[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of heel-height changes on the low joint angles of the lower extremities of women in their 20s during gait. [Subjects and Methods] Qualisys Track Manager Software ver. 2.8 (Qualisys, Sweden) was used to perform measurements on 14 female university students in their 20s. To measure movements, the subjects were asked to walk while wear...

There has been a controversy as to whether or not the non-pathological flat foot and high-arched foot have an effect on human walking activities. The 3D foot scanning system was employed to obtain static footprints from subjects adopting a half-weight-bearing stance. Based upon their footprints, the subjects were divided into two groups: the flat-footed and the high-arched. The plantar pressure...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the degrees of changes in the gait and feet when walking on a treadmill using Nordic poles and without Nordic poles for 30 minutes. [Subjects] The participants of this study were 30 young adult males. The subjects were divided into a Nordic pole walking group of 15 subjects and a normal walking group of 15 subjects. [Methods] The subjects in bo...

BACKGROUND Paediatric pes planus ('flat feet') is a common childhood condition with a reported prevalence of 14%. Flat feet can result in pain and altered gait. No optimal strategy for non-surgical management of paediatric flat feet has been identified. OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness of non-surgical interventions for treatment of paediatric pes planus (flat feet). SEARCH STRATEGY We...

A method of triple arthrodesis is described which involves inlay of the subtalar and midtarsal joints. It is applicable to the undeformed and valgus foot as is encountered in poliomyelitis, spasmodic flat foot, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. The operation was successful in controlling deformity and pain. The only significant complication was failure of fusion of the midtarsal joint which occu...

Background Various foot orthoses have been shown to alter tibialis anterior and peroneus longus electromyographic (EMG) muscle activity during walking. However, it is unclear whether these changes represent optimisation in muscle function. Therefore, two studies were conducted to determine; (i) whether people with flat-arched feet display altered muscle activity compared to those with normal-ar...

The pathogenesis of flat foot and its operative correction for severe cases are reviewed. The importance of the medial plantar fascia in maintaining the structural integrity of the foot is emphasised. Reinforcement of an incompetent plantar fascia by separating the inner half of the calcaneal tendon and attaching it to the neck of the first metatarsal has given results in three patients that we...

Background Poor foot structure, such as flat feet or high arched feet were thought to cause excessive foot movement during gait, which in turn is the pre-cursor to foot injuries [1,3]. However, some studies claimed that the differences in gait patterns may not be due to foot structure alone [4,8,11]. It has been suggested that good foot functional stability can ‘protect’ the mal-aligned foot fr...

Serial casting is frequently prescribed for toe-walking but that does not allow continued physical therapy (PT). This report described a child and family who chose dynamic splinting (DS) with concurrent PT for treatment. The patient presented with right hemiparesis; below average motor skills and a gait pattern of toe contact (without ankle foot orthosis). Four months of PT plus 6 hours/night o...

Tarsal coalition is not a modern phenomenon. Archaeological findings have demonstrated this anomaly in a Mayan civilisation in Guatemala (Harris 1965) and in a pre-Columbian Indian civilisation in Ohio (Heiple and Lovejoy 1969), both dated around 900-950 A.D. Buffon (1769) was probably the first to recognise the occurrence of tarsal coalition, although the undated specimen in the Museum of the ...