BACKGROUND Severe lower extremity trauma as a devastating combat related injury is on the rise and this presents reconstructive surgeons with significant challenges to reach optimal cosmetic and functional outcomes. This study assessed early reconstructions of complex lower extremity battlefield soft tissue wounds. METHODS  This was a prospective case series study of battled field injur...

During human movement, the leg can be represented as a mechanical spring, with its stiffness potentially contributing to sports performance and injury prevention. Although many individuals perform athletic activities with joint stabilizers, little is known about the effects of prophylactic lower extremity braces on leg stiffness. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ankl...

BACKGROUND The relative importance and association of factors contributing to physical frailty in elderly persons are unclear. METHODS Physical measures of upper and lower extremity strength, range of motion, balance, coordination, sensation, and gait were evaluated in relation to scores obtained on a 36-point physical performance test (PPT) in 107 elderly subjects. RESULTS Scores on the PP...

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of 3 training protocols (plyometric [PLYO], agility [AG], or repeated shuttle sprints [RS]) on physical performance in the same population of young soccer players. Forty-two youth-level male players (13.6±0.3-years; 1.65±0.07 m; 54.1±6.5 kg; body fat: 12.8±2.6%) participated in a short-term (6-week) randomized parallel fully controlled tra...

BACKGROUND Lower extremity physical performance measured at one point in time is a powerful predictor of future disability. Whether information on previous lower extremity performance adds independent information to disability prediction compared to a single measure alone is unknown. METHODS Data are from community-dwelling men and women aged greater than or equal to 65 years enrolled in the ...

Learning Objectives: After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Understand the indications for the use of free-tissue transfer in lower extremity reconstruction. 2. Understand modalities to enhance the healing and care of soft tissue and bone before free-tissue transfer. 3. Understand the lower extremity reconstructive ladder and the place of free-tissue transfer on the ...

Ballistic performances are determined by both the maximal lower limb power output (Pmax ) and their individual force-velocity (F-v) mechanical profile, especially the F-v imbalance (FVimb ): difference between the athlete's actual and optimal profile. An optimized training should aim to increase Pmax and/or reduce FVimb . The aim of this study was to test whether an individualized training prog...

This paper deals with the design and the development of an equipment, called DDI, as acronym for Disease Detector, developed for the quantitative analysis of neuromotor diseases. It measures the reaction of a person evaluating in the motion of one finger of the hand the time response, the velocity of phalanxes, the force exerted from the finger against a button. The condition of motion are ball...