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Research Proposal

Discussion in 'General Issues and Discussion Forum' started by Janice P, Feb 25, 2021.

  1. Janice P

    Janice P Member


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    Hi guys!
    Im a 2nd year BSc in Podiatry student , please can you guys give me ideas on what topic i will do for my research. Just simple research because Im not smart to carry out complex research. I will appreciate all your suggestions​
     
  2. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
    8
    What topic(s) are you interested in?
     
  3. Janice P

    Janice P Member

    Diabetic foot care or biomechanics, footwear,orthotics i guess. Im interested in everything.
     
  4. Janice P

    Janice P Member

    Thanks for your reply. Im interested in everything, however I can't think of anything interesting and unique topic that is very relevant to podiatric practice
     
  5. scotfoot

    scotfoot Well-Known Member

    Hi Janice ,
    If you have access to a force plate you could try the following simple experiment ( If not you could simply make the research observational and perhaps take photographs of 10 subjects/class mates ) .

    The topic would be - Does the command " push your toes down as hard as you can " produce a different pattern of movement than " press your toes down as hard as you can " .
    I have a hunch "push" will see the toes remain straighter and "press" will see the toes curl a little with the extrinsics playing more of a role .
    Get a result for this and you are off to a flier !

    Cheers
    Gerry
     
  6. Janice P

    Janice P Member

    Wow,that's a genius idea! Thanks, Gerry!
     
  7. Janice P

    Janice P Member


    Thanks, Gerry. Also, advice me how the findings of this experiment can be significant in podiatric practice.Much appreciated!
     
  8. scotfoot

    scotfoot Well-Known Member

    The intrinsic foot muscles are important for many reasons but good ways of measuring intrinsic muscle strength or of actually carrying out strengthening exercises are hard to manage .

    If a person curls or grips with the toes ,this is thought by many to be more about the extrinsic toe flexors whereas if you flex the toes around the MTFJ ,without allowing the toes to bend at the interphalangeal joints ,then the intrinsics are used much more .

    Some authorities recommend simply standing and pushing/pressing your toes down as a way of strengthening the toe flexors or , if you do it on a pressure mat , of measuring toe flexor strength ( Karen Mickle ) .

    If you are going to conduct a study into the effects of exercise on toe flexor strength then you need a consistent method of measurement . If some testers say "push" and some "press" then results might be affected between /within studies .

    I throw the discus for a hobby . Some coaches tell throwers to push the discus through delivery because it stops a radius shortening , pulling action and instead keeps the body long and extended . It could be the the command "push the toes down " will keep the toes extended with "press the toes down" giving a slightly less extended ,more extrinsic muscle dominated action .

    "Push" rather than "press" may also help with teaching the doming exercise .

    If you test the idea and do find a difference then you may have a publishable paper that will get you noticed .


    Here is an exert from a relevant paper and a link to the full thing .

    Background
    Intrinsic foot muscle weakness has been implicated in a range of foot deformities and disorders. However, to establish a relationship between intrinsic muscle weakness and foot pathology, an objective measure of intrinsic muscle strength is needed. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the anatomy and role of intrinsic foot muscles, implications of intrinsic weakness and evaluate the different methods used to measure intrinsic foot muscle strength.
    [​IMG]
    J Foot Ankle Res. 2012; 5: 29.
    Published online 2012 Nov 26. doi: 10.1186/1757-1146-5-29
    PMCID: PMC3544647
    PMID: 23181771
    Importance and challenges of measuring intrinsic foot muscle strength

    Achini Soysa,[​IMG]1 Claire Hiller,1 Kathryn Refshauge,1 and Joshua Burns1
     
  9. Rob Kidd

    Rob Kidd Well-Known Member

    You do not say where you are - I guess one of UK Australia or New Zealand. 1) lose that rubbish about "not being smart enough". 2) I have always found that working with dead specimens takes a load of complexities out of the study - such as ethics clearance. How about a study of bone morphology - perhaps the first metatarsal? I can guide you through it - do not be daunted!
     
  10. Janice P

    Janice P Member

    Thanks Rob! Please tell me more about it and guide me.How im gonna formulate a research question about this bone morphology of 1st R?
     
  11. Rob Kidd

    Rob Kidd Well-Known Member

    Where are you? This is important re: access to skeletal collections. Am I allowed to do this (and do not get the wrong idea!) contact me on Robertkidd5@bigpond.com
     
  12. Janice P

    Janice P Member


    How will I measure the differences in toes presentation when i say"press" or ""push"? Thanks
     
  13. Rob Kidd

    Rob Kidd Well-Known Member


    Any work in this direction will be about "biology form and function". Push that one more, in could be Biology form function and phylogeny. What it amounts to is that patterns of morphological variation in bone morphology are fascinating - I have a PhD in it - and I still find it fascinating. You will be entering a new world. In 1992, I did a guest lecture at the school of Pod in Johannesburg when I was there collecting data for my own research. The Head of School taught me in the UK, so that is what you do. When I finished, this gawky looking bloke stood up and said "that is what I need to do". Well................ The now Dr Bernhard Zipfel did his PhD with me and another academic; he is now curator of fossils and rocks at the university of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg - didn't he do well! So - my advise it to decide what direction you wish to go. And, if it is bone morphology, talk to me privately and we can sort something out.
     
  14. scotfoot

    scotfoot Well-Known Member

    Hi Janice ,
    I'm always happy to chat about the intrinsic muscles of the foot .
    Until fairly recently foot strengthening was all about the short foot exercise . However ,since you can't really strengthen the toe flexor muscles without flexing the toes , doming is becoming recognized as a better exercise ( see below ) .

    Sydney University is one of the best in the world and the pictures below come from a very recent publication from that Uni . The paper is about a rather complex apparatus that encourages the doming action whilst keeping the toes straight with regard to the interphalangeal joints . Look carefully at fig b . That is what you would ideally produce by the instruction "push "
    What you don't want to see are the toes assuming a clawed or hammer toe appearance . You want a banana shape ,concave surface up .

    Here is a link to the paper from Sydney https://jfootankleres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13047-020-00394-z/peer-review

    ps Hope you are well Rob

    [​IMG]
     
  15. Janice P

    Janice P Member

    Rob, sorry but i dont think i can carry out this bone morphology because I need an experimental research wherein i can test it with other people.But thank you for your suggestion.Much appreciated.
     
  16. Janice P

    Janice P Member

    Hi Scott! Thank you so much b/c of you I learned what doming execise is. Can i message you privately? or you prefer this thread? I am considering your fantastic suggestion, simple and unique,suitable for undergrad. If you dont mind if i discuss more with you thru your private email or its up to you how we can communicate..I appreciate your kindness.
     
  17. scotfoot

    scotfoot Well-Known Member

    Happy to chat on the forum .
     
  18. Janice P

    Janice P Member

    Hi Scott! I dont have access in footplate sensor and taking photograph is not allowed in our assignment as well. Can you pls suggest tools (could be improvised or personally invented) to measure the foot position in doming exercise? Thanks!
     
  19. Janice P

    Janice P Member

     
  20. scotfoot

    scotfoot Well-Known Member

    Sorry Janice ,if you are not allowed to take photos then things would get very complex . Look at the device Sydney Uni have built .

    But you might be able to look at the "parabola effect " during toe off .......
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2021
  21. Janice P

    Janice P Member

    Thanks Scott
     
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