To maintain body heat in dogs during anesthesia, it is more effective to warm the feet and legs than to warm the trunk.

Background: Prosthetic gait increases demands on stability. Some variability measures can be used to investigate the stability of movement for prosthetic feet.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the prosthetic foot on ground reaction force variability for transtibial amputee gait.Study Design: Comparative analysis.Methods: Eleven male unilateral transtibial amputees participated in this study. Each subject walked at self-selected speed with both conventional (SACH) and energy storing (Sureflex) feet. Time and ground reaction force variables and their coefficients of variation were calculated for each foot type and limb.Results: Mediolateral force variables had high variability for all conditions. The Sureflex had a larger variability than the SACH foot for the braking peak ( p < 0.05), which may have been caused by gait instability after the heel strike. There were significant differences between intact and prosthetic limbs in total loading (force impulses) with the SACH foot ( p < 0.05).Conclusions: The prosthetic foot and alignment issues related to the foot influence GRF variability. During the braking phase the SACH foot is characterized by higher variability in mediolateral direction and Sureflex by higher variability in anterior-posterior direction.Clinical relevanceDifferences in variability in ground reaction force variables can represent a person’s stability. Observing variability can contribute to better understanding of critical events in gait cycle with the use of various prosthetic feet.

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The aim of this study was to identify and compare parameters related to anthropometry, body composition (BC), and morphological asymmetry in elite soccer players in nine age categories at the same soccer club (n = 355). We used a bio-impedance analyzer to measure the following indicators of BC: body height (BH); body mass (BM); relative fat-free mass (FFMr); percentage of fat mass (FM); and bilateral muscle mass differences in the lower extremities (BLD∆). Age showed a significant influence on all parameters observed (F 64,1962 = 9.99, p = 0.00, λ = 14.75, η 2 p = 0.25). Adolescent players (from U16 through adults) had lower FM values (<10%) compared to players in the U12-U15 categories (>10%). The highest FFMr was observed in the U18 category. Players in the U12 and U13 categories showed more homogenous values compared to older players. With increasing age, significantly higher FFMr was observed in the lower extremities. An inter-limb comparison of the lower extremities showed significant differences in the U17 category (t 27 = 2.77, p = 0.01) and in adult players (t 68 = 5.02, p = 0.00). Our results suggest that the end of height growth occurs around the age of 16 years, while weight continues to increase until 20 years. This increase is not linked to decreasing FM, nor to the FFMr, which remains stable. We found morphological asymmetries between limbs in players of the U17 category and in adult players.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of age on peak torque (PT) relative strength measures of knee extensors (KE) and knee flexors (KF), bilateral strength ratio (Q:Q, H:H), and ipsilateral strength ratio (H:Q) in youth elite male football players.Elite male players (n = 70) from four age categories (U16: n = 20, U17: n = 20, U19: n = 15, U21: n = 15) performed isokinetic strength tests using a Cybex dynamometer. Results show a significant effect of age on PTKE (F3,142 = 4.54, p = 0.005, = 0.09) and PTKF (age: F3,142 = 3.07, p = 0.030, = 0.06). No significant effect of age on unilateral (F3,142 = 1.05, p = 0.375, = 0.02) or ipsilateral strength ratio (F3,142 = 2.63, p = 0.053, = 0.06) was found. Results revealed significant differences in PTKE for nondominant limbs between U16 and U21. Higher bilateral differences were detected for flexors (H:H = 7.94-11.47 %, Q:Q = 7.97-9.29 %) compared to extensors. Our study showed that 17-year-old players have levels of strength similar to U19 players. A higher bilateral difference of knee flexors than extensors was found, suggesting that more attention should be paid to knee flexors. No effect of laterality was found for strength and strength asymmetries. Future research should also focus on ipsilateral strength ratio in late stage of maturation.