Abstract
Hallux rigidus is a common condition affecting the foot. There is a paucity of evidence describing the management of patients with hallux rigidus with manual physical therapy consisting of hands-on manual therapy techniques and movement reinforcing exercise. This case highlights the management of a patient with hallux rigidus by a physical therapist. The patient was a 60-year-old male baseball player with pain, loss of metatarsophalangeal joint motion, and radiographically visible degenerative changes suggesting a diagnosis of hallux rigidus. Treatment involved non-thrust joint manual distraction mobilization to the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint. Improvements were noted immediately in the patient's ability to run with decreased symptoms. I carefully instructed the patient to perform the manual distraction techniques at home. After 4 clinical visits, the patient returned to baseball the following spring. Outcomes were maintained 8 years after initial evaluation.
Abstract
Background: Abnormal foot anthropometry and posture of patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) can be considered as possible risk factors for performance and ambulation. It was aimed to examine the effects of foot posture and anthropometric characteristics, which deteriorated from the early period, on ambulation and performance of patients with DMD.
Methods: The foot arch height (FAH), the metatarsal width (MW), subtalar pronation angle, and ankle limitation degree (ALD) were evaluated to determine the foot anthropometric characteristics of the patients. Foot Posture Index-6 (FPI-6) was used to evaluate foot posture. The performance of the patients was determined by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), the 10-meter walk test (10MWT), and ascend/descend a standard 4-step test, and the ambulation was determined by the North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA). Spearman’s correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the relationship between foot anthropometric characteristics and posture, and performance and ambulation.
Results: The sample consisted of 48 patients with DMD aged 5.5 to 12 years. Both of the right and left foot FPI-6 scores were associated with all parameters, except descending 4-step. The left FAH was associated with 6MWT and NSAA, and the left MW was associated with 6MWT. The ALD of right foot was associated with 6MWT, ascending/descending 4 steps, and NSAA, and left ankle limitation was associated with NSAA (p<0.05). There was no relationship between other parameters.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that postural disorders in the foot and ankle may contribute to the decrease in performance and ambulation in patients with DMD.
Abstract
Background: In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the pathological progression of lower limb biomechanics is established. Although specific aspects of RA gait patterns have been studied and described, we are aware of no studies of gait pattern compensations over the entire disease course. This study aimed to describe a model that could predict the evolution of lower limb pathomechanics in patients with RA.
Methods: A literature review was conducted of electronic databases (MEDLINE, PEDro, Trip Database, DOAJ, BioMed Central, PLOS clinical trial, ScienceDirect, and CRD York University, AHRQ, NICE, Cochrane Library) to October 3, 2023.
Results: A theory was developed that all people with RA induce or augment gait evolution syndromes following the same biomechanical course. Specifically, we postulate the “rheumatoid equinus syndrome,” the “rheumatoid abnormal pronation syndrome” and the “rheumatoid shuffle syndrome,” which have never been described before.
Conclusions: A new model of the evolution of gait compensation in RA is proposed. An important challenge of RA is that it increases the risk of ulcerative lesions, falls, pain, fractures, and healthcare costs. The proposed model can be used to reduce morbidity in this patient group by helping to explain and reduce the pain, deformity, and ankylosis of foot RA.
Abstract
Objectives: To examine the effects of foot dominance and body mass on foot plantar pressures in older women of regular, overweight, and obese weights.
Methods: 96 female adults were divided into regular-weight group (68.30 ± 4.19 yr), overweight group (69.88 ± 3.76 yr), and obesity group (68.47 ± 3.67 yr) based on their body mass index scores. Footscan® plantar pressure test system was used to assess the dynamic plantar pressures, and parameters were collected from risk analysis, foot axis analysis, single foot timing analysis, and pressure analysis.
Results: (1) The local risks of lateral forefoot and midfoot, the minimum and maximum subtalar joint angles, the flexibility of subtalar joint, foot flat phase, as well as the average pressures on toes, metatarsals,, midfoot, and lateral heel, with the peak pressures on toe 2–5, metatarsal 2, metatarsal 5, midfoot, and lateral heel had significant within-subject differences. (2) The phases of initial contact and foot flat, the average pressures on toe 2–5, metatarsals, midfoot, and heels, with the peak pressures on metatarsal 1–4, midfoot, and heels exhibited significant between-subjects differences. (3) There was an interaction effect of foot dominance and body mass index on the flexibility of subtalar joint.
Conclusions: The non-dominant foot works better for stability, especially when touching on and off the ground. The dominant foot works better for propulsion but is more susceptible to pain, injury, and falls. For obese older women, the forefoot and midfoot are primarily responsible for maintaining stability, but the lateral midfoot and hindfoot are more prone to pain and discomfort.
Squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant tumor that is most commonly found on the head and neck. The current global incidence of squamous cell carcinoma at any site is estimated to be more than 1 million cases per year, with a reported 3-year mortality rate of 30%. Recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma at any site is estimated to be 15% to 50% and has been associated with greater rates of infiltration, perineural invasion, and mortality. Recent studies have shown lower-extremity squamous cell carcinoma to be distinct from squamous cell carcinoma at any site with histologic and clinical differences. Lower-extremity squamous cell carcinoma is suggestively less aggressive and carries less risk of metastasis. However, lower-extremity squamous cell carcinoma prevalence, mortality, and recurrence rates have not been extensively studied. The present report depicts a case of recurrent squamous cell carcinoma originating in 2006 in the dorsal forefoot and provides the clinical management of subsequent recurrence episodes, with excisions from 2015 and 2020.
Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) is a rare type of neoplasm that may be locally aggressive but is most often benign and can be divided into two subtypes: localized and diffuse. It tends to develop in the joints, bursae, and tendon sheaths primarily in the digits of the hand and less commonly in the forefoot. This soft-tissue mass has many possible differential diagnoses, including lipoma, ganglion cyst, plantar fibroma, and various sarcomas; surgical excision is usually indicated to reach a definitive diagnosis and rule out malignancy. We report a rare case of a 30-year-old woman with atypical plantar hallucal pain and a palpable mass on the plantar lateral aspect of the left hallux. Surgical excision and histopathologic evaluation confirmed a TGCT of the left hallucal flexor tendon sheath. Although it bears clinical resemblance to several other soft-tissue masses, TGCT has numerous pathognomonic features evident with advanced imaging and histologic analysis that help the physician obtain an accurate diagnosis and proceed with appropriate treatment.
Background: Distal fibula fractures at the ankle level are common and are usually accompanied by ligament injuries. This study aims to evaluate the effects of ankle ligament ruptures on ankle joints, fracture instability, and plate stress after distal fibula fracture fixed with a plate created by finite element analysis modeling and loading applied to ligament rupture models that may accompany this fracture.
Methods: A finite element model consisting of three-dimensional fibula, tibia, foot bones, and ankle ligaments was designed to investigate the effects of ligament injuries accompanying plate-detected AO type 44B2.1 fractures on fracture detection, fixation material, and ankle joints. Then, the results were evaluated by modeling ligament rupture in six different ways.
Results: In the modeling where the deltoid and talofibular ligaments are broken together, instability is highest in the ankle (2.31 mm) and fracture line (0.15 mm). The rupture of the anterior and posterior tibiofibular ligaments associated with syndesmosis caused less instability in the fracture and ankle than the single-ligament rupture models of both the deltoid and talofibular ligaments.
Conclusions: In the finite element modeling of AO type 44B2.1 fractures detected with plate, the importance and potential effects of often-overlooked ankle ligament injuries are pointed out. Note that when treating ankle injuries, the ankle should be treated as a whole, with both bone and soft tissue. In some cases, the fracture may represent the visible tip of the iceberg.
Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, manifestations of the COVID-19 virus have been reported throughout the body, visible both clinically and radiographically. In the foot and ankle, one such phenomenon presents as cutaneous changes associated with neuralgia to the digits. Although rare, emerging reports described similar manifestations of COVID-19 in the foot, though limited to superficial structures. In this case report, we present a 52-year-old male experiencing burning pain and hyperpigmented lesions to the digits of his left foot 2 weeks prior to a formal diagnosis with COVID-19. Advanced imaging showed a third interspace neuroma as well as distal-to-proximal bone marrow edema in the distal phalanx of all digits, a pattern seen in vasculopathies, 4 weeks after diagnosis. In the absence of diabetes mellitus or peripheral vascular disease, the patient underwent a simple neurectomy. At the follow-up appointment 12 weeks after the initial encounter, his symptoms resolved. Our study reports a case describing osseous along with cutaneous manifestations in the foot of a patient with COVID-19.
Background: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is becoming an increasingly common source of limitation in people's daily activities. As such, this study sought to investigate the effects of kinesiology taping (KT) and low-Dye taping treatments, used in conjunction with extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT), on pain and function in patients with PF.
Methods: To conduct this randomized controlled study, 45 individuals with PF aged 18 to 65 years were included, with 15 individuals assigned to each group: the KT, low-Dye, and control groups. Pain intensity was evaluated using the visual analog scale, and functionality was assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scale before and after the study. Each group received three sessions of ESWT.
Results: When pretreatment and post-treatment differences were analyzed, first-step pain in the morning, pain with palpation, and pain after prolonged standing were reduced in the KT, low-Dye, and control groups (P < .05 for all). There were differences in the AOFAS total score in the KT (P <.001; r = 2.03), low-Dye (P < .001; r = 1.49), and control (P = .003; r = 0.92) groups. Low-Dye taping was more effective than the control in reducing pain with standing and improving AOFAS function scores (P < .05). Low-Dye taping and KT were effective in improving AOFAS total scores (P < .05) but were not superior to each other (P > .05).
Conclusions: Based on these findings, taping techniques such as KT and low-Dye, combined with conventional treatments such as ESWT, may be beneficial for improving pain and function in individuals with PF. Further randomized controlled trials with longer follow-up are needed to confirm this hypothesis.
Congenital posteromedial bowing of the tibia is a rare structural deformity of the lower extremity. This severe deformity may be discovered on ultrasound prenatally but is more commonly evident immediately after birth. Prognostically, congenital posteromedial bowing of the tibia ranges from a self-resolving condition to the development of a significant limb-length discrepancy with functional deficits. This condition can be treated conservatively but may require surgical correction in adolescence or at skeletal maturity. This case study presents a pediatric patient who underwent early conservative treatment with casting and bracing in a podiatric medical clinic setting.
