Background and Objective: There has been considerable debate regarding the best treatment of the Achilles tendon rupture. One of the nonoperative treatment method for Achilles tendon rupture is using the functional BRACE. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the functional BRACE with/without patellar tendon bearing on treatment of patients with Achilles tendon rupture.Materials and Methods: In this semi experimental study, 17 patients with Achilles tendon rupture were recruited and randomly allocated into 2 groups: functional BRACE with patellar tendon bearing and functional BRACE without patellar tendon bearing. Pain, plantar and dorsi flexion strength and the required time for progressively increased dorsi flexion position in orthoses to reach the neutral position were measured. Data analyzed with SPSS-13, independent t-test and Smironov-Kolomogrov.Results: Three patients were excluded during follow up and finally this study was done on 14 patients. The difference of the pain intensity and the plantar and dorsi flexion, in each group, before and after the intervention was significant (P<0.05), but the difference between two groups after intervention in all variables was not significant.Conclusion: This study showed that both BRACE with/without patellar tendon bearing are effective on improvement of pain and the plantar flexion and dorsi flexion strength and also are effective in required time to reach the neutral position.

Introduction. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruputer specially in athletics induces knee instability results in pateint disability. Surgical treatment consist of ACL reconstruction and repair. In this study the efficacy of surgical management with BRACE after operation was compaired to surgical management without BRACE. Methods. One hundred ACL ruptured pateints had reconstructed with BPB graft in two randomzed gruops (50 with BRACE afetr operation and 50 without BRACE). Study durated 4 year (1997-2000) in alzahra hospital (affiliated to IUMSHS). Patients had followed for 12 months after operation. Results. Knee range of motion after 1, 3, 6, 12 months follow up were the same in both groups (P>0.05). Degree and duration of returning to sport, complications, need to reoperation, stair climbing, specific ACL tests, patelofemoral pain, pain in squatting, running and cutting and quadriceps atrophy, after 12 months follow up were the same in both groups (P>0.05). Patients without BRACE returned to their job more sooner than another group (P<0.05). Discussion. There are no significant differnce in cilinical results in tow groups and ACL reconstruction with BPB dose not require to routine bracing. Faster return to job in non bracing group is due to removal of liminting effect of BRACE wearing. Lesser rate of pain in patients that return to sport due to quadriceps strengthening.

Background: Bracing is the most common non-operative treatment for idiopathic adolescent scoliosis. Milwaukee BRACE is the best- known orthosis for his purpose. We wish to report our results with the use of this BRACE in idiopathic scoliosis.Methods: In a retrospective study, among 681 who had been treated for idiopathic scoliosis from 1994 to 2004 in two hospitals in Tehran, 335 cases had received non- operative treatment with Milwaukee BRACE. The radiographs of these patients were reviewed to evaluate the treatment outcome. These patients, who were 12.1 years old on average and had received no other prior treatment, had started with 23 hours per day bracing and continued in accordance with Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) protocol.Results: Milwaukee BRACE reduced the cobb ankle from an average of 32.8 to 30.6 degrees. The BRACE had no appreciable effect on curves of upper thoracic, double or triple curves. Initial thoracic kyphosis had no effect on final bracing outcome. Curve progression, while in BRACE, was more commonly seen in association with Risser signs “0” to “1”. The best prognostic evidence in terms of control of progression was initial reduction of over 30 percent in curve magnitude in the first post- bracing visit. A reduction in curve magnitude of less than 17 percent after the first visit was associated with poor final outcome.Conclusions: Milwaukee BRACE can effectively reduce and control idiopathic scoliotic curves. However good patient selection and close follow- up is mandatory.

In this study, an innovative buckling-restrained BRACE (BRB) equipped with an elastomer was numerically analyzed. The analyses were performed using Abaqus software. The components of the BRB, including the casing, core, and elastomer, as well as their connections, were described in detail. The elastomer's connection method to other components was also detailed. Subsequently, the numerical modeling process was thoroughly explained. The force-displacement hysteresis of a BRB equipped with elastomer was compared to that of a BRB without elastomer and of the same dimensions. Additionally, stress distribution in critical areas of the core and casing was examined. The failure mode of this BRB was identified as buckling of the yielding portion of the core. It was observed that incorporating an elastomer into the BRB increased the post-yield stiffness and reduced residual displacements. A model with an elastomer stiffness twice that of the experimental specimen was also studied, demonstrating a 20% increase in post-yield stiffness. The BRB equipped with elastomer has a greater energy dissipation capacity compared to the BRB without elastomer. Compared to conventional BRBs, BRBs equipped with elastomers maintained structural stability even after core fractures, owing to the elastomers' role in critical regions. This characteristic highlights the high efficiency of this system in improving the seismic performance of structures.

Lunotriquetral (LT) ligament tear, usually in combination with an adjacent carpal ligament injury, can result in complete LT dissociation and VISI (Volarflexed Intercalated Segment Instability). Operative techniques for the management of instability are highly variable with many described in literature, although there is little evidence to demonstrate the superiority of one definitive therapeutic technique of repair and reconstruction. In this paper, we discuss our proposed technique for performing LT ligament repair using an augmented internal BRACE, which addresses triquetral extension and lunate flexion. The internal BRACE construct also provides biomechanical superiority as it includes the augmentation of the ligament and capsule repair. We use figures and references from our case example to demonstrate this technique.

Suspected Scaphoid Fractures are common problems in medical practice, which account for countless work-hours losses each year. This was a prospective study that was performed on 51 patients with suspected scaphoid fracture in Doctor shariati and shahid Moaieri hospitals within eight months. The patients were treated with removable thumb splint and weekly physical examination. We found that 90% of immobilizations were unnecessary and removable BRACE and weekly examination and early rehabilitation can reduce the immobilization time in more than half of our patients.

In this paper, the cyclic nonlinear behavior of a BRACE element has been modeled. A BRACE element is modeled as two elastic beam-column segments, which are connected to each other via a plastic hinge. The far ends of the element are hinged. By a suitable combination of the isotropic and kinematical hardening rules of plasticity, the nonlinear axial force-displacement relation for a beam element has been derived. So, the strain hardening, strain softening, tangential modulus of elasticity and Bauschinger effects are taken into account. This model shows good agreement with experimental results that have been reported in other research works.