthotic management of pediatric patients with hypotonia, the medical literature is only beginning to document the effectiveness that clinicians have been … READ MORE

Gait: The cornerstone of intervention

Quantifying the effects of hypotonia starts in the clinic. Effective management of children with hypotonia requires an understanding of how the condition affects gait. Clinicians typically rely on their professional experience when … READ MORE