Correlation between hard and soft tissue dimensions of the human foot

Abstract

During locomotion, the metatarsals create a sturdy lever for forward thrust while affording flexibility in stance phase. However, their exposure to impact with the substrate during touchdown of the foot renders the metatarsals a common site for traumatic foot injuries. The greater lengths of the metatarsals relative to other foot bones may exacerbate this condition. Thus a strong correlation of total foot length with the respective lengths of metatarsals (MT's) I, II, and III may suggest a relationship between foot length and risk of metatarsal injury. It is hypothesized that the metatarsal of the greatest length will show the strongest correlation with total foot length. This study examined 48 feet from 24 donor bodies. Measurements were collected by all authors and averaged to reduce inter‐observer error. Both left and right feet were measured and the mean of the two was used to control for asymmetry. MT II was longer than MT's I and III but the length of MT I had a higher correlation coefficient with total foot length than did the lengths of MT II or III. All correlations were positive but none were significant (p>.05). The greater correlation between total foot length and first metatarsal length may be related to the medial transmission of weight during stance phase. While the high p value could be a product of unaccounted variation in tarsal and digit length, these factors warrant further investigation.Grant Funding Source: AAA