Articles

The effects of being habitually barefoot on foot mechanics and motor performance in children and adolescents aged 6–18 years: study protocol for a multicenter cross-sectional study (Barefoot LIFE project)

Barefoot locomotion has evoked an increasing scientific interest with a controversial debate about benefits and limitations of barefoot and simulated barefoot walking and running. While most current knowledge ...

Authors: Karsten Hollander, Babette C. van der Zwaard, Johanna Elsabe de Villiers, Klaus-Michael Braumann, Ranel Venter and Astrid Zech

Prevalence of foot problems in people with inflammatory arthritis in Singapore

Foot problems are highly prevalent in people with inflammatory arthritis reported from studies in the UK, Europe and New Zealand, but there is limited evidence from Southeast Asia. The study aim was to evaluat...

Authors: K. Carter, M. Lahiri, P. P. Cheung, A. Santosa and K. Rome

Can positional MRI predict dynamic changes in the medial plantar arch? An exploratory pilot study

Positional MRI (pMRI) allows for three-dimensional visual assessment of navicular position. In this exploratory pilot study pMRI was validated against a stretch sensor device, which measures movement of the me...

Authors: Finn Johannsen, Philip Hansen, Sandra Stallknecht, Michael Skovdal Rathleff, Stine Hangaard, Janus Damm Nybing and Mikael Boesen

The influence of insoles with a peroneal pressure point on the electromyographic activity of tibialis anterior and peroneus longus during gait

Peroneus longus acts as a foot evertor and pronator, thus ensuring stability of the talocrural joint by curbing inversion movement of the rearfoot. Increased activation of the peroneus longus muscle in the sta...

Authors: Oliver Ludwig, Jens Kelm and Michael Fröhlich

The evaluation of off-loading using a new removable oRTHOsis in DIABetic foot (ORTHODIAB) randomized controlled trial: study design and rationale

Off-loading is essential for diabetic foot management, but remains understudied. The evaluation of Off-loading using a new removable oRTHOsis in DIABetic foot (ORTHODIAB) trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of...

Authors: Kamel Mohammedi, Louis Potier, Maud François, Dured Dardari, Marilyne Feron, Estelle Nobecourt-Dupuy, Manuel Dolz, Roxane Ducloux, Abdelkader Chibani, Dominique-François Eveno, Teresa Crea Avila, Ariane Sultan, Laurence Baillet-Blanco, Vincent Rigalleau, Gilberto Velho, Florence Tubach…

Clinical practice guidelines for the foot and ankle in rheumatoid arthritis: a critical appraisal

Clinical practice guidelines are recommendations systematically developed to assist clinical decision-making and inform healthcare. In current rheumatoid arthritis (RA) guidelines, management of the foot and a...

Authors: Kym Hennessy, James Woodburn and Martijn Steultjens

Metatarsophalangeal joint stability: a systematic review on the plantar plate of the lesser toes

Instability of the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints of the lesser toes (digiti 2–5) is increasingly being treated by repair of the plantar plate (PP). This systematic review examines the anatomy of the plantar...

Authors: Nico M. G. Maas, Margot van der Grinten, Wichor M. Bramer and Gert-Jan Kleinrensink

Quantitative ultrasound imaging of Achilles tendon integrity in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals: reliability and minimal detectable change

Quantifying the integrity of the Achilles tendon (AT) is a rehabilitation challenge. Adopting quantitative ultrasound measurements (QUS measurements) of the AT could fill this gap by 1) evaluating the test-ret...

Authors: Marie-Josée Nadeau, Amélie Desrochers, Martin Lamontagne, Christian Larivière and Dany H. Gagnon

Footwear characteristics in people with inflammatory arthritis in Singapore

Foot problems are common in people with inflammatory arthritis. Despite suitable footwear having the potential to alleviate pain, improve mobility and maintain independence, previous studies have found many pe...

Authors: K. Carter, M. Lahiri, P. P. Cheung, A. Santosa and K. Rome

Erratum to: Cost-effectiveness of clostridial collagenase ointment on wound closure in patients with diabetic foot ulcers: economic analysis of results from a multicenter, randomized, open-label trial

Authors: Travis A. Motley, Adrienne M. Gilligan, Darrell L. Lange, Curtis R. Waycaster and Jaime E. Dickerson Jr

A pilot investigation of the prevalence of US-detectable forefoot joint pathology and reported foot-related disability in participants with systemic lupus erythematosus

The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of US-detectable forefoot bursae, metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint synovial hypertrophy (SH), Power Doppler (PD) si...

Authors: Sandeep Mukherjee, Lindsey Cherry, Jalaa Zarroug, David Culliford, Catherine Bowen, Nigel Arden and Christopher Edwards

Improving rural and remote practitioners’ knowledge of the diabetic foot: findings from an educational intervention

This study aimed to determine knowledge of national guidelines for diabetic foot assessment and risk stratification by rural and remote healthcare professionals in Western Australia and their implementation in...

Authors: Deborah E. Schoen, Kaniz Gausia, David G. Glance and Sandra C. Thompson

Effectiveness of percutaneous flexor tenotomies for the management and prevention of recurrence of diabetic toe ulcers: a systematic review

Diabetic toe ulcers are a potentially devastating complication of diabetes. In recent years, the percutaneous flexor tenotomy procedure for the correction of flexible claw and hammer-toe contraction deformitie...

Authors: Jennifer E. Scott, Gordon J. Hendry and John Locke

Establishing normative foot posture index values for the paediatric population: a cross-sectional study

The Foot Posture Index (FPI) is an observational tool designed to measure the position of the foot. Its reliability is well established, and it provides normative reference values for the general population. H...

Authors: Gabriel Gijon-Nogueron, Jesus Montes-Alguacil, Pilar Alfageme-Garcia, Jose Antonio Cervera-Marin, Jose Miguel Morales-Asencio and Alfonso Martinez-Nova

Effects of custom-made textile insoles on plantar pressure distribution and lower limb EMG activity during turning

Turning during locomotion involves considerable changes of the body’s center of mass and reduced stability, as well as lower limb kinematics and kinetics. However, many previous studies have been carried out t...

Authors: W. T. Lo, D. P. Wong, K. L. Yick, S. P. Ng and J. Yip

Predictors of foot pain in the community: the North West Adelaide health study

Foot pain has been shown to be prevalent across all age groups. The presence of foot pain may reduce mobility and impact on the ability to undertake activities of daily living. The aim of this study was to det...

Authors: Tiffany K. Gill, Hylton B. Menz, Karl B. Landorf, John B. Arnold, Anne W. Taylor and Catherine L. Hill

Implementation of blinded outcome assessment in the Effective Verruca Treatments trial (EverT) – lessons learned

Trials using inadequate levels of blinding may report larger effect sizes than blinded studies. It has been suggested that blinded outcome assessment in open trials may in some cases be undertaken by assessmen...

Authors: Sarah Cockayne, Catherine Hewitt, Farina Hashmi, Kate Hicks, Michael Concannon, Caroline McIntosh, Kim Thomas, Jill Hall, Judith Watson, David Torgerson and Ian Watt

The Glasgow-Maastricht foot model, evaluation of a 26 segment kinematic model of the foot

Accurately measuring of intrinsic foot kinematics using skin mounted markers is difficult, limited in part by the physical dimensions of the foot. Existing kinematic foot models solve this problem by combining...

Authors: Michiel Oosterwaal, Sylvain Carbes, Scott Telfer, James Woodburn, Søren Tørholm, Amir A. Al-Munajjed, Lodewijk van Rhijn and Kenneth Meijer

Interpreting outcome following foot surgery in people with rheumatoid arthritis

Foot surgery is common in RA but the current lack of understanding of how patients interpret outcomes inhibits evaluation of procedures in clinical and research settings. This study aimed to explore which fact...

Authors: Michael R. Backhouse, Karen A. Vinall-Collier, Anthony C. Redmond, Philip S. Helliwell and Anne-Maree Keenan

An investigation to assess ankle mobility in healthy individuals from the application of multi-component compression bandages and compression hosiery

An investigation was undertaken to compare the effect of multi-component compression bandages and compression hosiery kits on individuals’ range of ankle motion whilst wearing typical and medical footwear, and...

Authors: Leanne Atkin, John Stephenson, Grace Parfitt, Sarah Reel, Karen Ousey and Brandon Fallon

If the shoe fits: development of an on-line tool to aid practitioner/patient discussions about ‘healthy footwear’

A previous study highlighted the importance of footwear to individuals’ sense of their identity, demonstrating that shoes must ‘fit’ someone socially, as well as functionally. However, unhealthy shoes can have a ...

Authors: Lisa Farndon, Victoria Robinson, Emily Nicholls and Wesley Vernon

Non-surgical treatment of hallux valgus: a current practice survey of Australian podiatrists

Patients with hallux valgus (HV) frequently present to podiatrists for non-surgical management, with a wide range of concerns including pain, footwear difficulty and quality of life impacts. There is little re...

Authors: Sheree E. Hurn, Bill T. Vicenzino and Michelle D. Smith

Spatiotemporal gait parameters and plantar pressure distribution during barefoot walking in people with gout and asymptomatic hyperuricemia: comparison with healthy individuals with normal serum urate concentrations

To identify spatiotemporal gait parameters and plantar pressure distribution during barefoot walking in people with gout and people with asymptomatic hyperuricemia by comparing them to healthy individuals with...

Authors: Sarah Stewart, Nicola Dalbeth, Alain C. Vandal and Keith Rome

The College of Podiatry Annual Conference 2015: meeting abstracts

P3 Medial longitudinal arch development of school children

Authors: Jasper W. K. Tong, Veni P. Kong, Lily Sze, Susie Gale, John Veto, Carla McArdle, Thanaporn Tunprasert, Victoria Bradley, Siobhan Strike, Thanaporn Tunprasert, Victoria Bradley, Siobhan Strike, Robert Ashford, Roozbeth Naemi, Nachiappan Chocklingam, Xavi de Blasc…

The relationship between foot posture, body mass, age and ankle, lower-limb and whole-body flexibility in healthy children aged 7 to 15 years

The complex relationship between foot posture, flexibility, body mass and age in children is not well understood. The objectives of this post hoc analysis were to explore the relationships between foot posture, f...

Authors: Fiona Hawke, Keith Rome and Angela Margaret Evans

Foot health education provision for people with rheumatoid arthritis–an online survey of UK podiatrists’ perceptions

Patient education supports general disease self-management and in relation to foot problems, it is recommended as a key intervention for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Further, it is known what the foo...

Authors: Andrea S Graham and Anita E Williams

‘Trial and error…’, ‘…happy patients’ and ‘…an old toy in the cupboard’: a qualitative investigation of factors that influence practitioners in their prescription of foot orthoses

Foot orthoses are used to manage of a plethora of lower limb conditions. However, whilst the theoretical foundations might be relatively consistent, actual practices and therefore the experience of patients is...

Authors: Anita Ellen Williams, Ana Martinez-Santos, Jane McAdam and Christopher James Nester

Patterns of foot complaints in systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross sectional survey

Foot complaints are common in inflammatory arthropathies such as rheumatoid arthritis and cause considerable disability. However, little is published about the nature and extent of foot complaints in systemic ...

Authors: Simon J. Otter, Sunil Kumar, Peter Gow, Nicola Dalbeth, Michael Corkill, Maheswaran Rohan, Kevin A. Davies, Sam Pankathelam and Keith Rome

Cutaneous stimulation at the ankle: a differential effect on proprioceptive postural control according to the participants’ preferred sensory strategy

Ankle movements can be partially encoded by cutaneous afferents. However, little is known about the central integration of these cutaneous signals, and whether individual differences exist in this integration....

Authors: Sébastien Pavailler, Frédérique Hintzy, Nicolas Horvais and Nicolas Forestier

Gait and Lower Limb Observation of Paediatrics (GALLOP): development of a consensus based paediatric podiatry and physiotherapy standardised recording proforma

Paediatric gait and lower limb assessments are frequently undertaken in podiatry and physiotherapy clinical practice and this is a growing area of expertise within Australia. No concise paediatric standardised...

Authors: Simone Cranage, Helen Banwell and Cylie M. Williams

The feasibility of a modified shoe for multi-segment foot motion analysis: a preliminary study

The majority of multi-segment kinematic foot studies have been limited to barefoot conditions, because shod conditions have the potential for confounding surface-mounted markers. The aim of this study was to i...

Authors: J. Halstead, A. M. Keenan, G. J. Chapman and A. C. Redmond

Characteristics of non-diabetic foot ulcers in Western Sydney, Australia

There are few studies investigating the characteristics, risk factors and socioeconomic status of patients with non-diabetic foot ulcers. The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics of non-diabeti...

Authors: Norafizah Haji Zaine, Kerry Hitos, Mauro Vicaretti, John P. Fletcher, Lindy Begg and Joshua Burns

Journal of Foot and Ankle Research reviewer acknowledgement 2015

The editors of Journal of Foot and Ankle Research would like to thank all our reviewers who have contributed to the journal in Volume 8 (2015).

Authors: Alan Borthwick and Hylton Menz

The reproducibility of acquiring three dimensional gait and plantar pressure data using established protocols in participants with and without type 2 diabetes and foot ulcers

Several prospective studies have suggested that gait and plantar pressure abnormalities secondary to diabetic peripheral neuropathy contributes to foot ulceration. There are many different methods by which gai...

Authors: Malindu Fernando, Robert G Crowther, Margaret Cunningham, Peter A Lazzarini, Kunwarjit S Sangla, Petra Buttner and Jonathan Golledge

The relationship of foot and ankle mobility to the frontal plane projection angle in asymptomatic adults

The frontal plane projection angle (FPPA) is frequently used as a measure of dynamic knee valgus during functional tasks, such as the single leg squat. Increased dynamic knee valgus is observed in people with ...

Authors: Narelle Wyndow, Amy De Jong, Krystal Rial, Kylie Tucker, Natalie Collins, Bill Vicenzino, Trevor Russell and Kay Crossley

Total contact cast wall load in patients with a plantar forefoot ulcer and diabetes

The total contact cast (TCC) is an effective intervention to reduce plantar pressure in patients with diabetes and a plantar forefoot ulcer. The walls of the TCC have been indirectly shown to bear approximatel...

Authors: Lindy Begg, Patrick McLaughlin, Mauro Vicaretti, John Fletcher and Joshua Burns

Patient and clinician views on the quality of foot health care for rheumatoid arthritis outpatients: a mixed methods service evaluation

Feet are often the first site of joint involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and get progressively worse if unmanaged, leading to permanent disability and negatively impacting patients’ quality of life. Pod...

Authors: Savia de Souza, Ruth Williams and Heidi Lempp

Tibialis anterior analysis from functional and architectural perspective during isometric foot dorsiflexion: a cross-sectional study of repeated measures

The purpose of the present study is to establish the relationship and degree of contribution between torque and sonomiography variables (pennation angle – muscle thickness), and electromyography variables (EMG_Are...

Authors: Maria Ruiz Muñoz, Manuel González-Sánchez and Antonio I. Cuesta-Vargas

Clinical decision support software for diabetic foot risk stratification: development and formative evaluation

Identifying people at risk of developing diabetic foot complications is a vital step in prevention programs in primary healthcare settings. Diabetic foot risk stratification systems predict foot ulceration. Th...

Authors: Deborah E. Schoen, David G. Glance and Sandra C. Thompson

Offloading treatment is linked to activation of proinflammatory cytokines and start of bone repair and remodeling in Charcot arthropathy patients

Proinflammatory cytokines are an integral part of the osteolytic activity of Charcot arthropathy but are also central to normal bone healing. As there are no previous longitudinal studies investigating their r...

Authors: Agnetha Folestad, Martin Ålund, Susanne Asteberg, Jesper Fowelin, Ylva Aurell, Jan Göthlin and Jean Cassuto

Vascular assessment techniques of podiatrists in Australia and New Zealand: a web-based survey

Podiatrists play a central role in conducting non-invasive vascular assessment in the lower extremity. This involves screening for signs and symptoms of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and ongoing monitoring...

Authors: Peta Ellen Tehan and Vivienne Helaine Chuter

A survey to investigate the association of pain, foot disability and quality of life with corns

Corns are a common foot problem affecting a large proportion of the population. This study describes the characteristics of corns experienced by 201 participants taking part in a randomised controlled trial to...

Authors: Lisa Farndon, Michael Concannon and John Stephenson

Specialisation versus special interest - the Australian podiatry experience

Ensuring efficient and effective delivery of health care to an ageing population has been a major driver for a review of the health workforce in Australia. As part of this process a National Registration and A...

Authors: Ainslie Davies, Paul Bennett, Susan Nancarrow and Antonio Cuesta-Vargas

Alteration of the foot center of pressure trajectory by an unstable shoe design

Unstable sole designs have been used as functional or therapeutic tools for improving body stability during locomotion. It has been suggested that the narrow base of support under the feet generate perturbatio...

Authors: Mona Khoury, Amir Haim, Amir Herman, Nimrod Rozen and Alon Wolf

A comparative study of the feet of middle-aged women in Korea and the Maasai tribe

Members of the Maasai tribe spend their days either barefoot or wearing traditional shoes made from recycled car tires. Although they walk long distances (up to 60 km) daily, they do not generally experience f...

Authors: Jun Young Choi, Sang Hyun Woo, Sang Hyun Oh and Jin Soo Suh

Cavovarus deformity in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: is there a hindfoot equinus deformity that needs treatment?

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), one of the most common hereditary neurologic disorders, often results in debilitating cavovarus foot deformities. The deformities are still not fully understood, and the trea...

Authors: Nicholas A. Beckmann, Sebastian I. Wolf, Daniel Heitzmann, Annika Wallroth, Sebastian Müller and Thomas Dreher

Identifying factors which enhance capacity to engage in clinical education among podiatry practitioners: an action research project

Health profession students develop practical skills whilst integrating theory with practice in a real world environment as an important component of their training. Research in the area of practice placements ...

Authors: Sally Abey, Susan Lea, Lynne Callaghan, Steve Shaw and Debbie Cotton

Are clinical measures of foot posture and mobility associated with foot kinematics when walking?

There is uncertainty as to which foot posture measures are the most valid in terms of predicting kinematics of the foot. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of clinical measures of static...

Authors: Andrew K. Buldt, George S. Murley, Pazit Levinger, Hylton B. Menz, Christopher J. Nester and Karl B. Landorf

Angle-torque relationship of the subtalar pronators and supinators in younger and elderly males and females

The angle-dependent torque capacity of the subtalar pronators and supinators is important to maintain dynamic ankle stabilisation. Based on the peak torques during maximum voluntary isometric pronation and sup...

Authors: Marco Hagen, Daniel Sanchez-Bergmann, Sebastian Seidel and Matthias Lahner

Primary care referral to multidisciplinary high risk foot services – too few, too late

To determine if patients with no contact with a multi-disciplinary team High Risk Foot Service (MDT-HRFS) had an increased rate of hospital admission for diabetes foot infection compared to patients with conta...

Authors: D Plusch, S Penkala, HG Dickson and M Malone