Arch Height and leg Stiffness

NewsBot · Mar 24, 2017

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Contributions to Leg Stiffness in High- compared to Low-arched Athletes.
Powell, Douglas W.; Paquette, Max R.; Williams, D.S. Blaise III
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: March 22, 2017

Purpose: High-arched athletes (HA) exhibit greater lower extremity stiffness during functional tasks than low-arched athletes (LA). The contributions of skeletal and muscular structures to stiffness may underlie the distinct injury patterns observed in these athletes. The purpose of this study was to compare skeletal and muscular contributions to leg stiffness in HA and LA athletes during running and landing tasks.

Methods: Ten HA and 10 LA female athletes performed five over ground running trials at a self-selected pace and five step off bilateral landing trials from a height of 30 cm. Three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics were collected using a motion capture system and a force platform. Leg stiffness and its skeletal and muscular contributions were calculated. Independent t-tests were used to compare variable means between arch type groups and Cohen's d were computed to assess effect sizes of mean differences.

Results: In running, HA athletes had greater leg stiffness (p = 0.010; d = 1.03) and skeletal stiffness (p = 0.016; d = 0.81) though no differences in muscular stiffness (p = 0.134). During landing, HA had greater leg stiffness (p = 0.015; d = 1.06) and skeletal stiffness (p < 0.001; d = 1.84) while LA athletes had greater muscular stiffness (p = 0.025; d = 0.96).

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that HA athletes place a greater reliance upon skeletal structures for load attenuation during running and landing while LA athletes rely more greatly on muscle contributions during landing only. These findings may provide insight into the distinct injury patterns observed in HA and LA athletes.
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Admin2 · Mar 24, 2017

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mike weber · Mar 24, 2017

can some send me a copy of this please

NewsBot · Jul 21, 2017

This is getting a bit of mileage in Runners World:
http://www.runnersworld.com/sweat-science/can-arch-height-predict-your-running-injuries
bring back the wet footprint test!

NewsBot · Mar 18, 2018

Effect of static foot posture on the dynamic stiffness of foot joints during walking
E. Sanchis-Sales et al
Gait and Posture; Article in Press

Highlights
•Constant dynamic stiffness has been observed in the same phases in all foot types.
•Dynamic stiffness during propulsion at all joints differs with foot type.
•Highest stiffness of pronated feet is due to a worse plantarflexor force capability.
•Highly pronated feet are the worst balanced, with a higher risk of damage.
•The stiffness of highly supinated feet results in more demand on passive structure.
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Background
The static foot posture has been related to the development of lower limb injuries.

Research question
This study aimed to investigate the dynamic stiffness of foot joints during gait in the sagittal plane to understand the role of the static foot posture in the development of injuries.

Methods
Seventy healthy adult male subjects with different static postures, assessed by the Foot Posture Index (FPI) (30 normal, 20 highly pronated and 20 highly supinated), were recruited. Kinematic and kinetic data were recorded using an optical motion capture system and a pressure platform, and dynamic stiffness at the different stages of the stance was calculated from the slopes of the linear regression on the flexion moment-angle curves. The effect of foot type on dynamic stiffness and on ranges of motion and moments was analysed using ANOVAs and post-hoc tests, and linear correlation between dynamic stiffness and FPI was also tested.

Results
Highly pronated feet showed a significantly smaller range of motion at the ankle and metatarsophalangeal joints and also a larger range of moments at the metatarsophalangeal joint than highly supinated feet. Dynamic stiffness during propulsion was significantly greater at all foot joints for highly pronated feet, with positive significant correlations with the squared FPI. Highly supinated feet showed greater dynamic stiffness than normal feet, although to a lesser extent. Highly pronated feet during normal gait experienced the greatest decrease in the dorsiflexor moments during propulsion, normal feet being the most balanced regarding work generated and absorbed.

Significance
Extreme static foot postures show greater dynamic stiffness during propulsion and greater absorbed work, which increases the risk of developing injuries. The data presented may be used when designing orthotics or prostheses, and also when planning surgery that modifies joint stiffness.
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NewsBot · Apr 5, 2020

Association of Arch Stiffness with Plantar Impulse Distribution during Walking, Running, and Gait Termination.
Cen X et al
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Mar 21;17(6).

The purpose of this study was to determine relationships between arch stiffness and relative regional impulse during walking, running, and stopping. A total of 61 asymptomatic male subjects volunteered to participate in the study. All were classified by calculating the arch stiffness index using 3-dimensional foot morphological scanning. Plantar pressure distribution data were collected from participants using a Footscan pressure platform during gait tests that included walking, running, and gait termination. The stiff arches group (n = 19) and flexible arches group (n = 17) were included in the following data analysis. The results suggested that subjects with stiffer arches had a larger and smaller percentage of plantar impulse in the forefoot and rearfoot, respectively, than subjects with more flexible arches during walking and running. However, during gait termination, which included planned and unplanned gait stopping, the plantar impulse distribution pattern was found to be reversed. The current findings demonstrate that the distributional changes of plantar loading follow unidirectional transfer between the forefoot and the rearfoot on the plantar longitudinal axis. Moreover, the patterns of impulse distribution are also different based on different gait task mechanisms.
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NewsBot · Jan 17, 2022

Passive mechanical properties of extrinsic foot muscles and Achilles tendon in adults with and without pes planus
SerkanTaş et al
Journal of Biomechanics 17 January 2022, 110961

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the changes in stiffness, tone, and elasticity of extrinsic foot muscles and Achilles tendon in adults with pes planus at rest and during standing. The study was conducted with 59 participants, 29 with pes planus and 30 with normal foot posture. The oscillation frequency (indicator of tone), dynamic stiffness (indicator of stiffness), and logarithmic decrement (related to elasticity) of the Achilles tendon, peroneus longus, tibialis anterior, and medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles were measured with a myotonometer (MyotonPRO, Myoton AS, Estonia). The passive mechanical properties of the selected muscles and tendon were measured at rest and during standing. The oscillation frequency, dynamic stiffness, and logarithmic decrement of the peroneus longus, tibialis anterior, and medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles were similar in individuals with and without pes planus (p<0.05). Individuals with pes planus had higher dynamic stiffness of the Achilles tendon at rest (p=0.042; d=0.431), whereas they had lower dynamic stiffness of the Achilles tendon with a moderate effect size during standing compared to controls (p=0.028; d=0.640). The logarithmic decrement of the Achilles tendon in individuals with pes planus was significantly lower with a large effect size during standing (p=0.025; d=0.945). The results obtained suggest that pes planus is not related to the passive mechanical properties of the foot extrinsic muscles. A decrease in stiffness and an increase in elasticity during standing, and an increase in stiffness at rest in the Achilles tendon were found in individuals with pes planus.
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NewsBot · Feb 8, 2022

Foot morphology influences the change in arch index between standing and walking conditions
Patricia Ann Kramer, Steven G Lautzenheiser
Source

Human foot morphology has been of interest to anatomists, clinicians, and paleontologists for a century due to its importance in bipedal walking. Foot shape changes as forces move through it from the body to the substrate. Although the arch of the foot has been extensively evaluated, the role of foot morphology in the change of the arch height in walking is less explored. To remedy this lacuna, the Arch Indices (AIs) of the left and right feet of 77 people were calculated in double and single stance standing and walking (dynamic) conditions. The feet were categorized into clinical foot types (cavus, normal, planus). The change in static AI between double and single stance was used to predict dynamic AI and the difference between predicted and observed dynamic AI was examined. As expected, AIs increased (i.e., arch height decreased) with increasing load on the foot for the entire sample and each foot type (p's > 0.001), but the ability of change in static AIs to predict dynamic AI varied among foot types, implicating the possibility of variability in foot mechanics among foot types. While planus feet change stiffness during walking, presumably due to muscular action, cavus feet are more variable in their response to load. Static and dynamic AIs are effective in reflecting the changes in foot stiffness that occur in walking and future work should examine the role of extrinsic muscle activation in this stiffness change.
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NewsBot · Dec 14, 2022

The Effect of Arch Stiffness on the Foot-Ankle Temporal Kinematics during Gait Termination: A Statistical Nonparametric Mapping Study
Xuanzhen Cen et al
Bioengineering (Basel). 2022 Nov 17;9(11):703

This study compares foot-ankle temporal kinematics characteristics during planned and unplanned gait termination (PGT and UGT) in subjects with different arch stiffnesses (ASs) based on the statistical nonparametric mapping (SnPM) method. By measuring three-dimensional arch morphological parameters under different loading conditions, 28 healthy male subjects were classified and participated in gait termination (GT) tests to collect metatarsophalangeal (MTP) and ankle-joint kinematics data. The two-way repeated-measures ANOVA using SnPM was employed to assess the impacts of AS on foot-ankle kinematics during PGT and UGT. Our results show that joint angles (MTP and ankle joints) were altered owing to AS and GT factors. The flexible arches hahadve periods of significantly greater MTP and ankle joint angles than those of stiff arches during the stance phase of GT, whereas subjects exhibited significantly smaller ankle and MTP joint angles during UGT. These results add additional insights into the morphological arch biomechanical function, and the comprehensive compensatory adjustment of lower-limb joints during gait stopping caused by unplanned stimulation.
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