Category Archives: February

Pitchers don’t get enough time for lower extremity strength recovery: Single-sport players need more rest days    

Current Little League pitching guidelines provide insufficient lower extremity strength recovery time in youth pitchers, even when they are pitching at submaximal pitch counts, according to research from California published in January.

By Katie Bell

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Posted in February, Pediatric Clinical News, 2018 | Leave a comment

Autism linked to between-limb asymmetries across the gait cycle: Gait pattern ID could help target therapy    

Recent findings from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), add to a growing body of evidence that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with significant gait asymmetry, suggesting movement quality should be part of the diagnostic and treatment processes for ASD.

By Keith Loria

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Posted in February, Pediatric Clinical News, 2018 | Leave a comment

Measures of ankle weakness reveal varied CMT gait patterns: Gait profile should guide orthotic design

Gait-pattern classification derived from functional measures of ankle weakness can be used to assess progression of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease and to guide clinical decision-making about treatment strategies, such as orthotic design and…

By Keith Loria

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Posted in Pediatric Clinical News, 2018, February | Leave a comment

Update: Orthotic care and physical therapy for DMD

Lower extremity interventions can help boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) stay ambulatory for years—and improve outcomes in the condition’s nonambulatory phase.  Devices can address con­tractures and other issues, while stretching programs are key to maintaining flexibility.

By Hank Black

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Posted in Pediatric Feature, February, 2018 | Leave a comment

Media, toys, and games for kids with disabilities

Children use toys and media characters to spark their imaginations and cast themselves as the star of their own stories. Through play, they connect with other kids and dream about their future. Options are few, however, for kids who wear a device or otherwise look “different” to see themselves reflected during play.

By Jill R. Dorson

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Posted in Pediatric Feature, February, 2018 | Leave a comment

Flatfoot questions: Risk factors and assessment

The proposed association between obesity and pediatric flexible flatfoot (PFF) may depend more on the reliance on subjective, 2D footprint-based assessments than true correlation. And recent research has identified another potential risk factor, whole body and joint hypermobility.

By Hank Black

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Posted in Pediatric Feature, February, 2017 | Leave a comment

Early athletic specialization: Misconceptions and hazards

Most elite athletes didn’t concentrate on one sport as adolescents, and there’s a strong link between early sport specialization and physical injury and emotional burnout. Yet, many parents think this risky path is the only route to high achievement and college scholarships.

By P.K. Daniel

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Posted in 2017, Pediatric Feature, February | Leave a comment

Shoes add to energy cost of gait compared with barefoot walking

Footwear should allow dynamic activity – A recent study of the metabolic costs of barefoot versus shod walking found walking in shoes required a higher energy expenditure and had a poorer economy than barefoot walking. These outcomes suggest going barefoot may be preferable for children whenever it is deemed…

By Greg Gargiulo

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Posted in Pediatric Clinical News, 2017, February | Leave a comment

Sensor data quantify clubfoot patients’ reported, real brace use     

Parents overestimate wear times – Researchers who used temperature-sensitive devices to measure brace-use adherence in children with clubfoot found parents overestimate brace wear time when reporting to clinicians and that children are not in their braces as long as their doctors recommend.

By Peaches Yeilding

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Martial arts students at risk for lower extremity injury, sequelae     

Traumas increase with age, skill level – Martial arts participation has numerous benefits for children and adolescents, but it also has its risks—including lower extremity injury, according to a recent clinical report and literature review published by…

By Chris Klingenberg

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Posted in February, Pediatric Clinical News, 2017 | Leave a comment