Linking the proximal tibiofibular joint to hominid locomotion: A morphometric study of extant species

Pietrobelli, Annalisa; Sorrentino, Rita; Benazzi, Stefano; Belcastro, Maria Giovanna; Marchi, Damiano

doi:10.1002/ajpa.24696

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Our work is aimed at investigating the entheseal morphometric variability of the femoral insertion of gluteus maximus (hereinafter "GM") and tibial origin of soleus (hereinafter "SOL") muscles (already studied in the Neanderthal samples) in juvenile individuals in relation to age, sex and locomotor pattern during growth, adding new insights on the biological and biomechanical aspects of bipedalism, from an ontogenetic and evolutionary point of view, already explored in our research group also with other approaches (Sorrentino et al, 2020a, 2020b, 2020c, Figus et al, 2022Pietrobelli et al, 2022aPietrobelli et al, , 2022bPietrobelli et al, , 2023Colombo et al, 2019). In detail, we developed a recording standard method to better classify the entheseal (continuous) variability into discrete classes and verify its applicability in response to the locomotor pattern (detailed below).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entheseal variation and locomotor behavior during growth

Mameli,

Pietrobelli,

Sorrentino

et al. 2024

Journal of Anatomy

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Entheses are acknowledged as skeletal markers capable of revealing several biological and behavioral aspects of past individuals and populations. However, entheseal changes (ECs) of juvenile individuals have not yet been studied with a systematic approach. This contribution aims at investigating the morphological changes occurring at the femoral insertion of the gluteus maximus and tibial origin of the soleus muscles to highlight a potential link between the morphological features of those entheses and skeletal maturity in relation to sex, age, and locomotor developmental patterns. The sample consisted of 119 skeletons (age‐at‐death: 0–30 years) belonging to the Documented Human Skeletal Collection of the Certosa Cemetery (Bologna, Italy). The entheseal variation during the last stages of skeletal maturation in young adults was assessed using existing recording standards. A recording protocol for each enthesis was developed for immature individuals to subdivide the morphological variability into discrete categories. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to investigate the variation of entheseal morphologies and measurements in relation to bone metrics, degree of epiphyseal closure, sex, age, and locomotor developmental patterns. A statistically significant relationship was observed between ECs morphological patterns and age for both entheses, while sexual differences were negligible. A relationship between ECs morphological pattern and locomotor milestones emerged only for the gluteus maximus. Even though further testing is needed on other documented skeletal collections, our protocol could be usefully applied in forensic and archaeological fields and serving as important reference for evolutionary investigations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entheseal variation and locomotor behavior during growth

Mameli,

Pietrobelli,

Sorrentino

et al. 2024

Journal of Anatomy

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“…In Homo sapiens and primates, the degree of mobility of the bula has been related to the degree of eversion/inversion and dorsi exion/plantar exion at the ankle joint (Marchi et al 2007). Recent 3D geometric morphometric (3D-GM) studies revealed that proximal and distal bular morphology are indicators of locomotor patterns associated with each extant hominid taxon (Marchi et al 2022;Pietrobelli et al 2023). The authors documented for proximal epiphysis a horizontal proximal tibio bular joint (PTFJ), a superiorly at bular head, an anterolateral and inferior expansion of hamstring and peroneal muscles insertions area onto the bular head, and a de ned but shallower, more medially expanded m. soleus insertion in great apes compared to humans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the role of fibular extremities as indicators of mobility patterns and locomotor behavior in Homo sapiens from Mid- Late Upper Paleolithic to the modern age

Pietrobelli,

Sorrentino,

Sparacello

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The human fibular shape has been scarcely analyzed in anthropology. However, studies on athletes and human archaeological samples suggest the importance of including fibular structural properties to reconstruct mobility patterns in past populations. This study analyzes human fibular variation in relation to mobility patterns, environmental conditions, subsistence economies, and shoe use to further explore the role of this bone in reconstructing mobility patterns in past populations. The sample consists of 173 individuals from archaeological and modern skeletal collections spanning the Mid-Late Upper Paleolithic to the 20th century and includes hunter-gatherers, agriculturalists, herders, and post-industrialists. Virtual three-dimensional models of left fibulae were acquired by computer tomography and surface scanning. Fibular proximal and distal epiphyseal morphologies were investigated through 3D semilandmark-based geometric morphometric methods and compared among populations and mobility categories. Our analysis reveals a trend separating groups based on their subsistence strategy and chronology. Some fibular traits (e.g., horizontal proximal tibiofibular and tilted distal talofibular articular surfaces, robust interosseous membrane, broad malleolar fossa, projecting m. biceps femoris insertion) indicate greater mobility of fibular joints and load sharing during ankle and knee excursion in foraging groups, which are presumably highly active, frequently traversing uneven terrain with absent/minimalist foot coverings. Stiffer fibular joints (e.g., obliquely oriented tibiofibular and vertical talofibular articular surfaces) are observed in sedentary populations, which may suggest a restricted ankle excursion and limited lower limb loading and use, consistent with their sedentary lifestyle in plain urban settlements with hard-shoe coverings. Other fibular traits (e.g., shorter subcutaneous triangular surface, projecting and anteriorly-facing malleolus, concave peroneal groove and proximal peroneal insertion) might indicate for mobile groups a more everted foot posture with increased moment arm in eversion, more efficient for barefoot/minimal footwear running in a forefoot-strike gait and concurring in the stabilization of the first metatarsophalangeal ray. These results further stress the functional role of fibular morphology and its importance in studies investigating past population mobility patterns.

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