The relationship between foot arch measurements and walking parameters in children

BMC Pediatrics

Research Article

Sara Keimig¹  Jeremy M. DeSilva²  Ya-Ching Hung³  Simone V. Gill⁴  Damian Kelty-Stephen⁵ 

[1] Department of Anthropology, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, 02215, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, USA;Department of Family, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences, Queens College, New York, USA;Department of Occupational Therapy, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, 02215, Boston, MA, USA;Boston University Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, 02215, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, 02215, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Psychology, Grinnell College, Grinnell, USA;

关键词: Gait;    Children;    Walking;    Foot;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12887-016-0554-5

 received in 2015-04-01, accepted in 2016-01-20,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundWalking mechanics are influenced by body morphology. Foot arch height is one aspect of body morphology central to walking. However, generalizations about the relationship between arch height and walking are limited due to previous methodologies used for measuring the arch and the populations that have been studied. To gain the knowledge needed to support healthy gait in children and adults, we need to understand this relationship in unimpaired, typically developing children and adults using dynamic measures. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between arch height and gait in a sample of healthy children and adults using dynamic measures.MethodsData were collected from 638 participants (n = 254 children and n = 384 adults) at the Museum of Science, Boston (MOS) and from 18 4- to 8-year-olds at the Motor Development and Motor Control Laboratories. Digital footprints were used to calculate two arch indices: the Chippaux-Smirak (CSI) and the Keimig Indices (KI). The height of the navicular bone was measured. Gait parameters were captured with a mechanized gait carpet at the MOS and three-dimensional motion analyses and in-ground force plates in the Motor Development and Motor Control Laboratories.ResultsLinear regression analyses on data from the MOS confirmed that as age increases, step length increases. With a linear mixed effect regression model, we found that individuals who took longer steps had higher arches as measured by the KI. However, this relationship was no longer significant when only adults were included in the model. A model restricted to children found that amongst this sample, those with higher CSI and higher KI values take longer relative step lengths. Data from the Motor Development and Motor Control Laboratories showed that both CSI and KI added to the prediction; children with lower anterior ground reaction forces had higher CSI and higher KI values. Arch height indices were correlated with navicular height.ConclusionsThese results suggest that more than one measure of the arch may be needed elucidate the relationship between arch height and gait.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Gill et al. 2016