BACKGROUND As life expectancy increases after stroke, skeletal consequences become increasingly important, and patients at risk of fracture require identification. We have investigated peripheral bone mineral density (BMD) measurement at the heel as a possible surrogate for hip dual energy X-ray absorptiometry measurement and we have related bone loss over 52 weeks to balance and mobility. ME...

The purpose of this research was to determine whether a decreased hamstring activation rate among the elderly is responsible for a higher horizontal heel contact velocity and increased likelihood of slip-induced falls compared to their younger counterparts. Twenty-eight subjects from two age groups (14 young and 14 old) walked across a linear walking track with embedded force platforms while we...

In Greek mythology, the river Styx is a river that formed the boundary between earth and the underworld or Hades, the abode of the dead. The ferryman of the river Styx was called Charon, a personification of the decision-making process between life and death. According to some versions of the myth, the river Styx had miraculous powers and could make someone immortal. Achilles was said to have b...

BACKGROUND Plantar heel pain (plantar fasciitis) is a common and disabling condition, which has a detrimental impact on health-related quality of life. Despite the high prevalence of plantar heel pain, the optimal treatment for this disorder remains unclear. Consequently, an alternative therapy such as dry needling is increasingly being used as an adjunctive treatment by health practitioners. O...

OBJECTIVES To determine whether skin-to-skin contact between mothers and their newborns will reduce the pain experienced by the infant during heel lance. DESIGN A prospective, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts. PARTICIPANTS A total of 30 newborn infants were studied. INTERVENTIONS Infants were assigned randomly to either being held by the...

UNLABELLED We undertook a retrospective analysis of 75 consecutive patients with recalcitrant plantar heel pain caused by calcaneal neuritis, all who were treated with radiofrequency thermal lesioning (RTL). The median age of the cohort was 55 (range 24 to 83) years, 25 (33.3%) of the patients were male, 50 (66.7%) of the patients were female, and 15 (20%) of the patients were treated for bilat...

A method for retrospective correction of intensity inhomogeneities induced by the heel effect in digital radiographs is presented. The method is based on a theoretical model for the heel effect which is derived from the acquisition geometry. Because the heel effect is directly measurable in the direct exposure area only, the image is partitioned first to exclude collimation and diagnostic areas...