Back to Search
Start Over
An investigation of the dynamic relationship between navicular drop and first metatarsophalangeal joint dorsal excursion
- Source :
- Journal of anatomy
- Publication Year :
- 2013
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2013.
-
Abstract
- The modern human foot is a complex biomechanical structure that must act both as a shock absorber and as a propulsive strut during the stance phase of gait. Understanding the ways in which foot segments interact can illuminate the mechanics of foot function in healthy and pathological humans. It has been proposed that increased values of medial longitudinal arch deformation can limit metatarsophalangeal joint excursion via tension in the plantar aponeurosis. However, this model has not been tested directly in a dynamic setting. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that during the stance phase, subtalar pronation (stretching of the plantar aponeurosis and subsequent lowering of the medial longitudinal arch) will negatively affect the amount of first metatarsophalangeal joint excursion occurring at push-off. Vertical descent of the navicular (a proxy for subtalar pronation) and first metatarsophalangeal joint dorsal excursion were measured during steady locomotion over a flat substrate on a novel sample consisting of asymptomatic adult males and females, many of whom are habitually unshod. Least-squares regression analyses indicated that, contrary to the hypothesis, navicular drop did not explain a significant amount of variation in first metatarsophalangeal joint dorsal excursion. These results suggest that, in an asymptomatic subject, the plantar aponeurosis and the associated foot bones can function effectively within the normal range of subtalar pronation that takes place during walking gait. From a clinical standpoint, this study highlights the need for investigating the in vivo kinematic relationship between subtalar pronation and metatarsophalangeal joint dorsiflexion in symptomatic populations, and also the need to explore other factors that may affect the kinematics of asymptomatic feet.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
Metatarsophalangeal Joint
Dorsum
Histology
India
Walking
Kinematics
Young Adult
Humans
Medicine
Pronation
Aponeurosis
Gait
Molecular Biology
Walking gait
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Aged
Orthodontics
Foot
business.industry
Excursion
Tarsal Bones
Original Articles
Cell Biology
Anatomy
Middle Aged
medicine.anatomical_structure
Windlass
Regression Analysis
Female
Medial longitudinal arch
Human medicine
Navicular drop
business
human activities
Developmental Biology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00218782
- Volume :
- 222
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Anatomy
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....3b064e03a787c38246a140c35083e2ba