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Questions: Is loss of proprioception or loss of motor control related to functional ankle instability? Are proprioception and motor control related? Is there any difference in proprioception or motor control between ankles with different severity of functional ankle instability? Design: Cross-sectional, observational study. Participants: Twenty people aged between 18 and 40 years with functional ankle instability associated with a history of ankle sprain more than one month prior. Twenty age-matched controls with no functional ankle instability or history of ankle sprain. Outcome measures: Functional ankle instability was classified using the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool, proprioception at the ankle was measured as movement detection at three velocities, and motor control was measured using the Landing Test and the Hopping Test. Results: There was little if any relation between proprioception (r = 0.14 to 0.03, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.25) or motor control (r = 0.08 to 0.07, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.20) and functional ankle instability. There was also little if any relation between proprioception and motor control except for a low correlation between movement detection at 0.1 deg/s and the Landing Test (r = 0.35, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.58). Furthermore, there was no difference between the ankles with or without functional ankle instability in proprioception or motor control. Conclusion: By greater than one month after ankle sprain, loss of proprioception does not make a major contribution to functional ankle instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine whether gluteal taping on the affected side improved hip extension during stance phase of walking for persons following stroke. Fifteen subjects who had suffered a stroke months to years previously resulting in mild to moderate gait impairments participated in the study. Their gait was measured under control, sham, and gluteal taping conditions, in random order. For each condition, subjects walked at a self-selected and a fast speed. Hip angle relative to that obtained during quiet standing, step length, stride length and walking velocity were measured. Hip extension increased significantly with gluteal taping (p < 0.05) for both walking speeds at late stance phase of walk compared to sham taping and control. The mean absolute difference between gluteal and control conditions for self-selected velocity was 14.2 degrees (95% CI 8.6 to 19.8) whereas the difference between sham and control conditions was 2.0 degrees (95% CI -2.0 to 6.0). Also, for both speeds, step length on the unaffected side increased significantly with gluteal taping compared with either the control or placebo conditions. The absolute difference between gluteal taping and control conditions at self-selected velocity was 3.3 cm (95% CI 2.2 to 4.3) and between sham and control conditions was 0.6 cm (95% CI -0.8 to 1.9). Affected step length and walking velocity, however, remained unchanged. Lastly, there was no significant difference between the control and sham taping condition for any of the measured variables. Gluteal taping may be a useful adjunct to current rehabilitation gait training strategies.

We report a study in which we examined the gait modulations performed by a group of healthy adults, naïve to the purpose of the study, while walking across a curb under natural environmental conditions out of doors. Data were collected for step time and step length using a videocamera and a 20m walkway. Location of foot position was achieved using a novel method to account for parallax and out of plane motion. The results obtained indicated that during both curb ascent and descent, subjects were able to predict accurately the need to make an adjustment to step length in order to avoid placing the foot in a potentially hazardous position on or near the curb. These step adjustments involved both lengthening and shortening the step as well as keeping it unchanged. In any case, the selection of strategy was not apparently influenced by the walking speed but was a function of the predicted foot position with respect to the curb. Also, the time at which the step adjustment was made appeared independent of the time to contact with the curb. These results suggest that, under natural circumstances, accurate planning for obstacle negotiation is made some distance before the obstacle.

This article reports an investigation into the influences of gender, speed of motion and chronological age on the active movements of the lumbar spine. Data were collected from 100 able-bodied volunteers using an automated motion analysis system. Subjects performed movements at two self-selected speeds. Consistent patterns of motion coupling during the actions were detected and no significant gender-specific differences were observed. With advancing age, significant reductions in the ranges of forward and side flexion, but not axial rotation, were found. Age-related differences in the patterns of coupling between movements were also determined. The results of this study will provide therapists with data upon which to base judgments regarding movement restriction, particularly in older clients., (Copyright © 1995 Australian Physiotherapy Association. Published by . All rights reserved.)

A study is reported in which 20 healthy subjects performed a non weight-bearing aided gait with elbow crutches. The crutches were adjusted to a conventional height and also to heights 2cm and 4cm above and below this setting. Temporospatial and kinetic data were acquired and the results indicated that no significant differences were demonstrated for most parameters across the various height settings. Only at the setting 4cm above conventional was there a significant increase in the abduction moment at the shoulder joint. The conclusion of the study was that height adjustment of elbow crutches with this gait was not a critical issue except at a height 4cm above the conventional setting, and that the subjective impression of the user regarding comfort was a good indicator of correctness of fit., (Copyright © 1992 Australian Physiotherapy Association. Published by . All rights reserved.)