Development of a clinically useful multi-segment kinetic foot model

Abstract

Abstract Background Most gait analysis studies treat the foot as a single, rigid segment, leaving movements and loadings within the foot undetected. In addition, very few data of multi-segment foot kinetics were presented due to measurement and equipment limitations. As a result, this study aims to develop a novel multi-segment kinetic foot model that is clinically feasible and enables both kinematic and kinetic analysis of large patient groups. Results Outcome measurements include rotation angles of intersegmental dorsi/plantar flexion, inversion/eversion, and internal/external rotation, joint moments, joint powers and the medio-longitudinal arch (MLA) height/length ratio. Repeatability of joint motions was calculated using coefficients of multiple correlation. Most joint motions (24/27) measured by this foot model showed strong test-retest and within-subject reliability (R > 0.7) in healthy adults. Outcome measures were in agreement with other multi-segment foot models found in the biomechanics literature. Conclusions This novel multi-segment foot model is able to quantify intra-segment foot kinetics and can be a clinically useful tool for research and assessments on clinical populations.