Prevalence of impaired foot function in baseball players with and without disabled throwing shoulder/elbow: a case-control study.

Prevalence of impaired foot function among baseball players with and without a disabled throwing shoulder/elbow was investigated. The study included 138 male players. Players who had previously complained of shoulder/elbow pain during throwing motion were defined as the players with a history, and those who experienced shoulder/elbow pain during the examination were defined as having the injury. Foot function was evaluated by foot "rock paper scissors" movements and floating toes. Their prevalence was assessed and the relationships between players with and without the injuries were statistically analyzed. The prevalence of players with a history and injury was 27% and 7%, respectively. The prevalence of impaired foot function on the non-throwing side among players with injury was significantly higher than those without (60% vs. 28%, P < 0.001) and higher tendency on the throwing side than those without (60% vs. 32%). Regarding floating toes, players with a relevant history showed a significantly higher prevalence on the throwing side than those without (49% vs 28%, P < 0.001) and higher tendency on the non-throwing side than those without (49% vs 32%). Players with disabled throwing shoulder/elbow have a significantly higher prevalence of impaired foot function and floating toes than players without it.

Are floating toes associated with lifestyle in children? A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Floating toes are a condition and deformity in which some of the toes are afloat. Many functional impairments in floating toes have been previously studied lately and several factors related to floating toes have also been reported. However, no reports have considered the relationship between lifestyle and floating toes among children. The purpose of this study was to reveal the prevalence of floating toes among school children and reveal its relationship with lifestyle. METHODS: In total, 138 young male baseball players were recruited. Lifestyle was evaluated by using a questionnaire and chosen whether the main lifestyle was Japanese or Western, if the bedding was futons or beds, and if the toilet was Japanese style (a squat toilet) or Western style. Floating toes were defined as toes that were not in contact with the mat. Ankle dorsiflexion in the knee-flexed and knee-extended positions was measured in a weight-bearing position. The relationship between the floating toes and lifestyles, and the comparison of ankle dorsiflexion range of motion between the lifestyles were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Players living in a Western style showed a significantly higher prevalence of floating toes on both feet compared with the players living in a Japanese style (throwing side; 39% vs. 19%, p = 0.04, and non-throwing side; 43% vs. 19%, p = 0.01). Players living in a Western style with beds showed a significantly smaller range of motion on both sides of ankle dorsiflexion in the knee-flexed position compared with those who were not (throwing side; 37.2 ± 5.7° vs. 39.0 ± 6.6°, p = 0.04, and non-throwing side; 36.8 ± 5.8° vs. 38.6 ± 6.1°, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Children mainly living in a Western lifestyle showed a significantly higher prevalence of floating toes on both feet compared to those mainly living in a Japanese lifestyle. The prevalence of floating toes may be related to lifestyles among children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was approved by the institutional review board of the Waseda University Graduate School of Sport Sciences (IRB number 2021-185).

Effect of sleep report feedback using information and communication technology combined with health guidance on improving sleep indicators in community-dwelling older people: a pilot trial.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the preliminary effect of an integrated novel intervention comprising visualised sleep report feedback using information and communication technology and periodic health guidance on improving sleep indicators among community-dwelling older people. METHODS: The intervention was implemented among 29 older people in Sakai City, Japan, in a 3 months pilot trial. Non-worn actigraph devices were placed under participants' bedding to continuously measure their sleep state, and they received monthly sleep reports in writing. Sleep efficiency, total sleep time, sleep latency, and the number of times away from bed were recorded. A trained nurse expertly interpreted participants' sleep data and provided telephone health guidance. The first month's data were used as the baseline (T1), the second month provided data for the first intervention (T2), and the third month provided data for the second intervention (T3). Friedman tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to examine differences in sleep outcomes between different time points. RESULTS: Participants' mean age was 78.97 ± 5.15 years, and 51.72% (15/29) were female. Comparison of T2 and T1 showed the intervention decreased participants' sleep latency at T2 (P = 0.038). Compared with T1, the intervention significantly decreased sleep latency (P = 0.004), increased total sleep time (P < 0.001), and improved sleep efficiency (P < 0.001) at T3. When T3 was compared with T2, only total sleep time was significantly increased (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the number of times away from bed across the three time points (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This visualised sleep report feedback and periodic health guidance intervention for community-dwelling older people showed promising, albeit small preliminary effects on sleep. A fully powered randomised controlled trial is required to verify the significance of this effect.

Femoral Valgus Correction Angle for the Intramedullary Alignment Rod Is Strongly Associated with Femoral Lateral Bowing in Japanese Patients with Varus Knee Osteoarthritis Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: This study aimed to investigate factors, such as differences in femoral shape, that could affect the femoral valgus correction angle (VCA) for the intramedullary alignment rod (IM rod) by using a three-dimensional (3D) measurement system in patients with varus knee osteoarthritis undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: A total of 305 knees in 233 Japanese patients with varus knee osteoarthritis who underwent primary TKA by using Jig Engaged 3D Pre-Operative Planning Software for the TKA operation support system was examined. We retrospectively analysed factors, such as the shape of the proximal, middle, and distal femur in the coronal plane, all of which could affect the VCA for the IM rod, by multiple linear regression analyses. Results: The VCA for the IM rod was 5.9° ± 1.6° (range: 1.7° to 10.7°), and the femoral lateral bowing angle (FBA) was 3.5° ± 3.2°. Major factors independently associated with the VCA for the IM rod were the FBA (ß: 0.75), femoral offset (ß: 0.38), and the medial angle between the mechanical femoral axis and the line that connects the distal margins of the medial and lateral femoral condyles (ß: -0.16). The model was created by stepwise multiple linear regression (F = 266.6, p < 0.001, and estimated effect size = 4.4) explained 85% of the variance in the VCA for the IM rod (R 2 = 0.85). Conclusions: The VCA for the IM rod was most strongly associated with femoral lateral bowing in patients with varus knee osteoarthritis undergoing TKA. Our findings suggest that preoperatively measuring the VCA for the IM rod in patients with femoral lateral bowing by using a 3D measurement system could be useful for accurate coronal alignment of the femoral component in TKA.