The impact of body fat on three dimensional motion of the paediatric foot during walking

Abstract

The impact of body fat on three dimensional motion of the paediatric foot during walking. Gait and Posture, 44. pp. 155-160. ISSN 0966-6362 Available from: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/32624We recommend you cite the published version. The publisher's URL is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.12.009Refereed: Yes (no note) Disclaimer UWE has obtained warranties from all depositors as to their title in the material deposited and as to their right to deposit such material. UWE makes no representation or warranties of commercial utility, title, or fitness for a particular purpose or any other warranty, express or implied in respect of any material deposited. UWE makes no representation that the use of the materials will not infringe any patent, copyright, trademark or other property or proprietary rights. UWE accepts no liability for any infringement of intellectual property rights in any material deposited but will remove such material from public view pending investigation in the event of an allegation of any such infringement. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR TEXT. 1The impact of body fat on three dimensional motion of the paediatric foot during walking AbstractChildhood obesity is commonly associated with a pes planus foot type and altered lower limb joint function during walking. However, limited information has been reported on dynamic intersegment foot motion with the level of obesity in children. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between intersegment foot motion during gait and body fat in boys age 7 to 11 years.Fat mass was measured in fifty-five boys using air displacement plethysmography. Threedimensional gait analysis was conducted on the right foot of each participant using the 3DFoot model to capture angular motion of the shank, calcaneus, midfoot and metatarsals. Two multivariate statistical techniques were employed; principle component analysis reduced the multidimensional nature of gait analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis accounted for potential confounding factors.Higher fat mass predicted greater plantarflexion of the calcaneus during the first half and end of stance phase and at the end of swing phase. Greater abduction of the calcaneus throughout stance and swing was predicted by greater fat mass. At the midfoot, higher fat mass predicted greater dorsiflexion and eversion throughout the gait cycle.The findings present novel information on the relationships between intersegment angular motion of the foot and body fat in young boys. The data indicates a more pronated foot type in boys with greater body fat. These findings have clinical implications for pes planus and a predisposition for pain and discomfort during weight bearing activities potentially reducing motivation in obese children to be physically active.

A systematic review on biomechanical characteristics of walking in children and adolescents with overweight/obesity: Possible implications for the development of musculoskeletal disorders

“…Ankle and foot kinematics in all three planes, as well as kinetics in the frontal plane, demonstrated inconsistent results. In this sense, it is important to highlight that only Mahaffey et al took into account the complex motion of the multiple foot segments in their study, whereas the rest of the authors considered the foot as a single rigid segment. Future studies should specifically focus on ankle and foot biomechanics during gait in this population from a multiple segments perspective, with a special emphasis on kinematic parameters.…”

Biomechanical characteristics of lower limb gait waveforms: Associations with body fat in children

“…Body fat was measured by air displacement plethysmography using a Bodpod (Life Measurement, Inc, Concord, CA, USA). Procedures for this study have been described in our previous study [14].…”

“…Furthermore, defining OW/OB by BMI Z-Scores has low sensitivity meaning some OW/OB children are grouped as healthy-weight whereas measures of body fat provide greater confidence in the degree of obesity in children [13]. Previous work by the authors has utilised waveform analysis to determine relationships between foot motion and body fat in the same cohort as that reported in the current article [14]. Analysis of complete waveforms does not rely on the selection of peak or event data to describe gait (commonly reported in previous studies), but instead enables examination over the entirety of the gait cycle.…”

Identifying biomechanical gait parameters in adolescent boys with haemophilia using principal component analysis

“…3 Stephensen et al, evaluated 14 preadolescent boys with haemophilia aged 7-13 years with a history of ankle joint bleeding using a three-dimensional (3D) motion capture system and 2 force platforms and reported: greater flexion angles at the knee during early to mid-stance and swing phase of gait, greater external moments at the knee throughout stance, greater ankle plantarflexion external moments during early stance and lower hip flexion external moments during mid-stance. 2 In contrast to the findings of Principal component analysis (PCA) is an exploratory method of data analysis in the field of biomechanics, [6][7][8][9] enabling exploration of the entire waveform and does not require an a priori determination of variables to extract. To the best of our knowledge, waveform statistical techniques have not been used to examine differences in kinematic and kinetic patterns in adolescent boys with haemophilia.…”

“…Principal component analysis (PCA) is an exploratory method of data analysis in the field of biomechanics, [6][7][8][9] enabling exploration of the entire waveform and does not require an a priori determination of variables to extract. To the best of our knowledge, waveform statistical techniques have not been used to examine differences in kinematic and kinetic patterns in adolescent boys with haemophilia.…”