Marker-based foot posture assessment in children
- Catriona M Kerr1Email author,
- Julie Stebbins2,
- Tim Theologis2 and
- Amy B Zavatsky1
https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-1146-5-S1-O17
© Kerr et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012
Published: 10 April 2012
Keywords
Background
An ideal measure of foot posture should be repeatable, representative of foot position, quantitative, objective, comprehensive, and suited to static and dynamic assessment. The Oxford Foot Model (OFM) is a clinically tested and validated model [1] used to assess foot deformity during walking. This study aims to use relevant components of the OFM to provide a quantitative foot posture assessment method. An assessment of OFM components which distinguish neutral, flat, and symptomatic flat feet is presented here.
Materials and methods
A clinical assessment of the lower limbs was performed on 89 children (14 patients with symptomatic flat foot (SF, n=28 feet), and 75 volunteers with asymptomatic feet and no known pathology; 39 males, 50 females; 4.9 to 17.1 years old). Weightbearing clinical assessment of the asymptomatic group was used to classify the foot as normal (NN, n=81) or flat (NF, n=69). Reflective markers were placed at known locations on the lower limb and foot [1], and were tracked using a 12 camera Vicon MX system. Mean values of each OFM Euler angle were calculated during three seconds of quiet standing. Each foot was treated as an independent sample and ANOVA tests were used to assess whether OFM angles differed between groups.
Results and discussion
p-values from ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc tests. Abbreviations described in Figure 1.
p-value | HF–TB dorsiflexion | HF–T B int. rotation | HF–TB inversion | FF–TB dorsiflexion | FF–TB adduction | FF–TB supination | FF–HF dorsiflexion | FF– HF adduction | FF–HF supination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NN & NF | 0.999 | 0.581 | *0.000 | 0.856 | 0.462 | *0.013 | 0.529 | 0.069 | 0.118 |
NN & SF | 0.999 | 0.719 | *0.000 | 0.998 | *0.000 | *0.001 | 0.346 | *0.000 | *0.004 |
NF & SF | 0.997 | 0.999 | *0.004 | 0.944 | *0.000 | 0.271 | 0.822 | *0.000 | 0.171 |
The box plots of mean angles of a standing trial found to be statistically different between groups. NN – normal child, neutral foot; NF – normal child, flat foot; SF – child with symptoms, flat foot. FF – forefoot, HF – hindfoot, TB – tibia
The box plots of mean angles of a standing trial found to be statistically different between groups. NN – normal child, neutral foot; NF – normal child, flat foot; SF – child with symptoms, flat foot. FF – forefoot, HF – hindfoot, TB – tibia
The box plots of mean angles of a standing trial found to be statistically different between groups. NN – normal child, neutral foot; NF – normal child, flat foot; SF – child with symptoms, flat foot. FF – forefoot, HF – hindfoot, TB – tibia
The box plots of mean angles of a standing trial found to be statistically different between groups. NN – normal child, neutral foot; NF – normal child, flat foot; SF – child with symptoms, flat foot. FF – forefoot, HF – hindfoot, TB – tibia
The box plots of mean angles of a standing trial found to be statistically different between groups. NN – normal child, neutral foot; NF – normal child, flat foot; SF – child with symptoms, flat foot. FF – forefoot, HF – hindfoot, TB – tibia
Conclusions
Elements of the OFM may be used to assess flat feet. Some measures have been shown to be associated only with symptomatic flat foot; these may be important in predicting the future for asymptomatic flat feet. The method is currently being applied to gait to determine if the parameters are relevant during walking.
Authors’ Affiliations
References
- Stebbins J, Harrington M, Thompson N, Zavatsky A, Theologis T: Repeatability of a model for measuring multi-segment foot kinematics in children. Gait Posture. 2006, 23: 401-410. 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2005.03.002.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Copyright
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
