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Foot joint pressures during dynamic gait simulation
Journal of Foot and Ankle Research volume 1, Article number: O21 (2008)
Methods
5 fresh cadaveric specimens were connected to a dynamic gait simulator. I-scan #6900 sensors® were calibrated and surgically inserted into the subtalar (ST), naviculocuneiform (NC) calcaneocuboid (CC), and talonavicular (TN) joints using a joint spreader. Each foot was walked multiple trials across a force platform for three conditions (normal, flatfoot, flatfoot-orthotic). The flatfoot condition was created by detaching the posterior tibial tendon from the simulator and surgically releasing the spring ligament complex and the plantar fascia. Joint pressure data were collected at 100 Hz. Peak pressures were averaged within subjects and effect sizes were calculated between conditions.
Results
Mean joint pressures ranged between 0.5 and 1.5 MPa (Figure 1).
According to Cohen [5], effect sizes of .20, .50 and .80 represent small, medium and large differences, respectively.
Medium and large effect sizes were observed for the ST, NC, and CC joint (Table 1). Compared to the normal condition: ST pressures were lower during the orthotic condition, NC pressures were lower during the flatfoot and orthotic conditions, and CC pressures were higher during the flatfoot condition. Compared to the flatfoot condition: ST, NC, and CC pressures were all lower during the orthotic condition.
Conclusion
Adult acquired flatfoot deformity appears to increase pressure at the CC joint, and slightly decrease pressure at the NC joint. The use of orthotics may be an effective method to reduce joint pressures in both the normal foot and flatfoot. The TN joint does not appear to be substantially affected by flatfoot deformity or the use of orthotics.
References
McCormack AP, et al: Foot Ankle Int. 1998, 19 (7): 452-461.
Reeck J, et al: Foot Ankle Int. 1998, 19 (10): 674-682.
Leung AK, et al: Prosthet Orthot Int. 1998, 22 (1): 25-34.
Imhauser CW, et al: Foot Ankle Int. 2002, 23 (8): 727-737.
Cohen J: Psychol Bull. 1992, 112: 155-159. 10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.155.
Acknowledgements
Tekscan, Inc., South Boston, MA, USA. KLM Orthotics Laboratory, Valencia, CA, USA
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Open Access This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Edwards, W.B., Ward, E.D. & Derrick, T.R. Foot joint pressures during dynamic gait simulation. J Foot Ankle Res 1 (Suppl 1), O21 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-1146-1-S1-O21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-1146-1-S1-O21
Keywords
- Peak Pressure
- Large Effect Size
- Progressive Loss
- Force Platform
- Cadaveric Specimen