May 29, 2015
PRAGUE — According to research presented at the 16th EFORT Congress, elevated valgus stress was found in the knees and ankles of patients with pediatric flexible flatfoot.
Tamás Terebessy, MD, and colleagues compared data from 23 patients with pediatric flexible flatfeet against 14 healthy controls. A 3-D gait analysis was performed using Oxford Foot Model marker protocol and 3-D measurements of hindfoot and forefoot kinematics, and frontal plane kinetics of the ankle, hip and knee were also taken.
Plantarflexion and forefoot abduction were −9.75 and −14.78 in the flatfoot cohort and −20 and 3 in the control group. Calcaneal valgus positions between flatfoot and control groups were −16.18 and 3.5.
Forefoot supination was noted when comparing forefoot motions (24.23) to hindfoot motions (3.5). External varus momentum was found to have decreased in both the knee (0.14 Nm/kg vs. 0.60 Nm/kg) and ankle (−0.0026 Nm/kg vs. 0.17 Nm/kg), according to Terebessy.
“We still do not know whether flexible pediatric flatfoot is pathologic or physiologic,” Terebessy said in his presentation. “We know that it is not easy to find relation between the symptoms and biomechanical findings, but at least we show … that gait balance in flatfoot is difference than healthy feet.” – by Christian Ingram
Reference:
Terebessy T, et al. Paper #3762. Presented at: 16th EFORT Congress; May 27-29, 2015; Prague.
Disclosure: Terebessy reports no relevant financial disclosures.