Feet deformities and their close association with postural stability deficits in children aged 10–15 years

Abstract

BackgroundChildren and young people make up an age group most vulnerable to falls. Various stability disorders may become instrumental in sustaining more frequent falls and resultant fractures. Correct morphological structure impacts overall efficiency of the foot, as well as offers significant diagnostic potential. Even minor foot disorders may affect the entire bio kinematic chain, also impacting the foot’s motility. Structural alterations within a foot may also impair balance in the standing position, and contribute to more frequent injuries. The study aimed to assess the relationship between feet deformities and postural stability deficits in schoolchildren prone to sustain accidental falls.MethodsThe study involved 200 children (101 girls and 99 boys) aged 10–15 years,randomly selected from primary schools. A 2D podoscan was used to assess the plantar part of the foot, while stabilometric examination was aided by the FreeMed dynamometric platform.ResultsCorrelation between respective variables was reflected by Spearman’s rank coefficient. The subjects’ age negatively correlated with the COP range of movement along the Y axis, and the COP surface area, while their BMI negatively correlated with the COP trajectory’s length. Step regression analysis indicated that the width of the left foot, the left foot Wejsflog index, the left foot Clark’s angle, the hallux valgus angle were the essential predictors of stabilometric variables in girls. In boys, though, predictive value was associated with Clarke’s angle of the left and right foot, Wejsflog index of the right foot, and the width of both the left and right foot.ConclusionsThere is a statistically significant correlation between morphological variables of the foot and postural stability. When assessing the key variables of the foot and their interrelationship with postural stability, the Clarke’s angle, Wejsflog index, hallux valgus angle, and foot width, should be granted due prominence in the girls. As regards the boys, the following variables were established as predictive in assessing postural stability: Clarke’s angle, Wejsflog index, and foot width.

Body weight-dependent foot loads, assessed in terms of BMI and adiposity, in school-aged children: a cross sectional study

“…Values of e.g. 2.10 attest to a transverse flatness of the foot, whereas the 2.97 ratio confirms an anatomically correct transverse vaulting of the foot 17,18,40 .…”

“…A computer programme analyses the actual image of the foot, determining its length, width, angles, and axes. A study subject stands on the platform barefooted, feet set parallel, lower limbs straight, upper limbs hanging loose along the torso 40 . The Clarke's angle and Wejsflog index were assessed.…”

“…The Clarke's angle and Wejsflog index were assessed. The Clarke's angle below 30º is construed synonymous with flat-footedness, values within the 31°-41° range denote a foot with a lowered longitudinal vaulting, the ones within the 42°-54° range attest to its anatomically correct vaulting, whereas the angle over 55° attests to a high-arched foot 17,18,40 . Taking into account the values of the Wejsflog index, the transverse vaulting of the foot is assessed.…”

“…The following inclusion criteria were adopted: informed consent to participate in the study protocol, full documentation of the study, no disorders in the locomotor system, as assessed through an interview. The exclusion criteria were as follows: no informed consent to participate in the study protocol, incomplete documentation of the study, disorders in the locomotor system, as assessed through an interview, metabolic disorders that might potentially affect the skeletal system 40 .…”

Vulnerability of the foot's morphological structure to deformities caused by foot loading paradigm in school-aged children: a cross-sectional study

“…Even slight distortions in the forefoot area are instrumental in increasing the pressure of the feet, which may lead to further deformities 5 , 21 , 22 . Deformities originating within the foot's anatomical structure initially disrupt its function, but at the following stage the disorder spreads out to the entire structure of the body, and may consequently result in postural complaints.…”