201. A biomechanical analysis of plantar fasciitis using digital fluoroscopy
- Author
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Wearing, Scott C. and Wearing, Scott C.
- Abstract
Plantar fasciitis is the most common disorder of the foot and is characterised by pain involving the inferomedial aspect of the heel that is exacerbated by activity after periods of non-weightbearing. Despite an abundance of anecdotal evidence indicating that aberrant function of the foot is an aetiological factor in the development of plantar heel pain, there is little scientific evidence linking abnormal arch mechanics with plantar fasciitis. The primary purpose of this thesis was to investigate the biomechanics of plantar fasciitis by evaluating the sagittal plane kinematics and kinetics of the medial longitudinal arch during gait. Specifically, a low-dose motion X-ray technique, known as digital fluoroscopy, was used to evaluate the sagittal plane kinematics of the arch and a capacitance-based pressure plate was used to determine regional vertical ground reaction forces acting on the sole of the foot during gait. Since digital fluoroscopy has not been widely used in gait analysis, the methodological phase of this study concentrated on identifying and quantifying the inherent limitations and potential errors in employing fluoroscopy as a gait analysis technique. In particular, the methodological phase evaluated the potential impact of the physical restrictions of the equipment on gait and the acquisition of gait data, as well as the magnitude of the distortion errors inherent in fluoroscopic images of the medial longitudinal arch. The findings indicate that digital fluoroscopy may be effectively used as a two-dimensional motion analysis technique for the evaluation of movement of the medial longitudinal arch during walking. The methodological studies demonstrate that the structural limitations of modem fluoroscopic systems are unlikely to substantially influence the acquisition of gait data. However, out-ofplane motion of osseous segments of the foot and the temporal response of the imaging system represent the major shortcomings of employing fluoroscopy as a gai
- Published
- 2003