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Orthopaedic research

Everything we have read on orthopaedic. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

2,015 PAPERS · PAGE 3 OF 41 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOther2016Characterizing knee loading asymmetry in individuals following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using inertial sensors.Gait & postureThe surgical leg showed lower knee loading and slower shank rotation than the other leg about 3 months after ACL reconstruction. Sensor-measured shank rotation related to knee loading asymmetry even when walking timing looked normal.
• PTOther2016Lower leg compensatory strategies during performance of a step up and over task in patient six-months after total knee arthroplasty.Gait & postureSix months after knee replacement, during stepping up, the operated leg relied more on the hip and less on the knee, and landing had lower overall support. Leg muscle activity did not consistently differ from controls.
• PTOther2016Optimal Joint Positions for Manual Isometric Muscle Testing.Journal of sport rehabilitationComputer models of major muscle groups around shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle predicted maximum isometric force at positions that differ from commonly recommended neutral right angle or midpoint for manual muscle testing, but the predictions were not tested in people.
• PTSurvey2017Physiotherapy management of knee osteoarthritis in Nigeria-A survey of self-reported treatment preferences.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoNigerian physiotherapists surveyed about knee osteoarthritis preferred heat and cold therapy over exercise. Most would use x-rays for diagnosis and combine multiple treatments rather than following guidelines that emphasize exercise and self-management.
• PTRCT2017Long-term effects of lateral wedge orthotics on hip and ankle joint space widths.Gait & postureLateral wedge insoles did not differ from neutral insoles in hip or ankle joint space width changes over 36 months. Both groups had hip narrowing, and ankle joint spaces did not change, so no wedge-specific hip or ankle change was shown.
• PTQualitative2017Exploring peer-mentoring for community dwelling older adults with chronic low back pain: a qualitative study.PhysiotherapyOlder adults with chronic low back pain, physiotherapists and potential peer mentors described peer mentoring as potentially helpful after discharge from physiotherapy, especially through empathy, but wanted flexible matching, training and monitoring.
• PTOTOther2016Factors associated with attitudes and beliefs of elders with acute low back pain: data from the study Back Complaints in the Elders (BACE).Brazilian journal of physical therapyIn elders with acute low back pain, higher disability, more depressive symptoms, and lower expectation of returning to activities were associated with more negative back-pain beliefs. The study cannot show these factors caused the beliefs.
• PTOther2016Risk of falls in Brazilian elders with and without low back pain assessed using the Physiological Profile Assessment: BACE study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyOlder Brazilian adults with low back pain had a moderate fall-risk score, while those without pain had a mild score. They also reported more falls, swayed more, reacted slower and had weaker thigh muscles.
• PTProtocol2016Effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle intervention for low back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee: protocol and statistical analysis plan for two randomised controlled trials.Brazilian journal of physical therapyNo results are reported. This is a study plan for two randomised trials of telephone weight management and lifestyle coaching for low back pain and knee osteoarthritis, so there is no finding to act on.
• PTOTCohort2016Effectiveness of the back school program for the performance of activities of daily living in users of a basic health unit in Porto Alegre, Brazil.Journal of physical therapy scienceA Back School program improved how people with chronic pain performed daily tasks like lifting and writing, and reduced pain and disability scores. Sitting posture did not improve. Without a control group, natural recovery cannot be ruled out.
• PTOther2016Comparison of hamstring-to-quadriceps ratio between accelerating and decelerating sections during squat exercise.Journal of physical therapy scienceHamstring-to-quadriceps muscle activity ratio was higher during the slowing-down part of a squat than during the speeding-up part (0.79 vs 0.54) in nine healthy men.
• PTOther2016Advancements in Imaging Technology: Do They (or Will They) Equate to Advancements in Our Knowledge of Recovery in Whiplash?The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyNo original finding to act on. This imaging commentary for whiplash reports no methods or outcomes.
• PTOTOther2016Reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire for patients with musculoskeletal disorder.Journal of physical therapy scienceThe Korean Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment gives consistent scores when patients repeat it after one week and aligns with the SF-36. It is a reliable self-report tool for tracking disability in Korean patients with limb musculoskeletal disorders.
• PTOther2016The effectiveness of home-based exercise programs for low back pain patients.Journal of physical therapy sciencePatients who returned after four weeks showed improved pain, flexibility, endurance and disability scores during home exercise plus medical treatment. The study cannot separate the components, and adherence or exercise accuracy did not correlate with outcomes.
• PTOther2016Immediate effects of forearm elastic and nonelastic taping on wrist flexor muscle and grip strength of normal adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceElastic forearm tape produced larger immediate grip and wrist flexor strength gains than nonelastic tape in healthy adults. It did not test injured people, pain, or daily hand tasks, so this is not evidence of a treatment benefit.
• PTOther2016Effects of active rehabilitation therapy on muscular back strength and subjective pain degree in chronic lower back pain patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceAn eight-week active core rehabilitation program that included education, stretching and strengthening increased average back strength and reduced average pain scores in the 8 experimental patients, while the 8 control patients' average pain scores did not change.
• PTRCT2016Comparison of the effect of pre- and post-operative physical therapy versus post-operative physical therapy alone on pain and recovery of function after total knee arthroplasty.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding pre-operative physical therapy to post-operative physical therapy, TENS, oral analgesics, and home exercise did not improve pain or function more than those treatments together in 50 knee replacement patients. Both groups improved similarly over six weeks.
• PTPilot2016Preliminary study of optimal measurement location on vibroarthrography for classification of patients with knee osteoarthritis.Journal of physical therapy scienceWhen listening to knee sounds as someone stands up, placing the sensor on the tibia separated severe knee osteoarthritis from healthy knees better than the other measured locations. This is a preliminary measurement-location study, not a diagnostic test.
• PTRCT2016The effects of maitland orthopedic manual therapy on improving constipation.Journal of physical therapy scienceSpinal mobilization and fiber supplements both sped up bowel transit time in young adults with constipation. The manual therapy group showed significantly larger improvements in total and rectosigmoid transit time than the fiber group.
• PTRCT2016The effect of abdominal drawing-in exercise and myofascial release on pain, flexibility, and balance of elderly females.Journal of physical therapy scienceAbdominal drawing-in and myofascial release did not differ in pain, flexibility, or balance among older women with low back pain. Both groups reported less pain after eight weeks.
• PTOTSurvey2016Analysis of stress, musculoskeletal disorders, and fatigue among broadcasting actors.Journal of physical therapy scienceMost broadcasting actors reported high psychosocial stress and fatigue. Regular exercise was linked to lower stress and fatigue. Smoking correlated with higher psychosocial stress and fatigue but not occupational stress. Job demands and insecurity were the primary occupational stressors.
• PTOther2016The change of pain and lumbosacral sagittal alignment after sling exercise therapy for patients with chronic low back pain.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter 12 weeks, sling exercise patients reported lower pain than physical therapy patients, and pelvic tilt decreased while pelvic incidence increased. This points to sling exercise as a possible option for chronic low back pain.
• PTRCT2016The effect of exercise types for rotator cuff repair patients on activities of shoulder muscles and upper limb disability.Journal of physical therapy scienceBoth open-chain and closed-chain shoulder exercises after rotator cuff repair improved muscle activity and reduced arm disability over three weeks. The groups changed muscle fatigue measures differently, but disability scores did not differ.
• PTRCT2016The effect of combined exercise with slings and a flexi-bar on muscle activity and pain in rotator cuff repair patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter rotator cuff repair, adding sling and Flexi-Bar exercise to TENS and continuous passive motion reduced pain more, lowered upper trapezius activity more, and raised lower trapezius, infraspinatus and serratus anterior activity more. The added exercise cannot be separated into sling or Flexi-Bar parts.
• PTOther2017Evaluation of psychometric properties of Tinetti performance-oriented mobility assessment scale in subjects with knee osteoarthritis.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoIn 25 people with knee osteoarthritis, the Tinetti POMA scores stayed stable over 5 days, but they only matched other balance and mobility tests moderately. Many participants scored at the top, so it may not detect change in mild cases.
• PTOther2016External rotation elastic bands at the lower limb decrease rearfoot eversion during walking: a preliminary proof of concept.Brazilian journal of physical therapyElastic bands that pull the lower limb into external rotation reduced rearfoot eversion during walking in 17 healthy adults. It did not test people with foot or knee symptoms or whether symptoms change.
• PTSystematic Review2016Causative factors and rehabilitation of patellar tendinopathy: A systematic review.The South African journal of physiotherapyFor patellar tendinopathy, the review reported eccentric exercise in 10 included studies and linked risk factors to tendon overload from training load, jump technique and flexibility or strength problems, but it did not pool outcomes.
• PTSystematic Review2016Effects of pilates on patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: a systematic review.Journal of physical therapy scienceFor chronic non-specific low back pain, Pilates reduced pain more than minimal intervention, but not more than other exercise; only some gains reached clinically important difference.
• PTOther2016The effects of exercise on the GAP-43 expression in the spinal cord of arthritis-induced rats.Journal of physical therapy scienceTreadmill exercise increased a spinal cord protein linked to nerve repair in rats with knee arthritis. It does not show exercise reduces pain in people.
• PTOTCase Report2016Combined treatment with paraffin, manual therapy, pegboard and splinting in a patient with post-traumatic stiff hand.Archives of physiotherapyA woman with a stiff post-traumatic hand showed improved motion, pain and function after 9 weeks of daily paraffin, manual therapy, pegboard and splinting, then outpatient therapy. No conclusion can be drawn about which component caused change.
• PTOther2016Relationship between atherosclerosis and knee osteoarthritis as graded by radiography and ultrasonography in females.Journal of physical therapy sciencePostmenopausal women with more severe knee osteoarthritis had thicker carotid artery walls than women with milder knee osteoarthritis. The study found a link, not a cause.
• PTRCT2016The effects on postural control and low back pain according to the types of orthoses in chronic low back pain patients.Journal of physical therapy sciencePeople with chronic low back pain wearing soft or rigid lumbosacral belts for 4 weeks had less pain and more stable balance than before. The soft belt improved forward-back balance more than the rigid belt.
• PTCase Report2016Effect of unilateral exercises on low back pain in an urban driver.Journal of physical therapy scienceA taxi driver's left-sided back pain dropped from severe to mild after two ten-day exercise sessions. Unilateral exercises targeting pelvic alignment reduced pain scores and corrected movement asymmetries, though this reflects one person's response.
• PTOther2016Effects of treadmill speed on the knee angle and stance time of white rats with knee osteoarthritis according to the treadmill speed.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn rats with induced knee osteoarthritis, treadmill walking decreased knee angle at both speeds. Stance time decreased at moderate speed and increased at high speed. This does not show a speed that helps people.
• PTOther2016Effects of complex rehabilitation training on low back strength in chronic low back pain.Journal of physical therapy scienceIsometric low-back strength improved at every tested angle after 12 weeks of combined muscular fitness and stabilization exercise, but there was no described control group and participants were receiving general oriental therapy, so the exercise effect alone cannot be isolated.
• PTOTSurvey2016Study on the quality of life of children with cerebral palsy.Journal of physical therapy scienceQuality of life in children with cerebral palsy was linked to mental function, pain, movement, self-care, school and social participation, and environmental barriers. These are daily-life and environment factors, not only movement.
• PTOTSLPRCT2016The effects of high intensity laser therapy on pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding high-intensity laser therapy to standard physical therapy reduced knee pain and improved function more than physical therapy alone in 20 patients with osteoarthritis over four weeks. However, the study was small and short-term, so the durability of this benefit is unknown.
• PTOTCohort2017Hip and Lumbar Spine Physical Examination Findings in People Presenting With Low Back Pain, With or Without Lower Extremity Pain.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyMost patients with low back pain had reduced hip movement or pain during hip tests. Those with these hip findings reported worse pain and disability. Examining the hip is common in this group and may help identify contributing factors, though this study does not prove hip treatment improves back pain.
• PTOther2017Trunk Muscle Characteristics of the Multifidi, Erector Spinae, Psoas, and Quadratus Lumborum in Older Adults With and Without Chronic Low Back Pain.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyOlder adults with chronic low back pain showed more fat within the multifidus and smaller erector spinae muscles than peers without pain, with differences also varying by sex. This is an MRI comparison, not proof that exercises change these muscles.
• PTOTSurvey2017Musculoskeletal problems among string instrumentalists in South Africa.The South African journal of physiotherapyMost string players report musculoskeletal pain, with women at higher risk. Low back, upper back, and shoulders are the main trouble spots. Symptoms are usually mild to moderate but interfere with performance for over a third of players.
• PTPilot2016The effects of visual biofeedback using ultrasonograpy on deep trunk muscle activation.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy adults who watched an ultrasound of their own abdominal muscles while performing drawing-in exercises showed increased activation in the internal oblique and multifidus muscles. Rectus abdominis and external oblique activity did not change significantly after the six-week intervention.
• PTOTOther2016Preoperative physical performance predictors of self-reported physical function and quality of life in patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn patients awaiting knee replacement, worse self-reported function and quality of life were linked to more pain, poorer timed up-and-go performance, and poorer walk test performance. These are preoperative measures, not proof that training changes outcomes.
• PTOther2016A study of isokinetic strength and laxity with and without anterior cruciate ligament injury.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 31 high school athletes with mild past ACL injury, the injured knee had lower knee flexor strength than the other knee. Extensor strength and muscle balance were not reported as different. Injured-side anterior laxity at 88 N was also lower, not higher.
• PTNarrative Review2016The evolving role of physical therapists in the long-term management of chronic low back pain: longitudinal care using assisted self-management strategies.Brazilian journal of physical therapyNo new patient outcomes are reported. The paper proposes a long-term physical therapy model for chronic low back pain.
• PTRCT2016Treadmill training with partial body-weight support after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceTreadmill training with partial body-weight support added to conventional physical therapy was associated with higher knee function scores and shorter walking times at 12 weeks, but most measures showed no significant difference at 24 weeks.
• PTOTOther2016Does the Q - H index show a stronger relationship than the H:Q ratio in regard to knee pain during daily activities in patients with knee osteoarthritis?Journal of physical therapy scienceLower knee extension strength and a smaller gap between knee extension and flexion strength were linked to more pain in 78 women with knee osteoarthritis. The hamstring-to-quadriceps ratio was not.
• PTOther2016The effects of a pelvic belt on trunk and lower extremity muscles in the bridge position.Journal of physical therapy scienceWearing a pelvic compression belt in the bridge position lowered recorded muscle activity in the measured trunk and leg muscles in 20 healthy adults. This is a muscle-activation finding, not evidence of pain relief or functional benefit.
• PTOther2016Evaluation of research trends in physical therapy through analysis of articles published at the world confederation for physical therapy congress.Journal of physical therapy scienceMusculoskeletal spine, human movement analysis, and care for older people were the most common research topics at the 2015 World Confederation for Physical Therapy congress. Primary health care and technology were the least represented. This maps the field's focus but provides no data on patient outcomes.
• PTOther2016Effect of short-term fatigue, induced by high-intensity exercise, on the profile of the ground reaction force during single-leg anterior drop-jumps.Journal of physical therapy scienceFatigue from hard cycling shortened the time to peak landing force in male athletes. Peak force and loading rate changes were not significant. This is a landing pattern linked to fatigue, not evidence of injury prevention.
• PTRCT2016Effects of modified Pilates on variability of inter-joint coordination during walking in the elderly.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 20 older adults, 8 weeks of modified Pilates plus regular treatment increased hip-knee coordination variability compared with regular treatment alone. Knee-ankle variability and single-joint variability did not change.