Dear Colleagues,

The lower extremity plays an important role in our sitting balance, standing posture, and gait. The function of the lower extremity can be impaired by various causes such as musculoskeletal injuries, peripheral nerve injuries, vascular problems, and CNS lesions (spinal cord or brain injury, inflammation, tumor, etc.). After accurate diagnosis of the cause, it is possible to induce functional improvement of the lower extremity through various therapeutic approaches via appropriate interventions, pain management, rehabilitation, and the application of medical devices. 

“Bench-to-Bedside” research that can effectively apply the original technologies of biomedical engineering to clinical practice has recently been conducted. Through translating science from the lab to the clinic, the original technologies of biomedical engineering can be efficiently fused with medicine to present a new paradigm for diagnosis and treatment.

This Special Issue will include methods to evaluate the function of the lower extremity, diagnostic access to identify the cause, rehabilitation for improving the function of the lower extremity, pain management, and various interventions and medical devices. This Special Issue welcomes randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, retrospective studies, experimental studies, and various types of practice-based and systematic reviews. Possible areas include, but are not limited to: 

• Biological and physiological effects that may affect the function of the lower extremity;
• Methods to evaluate the function of the lower extremity;
• Rehabilitation interventions for improving the function of the lower extremity;
• Improving the function of the lower extremity through pain management;
• Medical devices applicable to the lower extremity;
• Other interventions to improve the function of the lower extremity.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• lower extremity
• muscle strength
• endurance
• balance
• coordination
• diagnosis
• rehabilitation
• pain management
• medical device
• biomedical engineering