John H. Hollman

Intrarater and Interrater Reliability of the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS)

The purpose of this study was to determine the intrarater and interrater reliability of the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS).

Functional Impact of White Matter Hyperintensities in Cognitively Normal Elderly Subjects

OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact white matter hyperintensities (WMH) detected on magnetic resonance imaging have on motor dysfunction and cognitive impairment in elderly subjects without dementia. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Population-based study on the incidence and prevalence of cognitive impairment in Olmsted County, Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS A total of 148 elderly subjects (65 men) without dementia ranging in age from 73 to 91 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We measured the percentage of the total white matter volume classified as WMH in a priori-defined brain regions (ie, frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, periventricular, or subcortical). Motor impairment was evaluated qualitatively using the Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale summary measures of motor skills and quantitatively using a digitized portable walkway system. Four cognitive domains were evaluated using z scores of memory, language, executive function, and visuospatial reasoning. RESULTS A higher WMH proportion in all regions except the occipital lobe was associated with lower executive function z score (P value <.01). A higher WMH proportion in all regions, but most strongly for the parietal lobe, correlated with higher Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale gait, posture, and postural stability sum (P value <.01). A higher WMH proportion, whether periventricular, subcortical, or lobar, correlated with reduced velocity (P value <.001). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that executive function is the primary cognitive domain affected by WMH burden. The data suggest that WMH in the parietal lobe are chiefly responsible for reduced balance and postural support compared with the other 3 lobes and may alter integration of sensory information via parietal lobe dysfunction in the aging brain. Parietal white matter changes were not the predominant correlate with motor speed, lending evidence to a global involvement of neural networks in gait velocity.

Age-related differences in dual task walking: a cross sectional study

BackgroundVariability in stride velocity during walking characterizes gait instability and predicts falling in older individuals. Walking while executing a cognitive task is also associated with increased risk of falling, particularly in older adults. Variability in stride velocity, particularly during dual task walking conditions, may differ between younger and older individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine whether gait velocity and variability in stride velocity differ between older community-dwelling women and younger women during dual task walking.MethodsTwenty-three older (80 ± 9 years) and 19 younger (23 ± 2 years) women walked under each of two conditions: (1) walking at a self-selected velocity and (2) walking at a self-selected velocity while incrementally counting backwards. Gait velocity and variability in stride velocity were measured with GAITRite® instrumentation.ResultsGait velocity decreased and variability in stride variability increased, in both groups, during dual task walking. The relative reduction in gait velocity and the magnitude of variability in stride velocity were greater in the older subjects than younger subjects.ConclusionThe gait changes observed in dual task walking characterize reduced gait stability and indicate that cognitively demanding tasks during walking have a destabilizing effect on gait that may place older persons at greater risk of falls.

Accuracy of ultrasound-guided and palpation-guided knee injections by an experienced and less-experienced injector using a superolateral approach: a cadaveric study.

To evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound (US)‐guided and palpation‐guided knee injections by an experienced and a less‐experienced clinician with use of a superolateral approach.

The effects of gender, age, and body mass index on standing lumbar curvature in persons without current low back pain

Reference values for standing lumbar curvature (SLC) obtained via noninvasive methods are not well established in persons without current low back pain. The effect of gender is considered to have a significant effect on SLC with women having more lumbar lordosis than men. The effect of age and degree of obesity are not considered to have a statistically significant effect on SLC. The purpose of this study was to test the assumption that measurements of SLC in healthy adults obtained by a flexible curve will differ between genders, whereas the SLC will not differ across categories of age and body mass index (BMI). Two hundred thirty-five volunteers (119 men and 116 women) whose ages ranged between 20 and 79 years participated in the study. Subjects were almost exclusively White and from the Midwest. Measurements of the SLC were obtained by a flexible curve. The curves shape was transferred to poster board, and the value of SLC was quantified by a previously described technique. A three-way analysis of variance (α = 0.05) was used to examine the main effects of gender, age, and BMI on SLC. The effect of gender (F1,199 = 21.4, p < 0.0001) and the effect of age (F5,199 = 2.8, p < 0.017) were statistically significant. The effect of BMI (F2,199 = 1.8, p = 0.176) was not significant. Women (mean, 49.5°±10.7°) demonstrated about 6.5° more SLC than their male (mean, 43.0°±10.7°) counterparts. For age, the only significant difference was between the 20 to 29- and 50 to 59-year-old age categories. This study provides physical therapists with typical values of SLC in men and women without current low back pain.

The accuracy of ultrasound-guided and palpation-guided peroneal tendon sheath injections.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe and to validate an ultrasound-guided peroneal tendon sheath (PTS) injection technique and to compare the accuracy of ultrasound-guided vs. palpation-guided PTS injections in a cadaveric model. Design: Twenty cadaveric lower limbs were injected with and without ultrasound guidance, using a different color of liquid latex for each injection technique. The injections were performed by a single investigator in a randomized order. Cadaveric specimens were dissected 1 wk later by a blinded investigator who graded injection accuracy on a 3-point scale (1, accurate; 2, partially accurate; 3, inaccurate). Results: Ultrasound-guided injections were 100% (20 of 20) accurate whereas palpation-guided injections were 60% (12 of 20) accurate (P = 0.008). Six palpation-guided injections were partially accurate, and two were inaccurate. Two of the partially accurate and both of the inaccurate injections were intratendinous. Conclusions: In a cadaveric model, ultrasound-guided PTS injections are significantly more accurate than palpation-guided injections. When performing PTS injections, clinicians should consider ultrasound guidance to improve injection accuracy and minimize potential complications such as intratendinous injection.

Accuracy of Ultrasound-Guided versus Unguided Pes Anserinus Bursa Injections

To compare the accuracy of ultrasound (US)‐guided versus unguided pes anserinus bursa injections in a cadaveric model.

A comparison of variability in spatiotemporal gait parameters between treadmill and overground walking conditions

Motorized treadmills are commonly used in biomechanical and clinical studies of human walking. Whether treadmill walking induces identical motor responses to overground walking, however, is equivocal. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the spatiotemporal gait parameters of the lower extremities and trunk during treadmill and overground walking using comparison of mean and variability values. Twenty healthy participants (age 23.8±1.2 years) walked for 6min on a treadmill and overground while wearing APDM 6 Opal inertial monitors. Stride length, stride time, stride velocity, cadence, stance phase percentage, and peak sagittal and frontal plane trunk velocities were measured. Mean values were calculated for each parameter as well as estimates of short- (SD1) and long-term variability (SD2) using Poincaré analyses. The mean, SD1, and SD2 values were compared between overground and treadmill walking conditions with paired t-tests (α=0.05) and with effect size estimates using Cohens d statistic. Mean values for each of the gait parameters were statistically equivalent between treadmill and overground walking (p>0.05). The SD1 and SD2 values representing short- and long-term variability were considerably reduced (p<0.05) on the treadmill as compared to overground walking. This demonstrates the importance of consideration of gait variability when using treadmills for research or clinical purposes. Treadmill training may induce invariant gait patterns, posing difficulty in translating locomotor skills gained on a treadmill to overground walking conditions.

Gender differences in dual task gait performance in older adults.

Although attention-dividing dual tasks hinder gait performance in older persons, gender differences in gait have not been examined. The purpose of this study was to examine whether gait performance differs between older men and women during dual task walking. A total of 44 healthy adults (20 men and 24 women) aged 65 years or older participated in the study. Participants walked under normal and dual task (backward spelling) conditions at self-selected speeds. Mean gait speed and stride-to-stride variability in gait speed were quantified with GAITRite ® instrumentation. Whereas gait speed decreased and variability in gait speed increased in both groups during dual task walking, men walked with greater variability during dual task walking than did women. The magnitude of the increase in variability in gait speed observed in men indicates that stride-to-stride variability in gait speed during dual task walking requires more investigation as a potential risk factor for falls in older men.

The efficacy of two modified proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching techniques in subjects with reduced hamstring muscle length.

Difference scores in knee extension angle and electromyographic (EMG) activity were quantified before and after modified proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) hold-relax (HR) and hold-relax-antagonist contraction (HR-AC) stretching procedures in 35 healthy individuals with reduced hamstring muscle length bilaterally (knee extension angle <160°). Participants were randomly assigned each PNF procedure to opposite lower extremities. Knee extension values were measured by using a goniometer. EMG data were collected for 10 seconds before and immediately after each PNF stretching technique and normalized to maximum voluntary isometric contraction (% MVIC). A significant time by stretch-type interaction was detected (F1,34 = 21.1; p < 0.001). Angles of knee extension for HR and HR-AC were not different prior to stretching (p = 0.45). Poststretch knee extension angle was greater in the HR-AC condition than the HR condition (p < 0.007). The proportion of subjects who exceeded the minimal detectable change (MDC95) with the HR-AC stretch (97%) did not differ (p = 0.07) from the proportion who exceeded the MDC95 with the HR stretch (80%). Because EMG activation increased (p < 0.013) after the HR-AC procedure, it is doubtful a relationship exists between range of motion improvement after stretching and inhibition of the hamstrings. On average the 10-second modified HR procedure produced an 11° gain in knee extension angle within a single stretch session.