Toe deformities are highly prevalent in older people with up to 74% of older men and women having some degree of hallux valgus [1]. Despite the well documented hypotheses that atrophied, or weak toe flexor muscles are associated with the formation of toe deformities [2], there has been little evidence to support this theory. Only one study has directly compared the toe flexor strength of indivi...

We evaluated the relationship between altered foot function and knee osteoarthritis through a specific comparison of toe grip strength in older women with and without knee osteoarthritis. Participants were 120 women with knee osteoarthritis (OA group) and 108 healthy community-dwelling women with no history of knee pain and lower limb surgery (control group). The following factors and outcome v...

A simple and rapid automatic method for detection of gait events at the foot could speed up and possibly increase the repeatability of gait analysis and evaluations of treatments for pathological gaits. The aim of this study was to compare and validate a kinematic-based algorithm used in the detection of four gait events, heel contact, heel rise, toe contact and toe off. Force platform data is ...

The diminished knee flexion associated with stiff-knee gait, a movement abnormality commonly observed in persons with cerebral palsy, is thought to be caused by an over-active rectus femoris muscle producing an excessive knee extension moment during the swing phase of gait. As a result, treatment for stiff-knee gait is aimed at altering swing-phase muscle function. Unfortunately, this treatment...

Background Idiopathic toe walking (ITW) can present in children above the age of three, and occurs in the absence of any medically diagnosed conditions. Identification of medical conditions that are associated with toe walking can be complex and a potentially daunting task for those that infrequently assess children. In order to facilitate entry for appropriate toe walking children into an ITW ...

We describe a case of abrupt cardiac arrest in an 80 year old woman. Emergent transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) helped clarify the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, and guide management and ongoing resuscitation. This case highlights the utility of TOE in the peri-arrest setting and in the diagnosis of massive pulmonary embolism. TOE can also be useful in providing prognostic information a...

s S55 Eur J Echocardiography Abstracts Supplement, December 2006 analysed by 2 separate observers. TOE and RT-3DE images were acquired digitally on the Phillips IE33 ultrasound machine and stored for off line analysis. The RT-3DE datasets were analysed with Phillips Qlab software (version 4.0). Leaflet segments and commissures were displayed in short axis en-face and long axis views. Echocardio...

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND Intrinsic foot muscle weakness has been implicated in a range of foot deformities and disorders. However, to establish a relationship between intrinsic muscle weakness and foot pathology, an objective measure of intrinsic muscle strength is needed. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the anatomy and role of intrinsic foot muscles, implications of intrin...

BACKGROUND Turf toe is the general term for a sprain of the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint complex. Previously attributed to shoe design and artificial turf, the incidence of turf toe injury has been thought to decline with the advent of newer turf designs. However, the current incidence and epidemiology remain unknown as the majority of the literature consists of small series and addres...

OBJECTIVE To assess the value of transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) for diagnosing suspected haemodynamically significant pulmonary embolism and signs of right ventricular overload at standard echocardiography. METHODS 113 consecutive patients (58 male; 55 female), mean (SD) age 53.6 (13.3) years, in whom there was clinical suspicion of pulmonary embolism and right ventricular overload o...