Stroke walking and balance characteristics via principal component analysis.

Balance impairment is associated gait dysfunction with several quantitative spatiotemporal gait parameters in patients with stroke. However, the link between balance impairments and joint kinematics during walking remains unclear. Clinical assessments and gait measurements using motion analysis system was conducted in 44 stroke patients. This study utilised principal component analysis to identify key joint kinematics characteristics of patients with stroke during walking using average joint angles of pelvis and bilateral lower limbs in every gait-cycle percentile related to balance impairments. Reconstructed kinematics showed the differences in joint kinematics in both paretic and nonparetic lower limbs that can be distinguished by balance impairment, particularly in the sagittal planes during swing phase. The impaired balance group exhibited greater joint variability in both the paretic and nonparetic limbs in the sagittal plane during entire gait phase and during terminal swing phase respectively compared with those with high balance scores. This study provides a more comprehensive understanding of stroke hemiparesis gait patterns and suggests considering both nonparetic and paretic limb function, as well as bilateral coordination in clinical practice. Principal component analysis can be a useful assessment tool to distinguish differences in balance impairment and dynamic symmetry during gait in patients with stroke.

Effects of community ambulation training with 3D-printed ankle-foot orthosis on gait and functional improvements: a case series of three stroke survivors.

Introduction: Many of the patients using ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) experience poor fit, pain, discomfort, dislike of the aesthetics of the device, and excessive range of motion restrictions, which diminish the use of AFOs. Although 3D-printed ankle-foot orthoses (3D-AFOs) affect patient satisfaction and overall gait functions such as ankle moment, joint range of motion (ROM), and temporal-spatial parameters, the material properties and manufacturing process of 3D-AFOs are still diverse; the clinical effects of community ambulation using 3D-AFOs and satisfaction in patients with stroke are poorly understood. Case description: Case 1: A 30-year-old man, with a history of right basal ganglia hemorrhage, presented with marked foot drop and genu recurvatum. Case 2: A 58-year-old man, with a history of multifocal scattered infarction, presented with an asymmetrical gait pattern due to abnormal pelvic movement. Case 3: A 47-year-old man, with a history of right putamen hemorrhage, presented with recent poor balance and a prominent asymmetrical gait pattern due to increased ankle spasticity and tremor. All patients could walk independently with AFOs. Interventions and outcomes: Gait was assessed under three walking (even, uneven, and stair ascent/descent) and four AFO (no shoes, only shoes, shoes with AFOs, and shoes with 3D-AFOs) conditions. After 4 weeks of community ambulation training with 3D-AFO or AFO, the patients were followed up. Spatiotemporal parameters; joint kinematics; muscle efficiency; clinical evaluations including impairments, limitations, and participation; and patient satisfaction with wearing 3D-AFO were evaluated. Results and conclusion: 3D-AFOs were suitable for community ambulation of patients with chronic stroke and effective on step length, stride width, symmetry, ankle range of motion, and muscle efficiency during even surface walking and stair ascent in patients with chronic stroke. The 4-week community ambulation training with 3D-AFOs did not promote patient participation; however, it increased ankle muscle strength, balance, gait symmetry, and gait endurance and reduced depression among patients with a history of stroke. The participants were satisfied with 3D-AFO's thinness, lightweight, comfortable feeling with wearing shoes, and gait adjustability.

Mechanisms of Sports Concussion in Taekwondo: A Systematic Video Analysis of Seven Cases.

Sports-related traumatic brain injuries are the most common injury in adolescents and young adults due to recurrent concussion experiences and head shock. Therefore, this study was designed to describe player characteristics and situational factors associated with concussions in the World Taekwondo Championships using systematic video analysis. Athlete injury data were collected using a web-based injury surveillance system at the World Taekwondo Championships organized by World Taekwondo from 2017 to 2019. Seven video footage were independently analyzed by four analysts using a modified Heads-Up Checklist. Descriptive statistical analysis was used. The incidence of concussion was 3.21 per 1000 games. Most players with concussions were shorter than their opponents, and most concussions were caused by a roundhouse kick on the front of the face. Regarding the acceleration direction of the head after the impact, transverse and multiplane directions were the most common. Most players with a concussion have used a closed stance and did not use blocking techniques during the defense. The rate of concussions caused by penalties was 42.9%. Based on our findings, no other injury mechanisms, except for direct blows to the head, were observed. Therefore, education on the risk and symptoms of concussion, the appropriate management and blocking techniques should be emphasized in TKD-S to reduce incidence of concussion.

Altered Biomechanics in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability Compared With Copers and Controls During Gait.

CONTEXT: Given that motions of 1 segment affect those of an adjacent segment, the authors of biomechanical studies must thoroughly investigate the kinematics and kinetics of the proximal joints (hip and knee) as well as the ankle joints in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). However, few researchers have investigated the altered movement strategies of the lower extremities of patients with CAI compared with lateral ankle-sprain (LAS) copers and control participants throughout the full gait cycle of walking and jogging. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate lower extremity biomechanical differences in patients with CAI, LAS copers, and control individuals during gait. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Controlled laboratory setting. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: A total of 54 participants, consisting of 18 patients with CAI (age = 24.6 ± 2.8 years, height = 173.0 ± 8.0 cm, mass = 67.8 ± 14.6 kg), 18 LAS copers (age = 26.0 ± 4.6 years, height = 173.4 ± 7.5 cm, mass = 66.9 ± 10.3 kg), and 18 control individuals (age = 26.2 ± 2.3 years, height = 172.2 ± 8.2 cm, mass = 63.3 ± 11.2 kg). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics of the lower extremity during walking and jogging. RESULTS: The CAI group exhibited dorsiflexion deficits and more inverted ankles compared with the LAS coper and control groups during walking and jogging. In addition, the LAS coper group generated greater knee internal-rotation moments than did the CAI group during jogging. The other variables did not differ among groups. CONCLUSIONS: Participants with CAI demonstrated altered biomechanics, which need to be addressed via intervention programs.

Ankle Instability Patients Exhibit Altered Muscle Activation of Lower Extremity and Ground Reaction Force during Landing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This review aimed to investigate characteristics of muscle activation and ground reaction force (GRF) patterns in patients with ankle instability (AI). Relevant studies were sourced from PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science through December 2019 for case-control study in any laboratory setting. Inclusion criteria for study selection were (1) subjects with chronic, functional, or mechanical instability or recurrent ankle sprains; (2) primary outcomes consisted of muscle activation of the lower extremity and GRF during landing; and (3) peer-reviewed articles with full text available, including mean, standard deviation, and sample size, to enable data reanalysis. We evaluated four variables related to landing task: (1) muscle activation of the lower extremity before landing, (2) muscle activation of the lower extremity during landing, (3) magnitude of GRF, and (4) time to peak GRF. The effect size using standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for these variables to make comparisons across studies. Patients with AI had a lower activation of peroneal muscles before landing (SMD = -0.63, p < 0.001, CI = -0.95 to -0.31), greater peak vertical GRF (SMD = 0.21, p = 0.03, CI = 0.01 to 0.40), and shorter time to peak vertical GRF (SMD = -0.51, p < 0.001, CI = -0.72 to -0.29) than those of normal subjects during landing. There was no significant difference in other muscle activation and GRF components between the patients with AI and normal subjects (p > 0.05). Altered muscle activation and GRF before and during landing in AI cases may contribute to both recurrent ankle and ACL injuries and degenerative change of articular.

Alterations of lower extremity function, health-related quality of life, and spatiotemporal gait parameters among individuals with chronic ankle instability.

OBJECTIVE: To identify differences in patient-reported outcome questionnaires and spatiotemporal gait parameters during walking between individuals with and without chronic ankle instability (CAI) and to identify relationships between patient-oriented outcome and spatiotemporal gait parameters. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four individuals with CAI and 24 controls were included in this study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All participants completed the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure including the Activities of Daily Living and Sport Subscales, the Western Ontario and McMasters Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), the Lower Extremity Functional Scale, and the Korean version of the EuroQol 5-Dimension (KEQ-5D). Participants walked in a laboratory setting to collect spatiotemporal gait parameter data. RESULTS: All questionnaire scores from the male CAI group were lower than those from the control group. The female group yielded lower questionnaire scores than the controls, with an exception for KEQ-5D. The differences between the female CAI and female control groups in temporal gait parameters were significant. Correlations were observed between the WOMAC scores of the male participants and spatiotemporal gait parameters. In females, there were correlations between the patient-reported outcomes and spatiotemporal gait parameters. CONCLUSIONS: CAI patients need treatment not only for ankle function but also lower extremity function and gait performance.

Injury and Illness in World Taekwondo Junior Athletes: An Epidemiological Study.

Taekwondo has been reported to be one of the most injurious sports in the summer Olympics, however, there is a dearth of data about injury profiles for junior athletes. Therefore, we aimed to identify the incidence and profiles of the injuries and illnesses that occurred during the 2018 World Taekwondo Junior Championships and recorded using an online system. Among the 889 athletes, 67 injuries and four illnesses were reported, corresponding to an overall clinical incidence of 7.5 injuries (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.7-9.3) and 0.5 illnesses (0.1-0.9) per 100 athletes. The most frequent injuries were lower extremity injuries (n = 33, 3.71% of all athletes), mostly in the foot/toe (n = 11, 1.2% of athletes), followed by head and trunk injuries, mostly in the face (n = 14, 1.6% of athletes), and upper extremity injuries, mostly in the fingers (n = 6, 0.7% of athlete). Contusions (n = 37, 4.2% of athlete) were the most frequent injury type, followed by ligament ruptures/sprains and laceration. The most common injury mechanism was contact during an opponent attack (n = 51, 5.7% of athlete). Three mild concussions none resulted in time loss (none required hospital transfer or had prolonged recovery). The respiratory system was the most affected by illness, with pain and fever as symptoms. Environmental factors were the most common cause of illness. This study shows that 7.5 per 100 athletes (38.5/1000 athlete-exposures and 6.9/1000 min-exposures) had new or recurrent injuries, whereas 0.5 per 100 athletes experienced illness. In conclusion, the data shows male athletes reported more injuries than females and the most common cause of injury was due to contact between athletes. Contusions, ligament rupture/sprains, laceration and fractures to the lower extremities, head, and trunk were the most common injury. Knowing these injury profiles of junior taekwondo athletes can help taekwondo stakeholders, especially medical staff to prepare accordingly to ensure the safety of the athletes.

Can Neurocognitive Function Predict Lower Extremity Injuries in Male Collegiate Athletes?

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate whether neurocognitive evaluation can confirm the association between neurocognitive level and postural control and to analyze the relationship between neurocognitive level and acute musculoskeletal injury in male non-net sports athletes. Seventy-seven male non-net sports athletes participated in this study. The Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC), Landing Error Scoring System (LESS), Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), and Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) were used for testing; we collected data related to injury history for six months after testing. Pearson's correlation analysis, logistic regression, and the independent sample t-test were used for statistical analysis. The correlation between SAC and SEBT results was weak to moderate (p < 0.05). Eleven of the seventy-seven participants experienced acute lower limb injuries. SAC, LESS, BESS, and SEBT results have no effect on the occurrence of acute lower extremity injuries (p > 0.05) and were not statistically different between the injured and non-injured groups (p > 0.05). Therefore, using the SAC score alone to determine the risk factor of lower extremity injuries, except in the use of assessment after a concussion, should be cautioned against.