Article

Hallux valgus (HV), one of the most common foot pathologies in modern society,
affects not only the foot itself, but also the other lower limb joints. The purpose of the study was to investigate the kinematic and kinetic changes in the
lower limb joints in patients with bilateral HV during level walking. Twelve
female patients with bilateral HV and 12 healthy female controls walked while
three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data were measured. Patients with HV were
found to shift their center of pressure (COP) laterally away from the 1st
metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ), which helped unload the joint during late
stance. The lateral shift of the COP in these patients was associated with the
reduced toe-out angles of the foot as a result of increased internal rotation of
the hip. However, this strategy increased the abductor moments at the knee, an
index closely correlated with the medial load at the knee and a predictor of the
onset and progression of medial OA. Early treatment of HV may be helpful not only
for reducing foot pain and deformity, but also for preventing the potentially
harmful loading at the knee, especially in those at risk of medial knee OA.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS