History Of Foot Research Articles

History of Foot Ulcers Predictive In the Elderly

History of Foot Ulcers Predictive In the Elderly

Foot Function In Extinct Bipeds: Does The Laetoli G1 Individual Exhibit A Modern Footprint Shape?

PURPOSE: Because the foot serves as the critical interface between the body and its support, the foot has long been assumed to be optimized for an animal's activities of daily living. Primate quadrupeds, on the one hand, have abducted great toes and mobile feet that bend at the tarso-metatarsal junction, potentially to conform to cylindrical substrates. On the other hand, humans are characterized as having feet with an arch that is rigid at toe-off but more flexible during stance. The human arch creates a footprint shape that is classically depicted as having midfoot contact area only along the lateral border. The G1 footprints from the Laetolil Formation, Tanzania dated at 3.6 million years ago are said to exhibit this modern appearance, supporting the notion that foot shape has remained relatively unchanged since the origins of bipedalism. Recent evidence based on fossilized foot bones calls this assumption into question. Modern human feet, however, do not all exhibit the classic shape so we undertook a study to determine if the shape of the Laetoli footprints fall within the modern human distribution. METHODS: In order to assess quantitatively the variation in modern footprint shape, the footprints of 160 walking adults (115 women and 45 men) with no history of foot and ankle pain were collected using a pressure sensitive mat (RSScan, RSScan International, Olen, Belgium). Nine prints from the Laetoli G1 trail (right G1-26, -34, and -36; left: G1-25, -27, -33, -35, -37 and -39) were digitized using a single topographic line to represent the footprint outline from drawings available in the literature. Footprint shape was assessed using the arch index, the ratio of midfoot to total foot contact area, and the Laetoli prints were compared to the modern distribution. RESULTS: The G1 individual's prints are planus (AI= 0.36 (right) and=0.34 (left)), but they fall within the modern human range (AI range: 0 - 0.38), albeit at the flat-footed margin. CONCLUSIONS: The individual which made the Laetoli G1 trail likely engaged in normal activities similar to modern humans, including habitual bipedal walking.

Differences in plantar loading between training shoes and racing flats at a self-selected running speed

The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in plantar loading between two different running shoe types. We hypothesized that a higher maximum force, peak pressure, and contact area would exist beneath the entire foot while running in a racing flat when compared to a training shoe. 37 athletes (17 male and 20 female) were recruited for this study. Subjects had no history of lower extremity injuries in the past six months, no history of foot or ankle surgery within the past 3 years, and no history of metatarsal stress fractures. Subjects had to be physically active and run at least 10 miles per week. Each subject ran on a 10 m runway 7 times wearing two different running shoe types, the Nike Air Pegasus (training shoe) and the Nike Air Zoom Katana IV (racing flat). A Pedar-X in-shoe pressure measurement system sampling at 50 Hz was used to collect plantar pressure data. Peak pressure, maximum force, and contact area beneath eight different anatomical regions of the foot as well as beneath the total foot were obtained. The results of this study demonstrated a significant difference between training shoes and racing flats in terms of peak pressure, maximum force, and contact area. The significant differences measured between the two shoes can be of importance when examining the influence of shoe type on the occurrence of stress fractures in runners.

Book Review:A Manufactured Plague: The History of Foot and Mouth Disease in Britain

Book Review:<i>A Manufactured Plague: The History of Foot and Mouth Disease in Britain</i>

A Manufactured Plague: The History of Foot and Mouth Disease in Britain

A Manufactured Plague: The History of Foot and Mouth Disease in Britain

Abigail Woods, A manufactured plague? The history of foot and mouth disease in Britain, London, Earthscan, 2004, pp. xvi, 208, illus., £19.99 (hardback 1-84407-080-8).

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History of the control of foot and mouth disease

From the many existing documents on the history of foot and mouth disease, it is possible to describe the practical measures adopted for disease surveillance and control from ancient times until the 20th century. Surveillance was based on diagnosis or post-mortem examination, and also on knowledge of the conditions under which infection occurred: aetiology, pathogenesis, mode of infection, susceptible species, virulent material, etc. The historical facts are assembled and compared, with comments on each of these points. Control was based upon the application of isolation, then slaughter or aphtisation, then vaccination. A study of these various procedures makes it possible to compare their efficacy.

Quantitative analysis of the effects of custom-molded orthoses

307 Twenty-two subjects with a history of foot and leg problems were studied with a Musgrave Footprint System®1 and Electrodynogram®2 in-shoe pressure sensor device. Subjects were tested barefoot, in standardized running shoes, and in the same shoes with prescription subortholene orthoses (with a 4° inverted ethylene vinyl acetate heel post) made from a balanced plaster cast. Peak pressure and time to peak pressure were evaluated in several key locations beneath the foot. Repeatability testing was undertaken to assess the reliability of the sensors. Using a matched paired t-test, an important change in foot and leg biomechanical function was observed. The maximum pressure was loaded (5% to 7%) earlier on the lateral border of the foot during the gait cycle (P < 0.05). This finding suggests that forces through the foot may be changed by the use of orthoses. The “generic” effect of the custommolded (4° inverted) subortholene foot orthoses has been quantitatively shown in this study. Background

Rigid versus soft foot orthoses. A single subject design

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of rigid and soft foot orthoses on forefoot and rearfoot forces in a 20-year-old female runner with a history of tibial and metatarsal stress fractures. The results of this study indicate that a soft orthosis significantly reduced vertical forces through the foot during both walking and running. The authors recommend that proper fabrication materials be considered for those patients with a history of foot or lower extremity problems caused by reduced shock attenuation.