Meniscal, Plica, Patellar, and Patellofemoral Injuries of the Knee

Effects of a rebound shoe to reduce impact forces in jump-landing tasks

OBJECTIVES

Impact forces are risk factors for injuries during jump-landing tasks. Rebound shoes could reduce impact forces and show potential applications in training and rehabilitation programs. Here, we determine the capacity of a rebound shoe in attenuating impact forces during different motor tasks involving foot landing.

DESIGN

Crossover laboratory research design.

SETTINGS

Women not trained for jump-landing tasks performed different exercises while the vertical ground reaction force impact peak, time to peak, and asymmetries were determined. They were wearing a commercial rebound shoe and a control running shoe. Paired t-tests were used to compare the shoes and asymmetries.

PARTICIPANTS

Fifteen physically active women (average age of 23 years old, height of 1.64 m, and body mass of 63 kg).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Ground reaction forces.

RESULTS

The rebound shoe reduced the impact peak force and elicited slight asymmetries between the legs. The rebound shoe also showed a longer time to peak.

CONCLUSIONS

The rebound shoe tested reduced impact forces during jump-landing tasks, which is a potential application in training sessions and rehabilitation programs, requiring lower impact forces to the lower extremity. The effects of long-term use of these shoes still need to be investigated.

Functional effects of kinesiology taping for medial plica syndrome: a prospective randomized controlled trial

Background: Medial plica syndrome (MPS) is a common yet overlooked cause of anterior knee pain. The treatment options for MPS include a variety of conservative approaches, however, the effect of kinesiology taping (KT), which is a feasible and effective treatment choice for musculoskeletal pathologies, has not been studied.Objectives: We investigated the efficacy of KT in addition to exercise in terms of pain severity, pain threshold, functional muscle strength of lower extremity, dynamic balance, functional status, and quality of life in patients with MPS.Methods: Eighty participants with MPS were randomly and equally divided into two groups: 1) the KT group, which received KT in addition to a 6-week exercise program; and 2) the control group, which received the 6-week exercise program alone. The following evaluations were conducted before and after the treatment; pain threshold, pain severity, disability level, functional strength and dynamic balance of the lower extremity, and quality of life.Results: Pain intensity decreased during activity, at rest, and night (KT group p < .001; control group p ≤ 0.013), and pain thresholds increased (KT group p < .001; control group p = .008) in both groups, however, the after treatment measures were better in the KT group (p ≤ 0.012). The time taken to complete the stairs up and down test decreased in both groups (KT group p < .001, control group p = .007) with a better outcome in the KT group (p = .024). Disability scores improved significantly in the KT only (p < .001). The quality of life improved in both groups (KT group p < .001; control group p = .005).Conclusions: While exercise therapy is beneficial in MPS treatment for functionality and pain relief; KT, in addition to exercise, improved symptoms and decreased impairment more efficiently than exercise alone in patients with MPS in our study, and it is thus a favorable treatment option for MPS.

Efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for knee tendinopathies and other soft tissue disorders: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background

Extracorporeal shock-wave therapy (ESWT), which can be divided into radial shock-wave therapy (RaSWT) and focused shock-wave therapy (FoSWT), has been widely used in clinical practice for managing orthopedic conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical efficacy of ESWT for knee soft tissue disorders (KSTDs) and compare the efficacy of different shock-wave types, energy levels, and intervention durations.

Methods

We performed a comprehensive search of online databases and search engines without restrictions on the publication year or language. We selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the efficacy of ESWT for KSTDs and included them in a meta-analysis and risk of bias assessment. The pooled effect sizes of ESWT were estimated by computing odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the treatment success rate (TSR) and standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% CIs for pain reduction (i.e., the difference in pain relief, which was the change in pain from baseline to the end of RCTs between treatment and control groups) and for restoration of knee range of motion (ROM).

Results

We included 19 RCTs, all of which were of high or medium methodological quality and had a Physiotherapy Evidence Database score of ≥5/10. In general, ESWT had overall significant effects on the TSR (OR: 3.36, 95% CI: 1.84–6.12, P < 0.0001), pain reduction (SMD: − 1.49, 95% CI: − 2.11 to − 0.87, P < 0.00001), and ROM restoration (SMD: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.43–2.09, P < 0.00001). Subgroup analyses revealed that FoSWT and RaSWT applied for a long period (≥1 month) had significant effects on pain reduction, with the corresponding SMDs being − 3.13 (95% CI: − 5.70 to − 0.56; P = 0.02) and − 1.80 (95% CI: − 2.52 to − 1.08; P < 0.00001), respectively. Low-energy FoSWT may have greater efficacy for the TSR than high-energy FoSWT, whereas the inverse result was observed for RaSWT.

Conclusions

The ESWT exerts an overall effect on the TSR, pain reduction, and ROM restoration in patients with KSTDs. Shock-wave types and application levels have different contributions to treatment efficacy for KSTDs, which must be investigated further for optimizing these treatments in clinical practice.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12891-018-2204-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.