Achilles tendon ruptures can be a very frustrating rehab for both the patient and the clinician. The patient has to wear a boot of shame for 4-8 weeks and are very limited in the amount of activity they can perform. Clinicians are often frustrated since these surgeries require a very particular rehab protocol and are limited as to which interventions they can use. Continue reading “Keys to Achilles Tendon Repair Rehab”
Often when reading peer-reviewed articles I feel like I need an advanced degree in statistics to understand how the hell they analyzed the information and quantified the results. There is an amazing amount of jargon when looking at the objective measurements. This is rarely a clinical problem since understanding the statistical analysis is not applicable to the patient. I’ve never been mobilizing a patients shoulder and been concerned of whether it was a pearsons analysis or t-something in the article I just read.
However, the one part of statistics that is very important clinically is understanding specificity and sensitivity. Continue reading “Sensitivity and Specificity”
Lewis CL, Sahrman SA. Acetabular Labral Tears. Phys Ther. 2006;86:110-121
In 2006 Lewis and Sahrmann produced a great article on acetabular labral tears. They provided great information regarding the anatomy and function, the concepts on the eitiology, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of labral tears. This is an important article to read since labral tears have become more prevalent in the past few decades and surgical management of this disorder continues to progress. It’s important to fully understand labral tears before attempting to manage a patient’s care. This article provides the information that can help orthopedic professionals better understand this pathology. Continue reading “Article Review: Acetabular Labral Tears (Lewis & Sahrman 2006)”
Pressure is an important aspect of physical force systems. It can have a profound affect on the body from both external and internal forces. The results of pressure depends on many different variables, indluding: the body position, type of external force orientation, and medium through which the force is applied. Manipulating these variables can help a clinician to use pressure as a therapeutic stress as opposed to a noxious stimuli. Continue reading “Basic Biomechanics: Pressure”
Gravity is a very important force to consider when dealing with biomechanics. It is constantly affecting the body in both static and dynamic movement. It can be looked at as the gravitational downward pull on an object. Whereas the center of mass is the mean position of matter in a body or system. Gravity, like all forces, has a point of application, a magnitude, and a direction. Continue reading “Basic Biomechanics: Gravity”
The first step of understanding and calculating torque is identifying the moment arm. The moment arm (lever arm) of a force system is the perpendicular distance from an axis to the line of action of a force. In other words, moment arm determines the quality of the torque. Continue reading “Basic Biomechanics: Moment Arm & Torque”
A lever is a rigid object that is used with an axis to either multiply the mechanical force (effort) or resistance force (load) applied to it. The efficiency of the lever is called mechanical advantage (MA). The greater the mechanical advantage, Continue reading “Basic Biomechanics: Levers”
Sir Isaac Newton formulated 3 physical “laws” that became the basis for classical mechanics. Through these laws he describe the relationship of forces, objects, and motion. For three centuries this has been the foundation for understanding motion and physical force systems. Continue reading “Basic Biomechanics: Newton’s Laws of Motion”
The most important aspect of biomechanics to consider is force.
Over the years there has been an abundance of different theories and concepts as to how to best treat orthopedic patients and athletes. With so many different approaches to assessment and treatment it is easy to get overwhelmed. Even evidence-based practice has contradicted itself over the years when new research arises proving the old research obsolite. However, there is one concept that never changes and is always the foundation for treating orthopedic patients. Continue reading “Basic Biomechanics”
When examining and assessing patients it’s easy to get caught up in all of the esoteric and minute details. With the overwhelming amount objective measurements (joint mobility, AROM, PROM, MMT, DTR, etc.) and the endless list of special tests, it can be difficulty to obtain a clear clinical picture. While a full examination is necessary to prevent overlooking any possible impairments/pathologies; it is also just as important to make sure you come away with a strong simple assessment and clear clinical picture of your patient. I have found that focusing on 3 simple assessments helps to maintain clinical clarity throughout the plan of care.
Inflexibility of the hamstring muscle is often a prominent kink in most people’s posterior kinetic chain. It’s the reason why we have to sit down to tie our shoes, can’t sit up-right with our legs straight out in front of us, and the reason why most of us would be very pathetic at martial arts. Having a tight hamstring is a major concern as it can lead to increased risk of injury, decrease athletic performance, and cause pain and symptoms both proximally and distally (low back pain, achilles pain, etc.). Continue reading “The Best Posterior Chain Stretch”
