محمدحسین علیزاده

Background: Losing a limb can negatively impact balance and gait, leading to reduced quality of life.Aim: This study aimed to examine correlations between spatiotemporal gait and balance with scores of the Quality of Life questionnaire.Materials and Methods: 30 veterans with unilateral below-knee amputations underwent gait analysis to measure step length, stride length, stance time, cadence, velocity, and walking symmetry index by step length. Static balance was assessed via the center of pressure path length by Wii Balance Board during standing. The Timed Up and Go test evaluated dynamic balance. The QoL scores were recorded using the Quality of Life questionnaire for amputees, Trinity Amputation, and Prosthesis Experience Scales (TAPES). Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated between spatiotemporal of gait, balance scores, and TAPES domain outcomes.Results: Stride length (r=0.660), prosthetic step length (r=0.648) and intact step length (r=0.618) showed significant moderate positive correlations with psychosocial adjustment, while amputation limb stance time (r=-0.409) correlated weakly. Activity limitations negatively correlated with step/stride lengths (r range -0.781 to -0.784) and cadence (r=-0.538). Moreover, prosthesis satisfaction was associated with improved walking symmetry (r=0.445) and prosthetic stance time (r=0.388).Conclusion: Optimizing gait and balance in below-knee amputation can improve quality of life. Biomechanical factors should be targeted in rehab programs to enhance well-being.

Muscle weakness and shortness have a profound effect on the length and function of the body, causing abnormal pressure on the joints and other tissues. Deficiency or increase in flexibility is a factor in the stiffness and instability of moving parts and affects the maintenance of the desired condition. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the flexibility of Iranian adolescents and young people in two selected groups with healthy and spinal deformity. The statistical population of this study consisted of adolescents and young people across the country. The statistical sample consisted of 1263 girls and boys (with age range of 18-12 years old) from 5 geographical regions of the country, which could represent the whole country in terms of environment, culture, economy, and genetics and accounted for about 50% of the country's population. The flexible ruler was used to measure the arches of the spine in the sagittal plane, and the flexibility of the back and lumbar muscles, the trunk flexor muscles, and the trunk lateral flexor muscles were measured. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the flexibility of the two groups of kyphotic and kypholordotic with healthy subjects among the adolescents and young girls, and adolescent boys (P<0.05), but in the two groups, lordotic and healthy, this difference was not significant (P>0.05). The flexibility was significantly different between the gender in both the kyphotic and kypholordotic groups among adolescents (P<0.05), but in the healthy and lordotic groups was not significant (P>0.05). Finally, the results showed that there was only a significant difference between the flexibility of young girls with kyphotics and kypholordotics compared with h