This blog is a request of my Aunt who asked if I could post anything relating to obesity and extra wear and tear on the the joints (aka osteoarthritis). It’s considered common knowledge in medicine that obesity increases the risk for arthritis, and I hear my physical therapy patients frequently say that their knees or … Read more
The role of muscles in joint degeneration and osteoarthritis. J Biomech. 2007;40 Suppl 1:S54-63. Epub 2007 Apr 16. Herzog W1, Longino D. AbstractThe purpose of this work was to establish a controlled and reversible muscle weakness model for studying the effects of weakness on joint degeneration leading to osteoarthritis (OA). The knee extensor muscles of … Read more
Central sensitization: implications for the diagnosis and treatment of pain. Pain. 2011 Mar;152(3 Suppl):S2-15. Woolf CJ. [FREE FULL TEXT] AbstractNociceptor inputs can trigger a prolonged but reversible increase in the excitability and synaptic efficacy of neurons in central nociceptive pathways, the phenomenon of central sensitization. Central sensitization manifests as pain hypersensitivity, particularly dynamic tactile allodynia, secondary … Read more
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation and volitional exercise for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis: a multiple-patient case report. Physical Therapy. 2007 Aug;87(8):1064-77. Piva SR1, Goodnite EA, Azuma K, Woollard JD, Goodpaster BH, Wasko MC, Fitzgerald GK. AbstractBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Muscle atrophy is common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a viable treatment for … Read more
The effect of insufficient quadriceps strength on gait after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2002 Jan;17(1):56-63. Lewek M1, Rudolph K, Axe M, Snyder-Mackler L. From the study: BACKGROUND:Individuals following anterior cruciate ligament rupture often demonstrate reduced knee angles and moments during the early stance phase of gait. Alterations in gait can neither … Read more
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) reduces structural and functional losses of quadriceps muscle and improves health status in patients with knee osteoarthritis. J Orthop Res. 2013 Apr;31(4):511-6. From the study: “OA patients presented smaller vastus lateralis thickness (11.9 mm) and fascicle length (20.5%) than healthy subjects (14.1 mm; 24.5%), and also had a 23% smaller knee … Read more