20 Oct Clubfoot: Nemours Study Evaluates 10-year Follow up of Conservative Treatment
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Chris Church[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Chris Church MPT
Director, Gait & Motion Analysis Laboratory
Nemours duPont Hospital for Children
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Would you briefly describe the condition of clubfoot and arthrogryposis?
Response: Clubfoot is a congenital foot deformity in which the child is born with their foot (or feet) are stiff and in position with the foot pointing down (equinus) and in (inverted). Idiopathic clubfoot is a condition in which these children only have issues with their feet. Arthrogryposis is a condition in which children have contractures in multiple parts of their body. Children with Arthrogryposis often have clubfeet that are tighter and more difficult to treat than the more common idiopathic type.
Idiopathic clubfoot is effectively corrected with a conservative treatment known as the Ponseti method. Recent studies have shown successful short-term correction using Ponseti treatment in the stiffer clubfoot associated with arthrogryposis, but there are few studies analyzing long-term results. This study compares outcomes of the Ponseti method in 10-year-old children with idiopathic clubfoot and clubfoot associated with arthrogryposis.
MedicalResearch.com: Would you describe the Ponseti method? Does it require specialized or complicated training to implement treatment?
Response: Clubfoot was treated with surgery in the past. Now we use a more conservative treatment that is provided by pediatric orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists. The Ponseti method involved serial casting in infancy, Achillies tenotomies, and prolonged use of bracing during sleep until age 5 years.
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ClubfootNemours Image[/caption] [caption id="attachment_71051" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Nemours Image[/caption]
The knees are equally essential for us all — athlete or not. It’s the single most important joint for basic mobility. But, for MMA practitioners, it means much more than that. Due to the dynamic nature of the sport, the knees go through immense strain during training and fights. From kicking, takedowns, and submission defense, the knees do the heavy lifting for it all. To make matters worse, a “leg kick” to the knee can sometimes be enough to cause a fracture then and there.
With all that in mind, it makes sense that ligament tears, strains, and knee sprains aren’t uncommon in this sport. Problems usually stem from insufficient rest or overuse, conditioning, poor technique, or just bad luck (for example if you’re fighting Justin Gaethje, the meanest leg-kicker).
Your best bet against these risk factors is to build and maintain optimal knee health all year round. Have a proactive approach by incorporating knee rehab and strengthening exercises. Even if your knees aren’t injured, they can still be inflamed or overworked, so some rehabilitation movements could go a long way.
Dr. Magruder[/caption]
Matthew Magruder, MD PGY3
Orthopaedic Residency Program
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
Maimonides Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The prevalence of obesity and diabetes mellitus has reached epidemic proportions. Approximately 37.3 million people in the United States, accounting for 11.3% of the total population, have diabetes, and 100.1 million, or 41.9%, of all US citizens are obese. Furthermore, these numbers are only projected to increase in the coming decades. This is an issue for orthopaedic surgeons because diabetes and obesity have consistently been demonstrated to be risk factors for complications following total joint replacements, especially total hip replacements. Therefore, we are in desperate need of new and more effective tools in mitigating the risk of poor outcomes in our joint replacement patients.
Semaglutide, and other GLP-1 agonists, are potentially a new tool that can be used to help decrease the risks following joint replacement surgery. Initially a medication to treat diabetes, semaglutide has recently been approved by the FDA to treat obesity as well, as randomized controlled trials have consistently demonstrated significant weight loss with minimal side effects. The purpose of our study was to see what effect the use of semaglutide had on total hip arthroplasty patient outcomes.
Ridge Maxson[/caption]
Ridge Maxson
M.D. Candidate, Class of 2024
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Dog walking is an increasingly popular mode of physical activity for adults in the US, but its injury burden and associated risk factors are not fully understood. This study found that the 3 most common injuries sustained by adult dog walkers in the US were finger fracture, TBI, and shoulder sprain or strain. Dog walking-related injuries sent approximately 423,000 adults to US EDs between 2001 and 2020, with an annual average of more than 21,000 visits. During that 20-year period, the estimated annual injury incidence increased by more than 4-fold. Among injured dog walkers, older adults and women were particularly vulnerable to serious injury, such as fracture and TBI.
Dr. Hussain[/caption]
Dr Monira Hussain