Purpose: To determine the relationship between iliotibial band (ITB) length and the presence of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), compare the difference in ITB length between the painful knee and the non-painful knee in subjects with unilateral PFPS, determine the test-retest reliability, standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable change (MDC) of the Ober test and modified Thomas test, and explore the relationship between the Ober test and the modified Thomas test in measuring ITB length. Subjects: Forty-eight subjects were recruited (PFPS group n=24, control group n=24) from three different outpatient physical therapy clinics. Methods: The Ober test and modified Thomas test was conducted on both legs of each subject to determine ITB length with the use of a digital inclinometer. Examiners were blinded to group assignment and an independent observer recorded all the results. Results: The mean values for hip adduction during the Ober test was 7.2 degrees in the control group and 2.3 degrees in the PFPS group. One way ANOVA revealed a significant difference between groups (p= .011). There were no differences in ITB length comparing the painful knee to the non-painful knee for both the Ober test and modified Thomas test. The ICC values calculated for the test-retest reliability were .95 for the Ober test and .86 for the modified Thomas test. Pearson correlational analysis revealed a weak negative correlation (r=-.40, p=.005) between the Ober test and modified Thomas test on the left side and no correlation on the right side. Discussion and Conclusion: The Ober test is better at distinguishing between a PFPS group and a control group than the modified Thomas test supporting the clinical utility of the Ober test. The use of a digital inclinometer for both the Ober test and modified Thomas test appears to be a reliable method for the measurement of ITB length. However, given the lack of relationship found between the two tests, the two examination procedures should not be used interchangeably for the measurement of ITB length.

Author: Bc. Antonín Mařík Title: Capture of the abduction contracture of the hip joint as a biomechanical cause of idiopathic scoliosis The theme of the thesis is based on lectures and numerous publications by Professor Tomasz Karski, MD, PhD from Lublin, published in international journals (from the 1990s to the present). The work is based on the biomechanical cause of the "so-called idiopathic" scoliosis, the cause of which is considered primarily the restriction of adduction in the right hip joint - so-called an abduction contracture. This contracture is one of the symptoms of "Syndrome of Contracture" according to Prof. Hans Mau (Tübingen, Germany). The years-long prevailing "standing easy" attitude on the right lower limb is a manifestation of the abduction contracture in the right hip joint and the cause of scoliosis in two groups and three types of classification of "biomechanical" scoliosis according to Karski. The main object of the thesis is an objective assessment of the relationship between the abduction contracture of the right hip joint and the idiopathic scoliosis (IS) of the spine in the examined set of probands. Clinical and anthropological examinations were performed in a group of 20 patients with idiopathic scoliosis and 16 control probands, including specialized tests on the...

Author: Bc. Antonín Mařík Title: Capture of the abduction contracture of the hip joint as a biomechanical cause of idiopathic scoliosis The theme of the thesis is based on lectures and numerous publications by Professor Tomasz Karski, MD, PhD from Lublin, published in international journals (from the 1990s to the present). The work is based on the biomechanical cause of the "so-called idiopathic" scoliosis, the cause of which is considered primarily the restriction of adduction in the right hip joint - an abduction contracture. This contracture is one of the symptoms of "contractures and deformity syndrome" according to Prof. Hans Mau (Tübingen, Germany). The years-long prevailing "standing easy" attitude on the right lower limb is a manifestation of the restriction of abduction - the abduction contracture in the right hip joint and the cause of scoliosis in two groups and three types of classification of "biomechanical" scoliosis according to Karski. The main object of the thesis is an objective assessment of the relationship between the abduction contracture of the right hip joint and the idiopathic scoliosis of the spine in the examined set of probands. The thesis focuses, among other things, on the recent overview of the knowledge about idiopathic scoliosis, especially on diagnostics and...