Research papers

Habitual footwear use has been reported to influence foot structure with an acute exposure being shown to alter foot position and mechanics. The foot is highly specialised thus these changes in structure/ position could influence functionality. This review aims to investigate the effect of footwear on gait, specifically focussing on studies that have assessed kinematics, kinetics and muscle activity between walking barefoot and in common footwear. In line with PRISMA and published guidelines, a literature search was completed across six databases comprising Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, AMED, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Fifteen of 466 articles met the predetermined inclusion...

The fat pads of the heel have a structure that is optimized for load bearing. In various diseases and aging, the load· carrying ability of the heel pad is clinically impaired. The loading pattern was examined in subjects having normal heel pads and those with atrophic heel pads, both with and without clinical symptoms. Normal heel pads showed a broad region of high pressure, which accounted for a high percentage of the total load transmission. In contrast, the atrophic heels showed a high but narrow peak pres- sure. However, most of the load was transmitted over a large area of...

This article presents the most common structural foot deformities encountered in clinical practice. The deformities are defined, and the expected compensations at the subtalar joint (STJ) are described. The theoretical consequences of the STJ compensations on proximal and distal tissues are presented. A biomechan- ical rationale for certain tissue disorders is described. The possible effects of abnormal STJ compensation on osseous development are briefly discussed. Key Words: Foot deformities; Gait; Kinesiology/biomechanics, lower extremity; Lower extremity, ankle and foot; Subtalar joint. Click here for full PDF

Background: All areas of research have their own special- ized terms. Typically jargon is used as a short cut among specialists to convey complex ideas with a few brief words or phrases. Several jargons traditionally have been used to describe movements of the foot and ankle. It has been long recognized that these terms have no uniform meanings, which leads to confusion when attempting to synthesize reports from different researchers. Although many researchers are aware of this problem, few seem to be aware of how pervasive it is within the published literature. This report focuses on the depth of variation...