\n\nObjectives\n\nTo assess the effect of interventions to reduce or resolve ankle equinus in people with neuromuscular PFTα cell line disease.\n\nSearch strategy\n\nWe searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group Trials Specialized Register (August 2009), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The

Cochrane Library Issue 3, 2009), MEDLINE (1966 to August 2009), EMBASE (1980 to August 2009), CINAHL 1982 to August 2009), AMED (1985 to August 2009) and The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) (1929 to August 2009). We searched the reference lists of identified articles and also contacted known experts in the field to identify additional or unpublished data.\n\nSelection criteria\n\nRandomised controlled trials evaluating interventions for increasing ankle dorsiflexion range of motion in neuromuscular disease. Outcomes included ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, functional improvement, foot alignment, foot and ankle muscle strength, health-related quality of life, satisfaction with the intervention and adverse events.\n\nData collection and analysis\n\nTwo authors

independently selected papers, assessed trial quality and extracted data.\n\nMain results\n\nFour studies involving 149 participants met inclusion criteria for this review. Two studies assessed the effect of night splinting in a total of 26 children and adults with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A. There were no statistically or clinically significant differences between wearing a night splint and not wearing a night splint. One study assessed the efficacy of prednisone treatment in 103 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. learn more While a daily dose of prednisone at 0.75 mg/kg/day resulted

in significant improvements in some strength and function parameters compared with placebo, there was no significant difference in ankle range of motion between groups. Increasing the prednisone dose to 1.5 mg/kg/day had no significant effect on ankle range of motion. One study evaluated early surgery in 20 young boys with Duchenne Proteasome inhibitor muscular dystrophy. Surgery resulted in increased ankle dorsiflexion range at 12 months but functional outcomes favoured the control group. By 24 months, many boys in the surgical group experienced a relapse of achilles tendon contractures.\n\nAuthors’ conclusions\n\nThere is no evidence of significant benefit from any intervention for increasing ankle range of motion in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A or Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Further research is required.”
“Objective : To characterize the importance of the vertical angle of the sacral curvature (VASC) in lumbar disc herniations.\n\nMethods : Morphological data derived from lumbar sagittal MRI imaging. The statistical significance of the findings are discussed. The angles of 60 female patients with lumbar disc herniations (LDH) were compared with the 34 female patients without LDH.\n\nResults : 128 of the 185 patients met our inclusion criteria.