Clinical Research Directory

Effects of Whole-Body Vibration With Foot Core Exercises: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized, single-blind clinical trial investigates whether adding whole-body vibration (WBV) to a supervised foot core exercise program improves ankle muscle strength, balance, and proprioception in overweight and obese young adults (BMI 25.0-39.9 kg/m²). Participants attended 24 face-to-face sessions over 8 weeks (3×/week) under physiotherapist supervision. Outcomes included isometric inversion/eversion strength (hand-held dynamometry) and instrumented balance/proprioception tests (Limits of Stability, mCTSIB, single-leg balance, single-leg proprioception) recorded by a computerized balance analysis system.

Skin Preparation for Elective Foot and Ankle Surgery

Surgical site infections (SSIs) make about 31% of all nosocomial infections and they are the most common hospital-acquired infection. For foot and ankle elective interventions, SSI rate is reported between 0.4% and 3.6%. This study will investigate the effectiveness of skin cleaning with isopropyl alcohol and scrubbing with chlorhexidine soap before standard skin preparation in reducing microbial load and surgical site infections for elective foot and ankle surgeries. Current standard of care includes skin preparation with iodine or chlorhexidine solution prior to sterile draping and the start of surgery. Standard of care will be applied to all patients. The use of an additional "pre-scrub" with isopropyl alcohol and scrubbing with chlorhexidine soap will be applied to the experimental group. The control group will receive only the standard of care skin preparation with iodine or chlorhexidine solution prior to draping.