ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF BALANCE EXERCISES IN SINGLE-LEG STANCE USING DIFFERENT INSTABILITY MODALITIES OF THE FOREFOOT AND REARFOOT

Purpose of this study was to investigate activity of lower extremity muscles in response to single-leg stance on a training device, destabilizing the forefoot while the rearfoot stands on a fixed plate and vice versa compared with a balance pad and the floor. Twenty-seven participants performed three single-leg quiet stance trials under one stable (floor) and 5 different unstable balance conditions. Surface electromyography was used to record activity of 6 muscles of the lower extremity. Sagittal knee joint angles were controlled using 2D video analysis. The majority of lower extremity muscles were significantly more active when the forefoot was destabilized while the rearfoot remained stable compared with the stable and the other unstable conditions. Sagittal knee joint angles were significantly increased under the same conditions, indicating an altered strategy to maintain equilibrium

Leg length discrepancy: A systematic review on the validity and reliability of clinical assessments and imaging diagnostics used in clinical practice

Background A variety of assessments to determine leg length discrepancy (LLD) is used in clinical practice and evidence about validity and reliability may differ. Objective The objective of this systematic review was to identify and describe the validity and reliability of different assessments and imaging diagnostics for the determination of LLD. Materials and methods The review was conducted following the recommendations of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The databases Medline (PubMed) and Index to Chiropractic Literature were systematically searched. Studies regarding clinical assessments and imaging diagnostics for the diagnosis of LLD, which reported the clinimetric properties for assessment of LLD, were included and screened for methodological quality using the Quality Assessment of Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy (QUADAS-2) tool for validity studies and the Quality Appraisal of Diagnostic Reliability (QAREL) tool for reliability studies. Results Thirty-seven articles on clinical assessments and 15 studies on imaging diagnostics met the eligibility criteria. Thirteen studies on the validity of clinical assessments and six studies on the validity of imaging diagnostics had a low risk of bias and low concerns regarding applicability for all domains. One study on the reliability of clinical assessments and one study on the reliability of imaging diagnostics had a low risk of bias. Main limitations were, that an analysis of sensitivity and specificity was only performed in a few studies and that a valid reference standard was lacking in numerous studies on clinical assessments. Conclusions For the clinical assessment of LLD, the block test appears to be the most useful method. Full-length standing anteroposterior radiography seems to be the most valid and reliable method and may be used as global reference standard to measure the anatomic LLD when comparing clinical methods and imaging diagnostics. </jats:sec