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[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to develop an assessment tool that reflects the ankle function during the terminal stance of gait using an inertial sensor. [Participants and Methods] Thirteen healthy males (20 limbs) participated in this study. All the participants were required to perform five straight-line walking trials along a 10-m level walkway. During the terminal stance phase, both the anterior-posterior and vertical accelerations were measured with an inertial sensor mounted on the fibular head. The Pythagorean theorem was used to calculate the acceleration vector. A three-dimensional gait analysis system was used for movement data acquisition. All statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 24.0 for Windows. [Results] Results were obtained using the following multiple regression equation for the estimation of ankle plantar flexion power: Estimated Ankle Power=−4.689 + 0.269 × vertical acceleration + 0.104 × body weight. [Conclusion] Our novel method for gait analysis using an inertial sensor can assess the ankle power during the terminal stance phase of gait.

We investigated the effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) irradiation of the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) combined with therapeutic exercise for management of knee osteoarthritis (knee OA).[Participants and Methods] The study included 26 patients with knee OA, who were randomized into the LIPUS group (patients underwent LIPUS + therapeutic exercise) and the therapeutic exercise group (patients underwent sham LIPUS + therapeutic exercise). We measured changes in the patellar tendon-tibial angle (PTTA) and in IFP thickness, IFP gliding, and IFP echo intensity after 10 treatment sessions to determine the effects of the aforementioned interventions. We additionally recorded changes in the visual analog scale, Timed Up and Go Test, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and Kujala scores, as well as range of motion in each group at the same end-point. [Results] Compared with patients in the therapeutic exercise group, those in the LIPUS group showed significant post-treatment improvements in PTTA, VAS, and Kujala scores, as well as in range of motion. [Conclusion] The combined use of LIPUS irradiation of the IFP and therapeutic exercise is a safe and effective modality to reduce IFP swelling, relieve pain, and improve function in patients with knee OA.

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