Background Foot posture has been suggested to be related to the development of lower-limb musculoskeletal conditions because of its potential influence on the mechanical alignment and dynamic function of the lower limb. During most weight bearing activities, the posture and motion of the foot and knee are coupled within a closed kinematic chain. The exact relationship, however, between them in ...

Background Foot problems such as synovitis, growth disturbance and deformity are considered common in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and have been previously reported in over 90% of cases. The medical management of JIA appears to have improved recently however little is known about the impact of new regimes on localised joints such as in the foot. This pilot study aimed to investigate the ...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of diabetes in India is rising. It is also occurring at a younger age. Ulcers on the foot in patients with diabetes are a common cause of amputations and are largely preventable. We assessed the awareness of foot care among patients with diabetes attending a tertiary care hospital in northern India and whether this varied with the level of healthcare availed, i.e. prim...

BACKGROUND A number of surface scanning systems with the ability to quickly and easily obtain 3D digital representations of the foot are now commercially available. This review aims to present a summary of the reported use of these technologies in footwear development, the design of customised orthotics, and investigations for other ergonomic purposes related to the foot. METHODS The PubMed a...

BACKGROUND Up to 50% of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have foot symptoms at diagnosis, hence early foot health intervention is recommended and this should include patient education. This study identifies, for the first time, the foot health education (FHE) needs of people with RA. METHODS An online survey of people with RA (n = 543) captured quantitative data in relation to the aims, ...

Background Static radiographic angles and other clinical qualitative observations are used traditionally for classifying flatfeet. Correlation of foot shape measurements, taken from pressure footprints under dynamic conditions, with radiographic angles was preliminarily investigated in young flatfeet [1]. The aim of this study is to assess the sensitivity and specificity of existing or purposel...

Background Gold standard for the management of diabetic foot neuropathic ulcers is the irremovable total contact cast, however evidence of equal clinical effectiveness was proved for the removable walker OPTIMA DIAB [1]. Priority of this healing treatment is the offloading of the ulcerated foot area; however, the healing process may last for months, and eventual changes in gait biomechanics may...

Background For clinicians involved in managing the foot with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there is a dearth of patientreported outcome measures (PROs) available with only the Leeds Foot Impact Scale (LFIS). The LFIS currently lacks evidence for important measurement properties, does not permit a patient-specific assessment strategy and was designed using a restrictive scaling strategy. Therefore,...

Background Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD) is a progressive and debilitating condition. Flat foot is a known associated factor of PTTD but there are still many questions about the biomechanical etiology of PTTD. Hypermobility in the first ray and first metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) is thought to be a causative factor in various foot pathologies including PTTD, however the associati...

Background Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is the most common inherited peripheral neuropathy and is associated with foot deformity, gait abnormalities and functional impairment. Orthoses are often prescribed for children with CMT, yet the indication and type of prescription is usually based on clinical judgement due to the lack of high quality research in this field. Therefore, the aims of t...