Effect of painful Ledderhose disease on dynamic plantar foot pressure distribution during walking: a case-control study

Comparison of cognitive functional therapy and neurofeedback training on kinetic gait in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: a randomised controlled trial

PURPOSE OF THE ARTICLE

Walking disorders are a significant issue for patients with low back pain. The aim of clinical trials is to compare the effects of cognitive functional therapy (CFT) and neurofeedback training (NFBT) on gait kinetics in chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sixty females with chronic non-specific low back pain were recruitment for clinical trials. They were randomly divided into experimental and one control groups (Each group 20 patients). The experimental group received the relevant interventions for eight weeks. The primary outcome was pain, kinesiophobia and disability. The secondary outcome was vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) parameters. Two-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA statistical method was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Within-group comparisons showed that neurofeedback training and cognitive functional therapy groups experienced significant improvement in pain intensity, disability and kinesiophobia after eight-week (p < 0.05). However, the cognitive functional therapy group improved the vertical ground reaction force parameters better than the neurofeedback training group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

cognitive functional therapy intervention had a greater effect on the vertical ground reaction force parameters. The reason for the greater effect of cognitive functional therapy intervention on vertical ground reaction force parameters can be partially explained due to the multimodal therapy used through cognitive exercises and motor control.

The influence of pain exacerbation on rear foot eversion and plantar pressure symmetry in women with patellofemoral pain: a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND

The patellofemoral joint (PFJ) stress as a primary mechanical stimulus in the patellofemoral pain (PFP) etiology is affected by plantar pressure symmetry. This study evaluated how pain exacerbation affects rear foot eversion and plantar pressure distribution symmetry.

METHOD

Sixty women with PFP participated in this study. Pain intensity, rear foot eversion, and plantar pressure were evaluated in the two conditions with and without pain exacerbation during double-leg squats. The MANOVA test was used to compare pain intensity, rear foot eversion, and plantar pressure symmetry between the two conditions. The Pearson correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between the pain intensity with the rear foot eversion and the plantar pressure symmetry.

RESULTS

The comparison between the two conditions showed a significant difference in pain intensity (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.623), rear foot eversion (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.485), plantar pressure distribution symmetry of the right-left foot (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.438), forefoot and rear-foot of the right foot (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.607), and forefoot and rear-foot of the left foot (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.548). An excellent correlation was observed between the pain intensity with rear foot eversion (P < 0.001, r = 0.835) and plantar pressure distribution symmetry of the right-left foot (P < 0.001, r = 0.812), forefoot and rear-foot of the right foot (P < 0.001, r = 0.834), and forefoot and rear-foot of the left foot (P < 0.001, r = 0.811).

CONCLUSIONS

After the pain exacerbation, the rear foot eversion was greater, and plantar pressure asymmetrical was observed, which can help in the development of PFP severity.

The effect of cognitive functional therapy on the plantar pressure distribution symmetry in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Cognitive functional therapy (CFT) on plantar pressure distribution symmetry in chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) patients.

METHOD

forty females with NSCLBP (age range 30-50 years) were recruited for clinical trials. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups (Each group had 20 patients). The patients in the experimental group received CFT for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was psychological variables inclusive of pain, kinesiophobia and disability. The secondary outcome was plantar pressure distribution symmetry which assessment in standing condition. The Covariance statistical method was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The results of covariance analysis for primary outcome showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) with a reduction of 52 % in pain (p = 0.001), 12 % in kinesiophobia (p = 0.001) and 41% in disability (p = 0.001). Also, the results of covariance analysis for secondary outcome showed a significant difference in plantar pressure distribution symmetry of inter-limbs foot (p = 0.007), forward and backward in the right foot (p = 0.002) and forward and backward in the left foot (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

CFT reduces of pain, kinesiophobia and disability. In addition significant difference in the plantar pressure distribution symmetry was observed, which it is argued the plantar pressure asymmetric can be influenced by psychological factors.

Flexible Iron-On Sensor Embedded in Smart Sock for Gait Event Detection

Portable and wearable electronics for biomechanical data collection have become a growing part of everyday life. As smart technology improves and integrates into our lives, some devices remain ineffective, expensive, or difficult to access. We propose a washable iron-on textile pressure sensor for biometric data acquisition. Biometric data, such as human gait, are a powerful tool for the monitoring and diagnosis of ambulance and physical activity. To demonstrate this, our washable iron-on device is embedded into a sock and compared to gold standard force plate data. Biomechanical testing showed that our embedded sensor displayed a high aptitude for gait event detection, successfully identifying over 96% of heel strike and toe-off gait events. Our device demonstrates excellent attributes for further investigations into low-cost, washable, and highly versatile iron-on textiles for specialized biometric analysis.