Article

Variations in foot posture are associated with the development of some lower limb
injuries. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are unclear.
The objective of this study was to compare foot kinematics between normal, pes cavus
and pes planus foot posture groups using a multi-segment foot model. Ninety-seven
healthy adults, aged 18-47 were classified as either normal
(n=37), pes cavus
(n=30) or pes planus (n=30) based on normative data for the Foot Posture Index,
Arch Index and normalised navicular height. A five segment foot model was used to
measure tri-planar motion of the rearfoot, midfoot, medial forefoot, lateral
forefoot and hallux during barefoot walking at a self-selected speed. Angle at
heel contact, peak angle, time to peak angle and range of motion was measured for
each segment. One way ANOVAs with post-hoc analyses of mean differences were used
to compare foot posture groups. The pes cavus group demonstrated a distinctive
pattern of motion compared to the normal and pes planus foot posture groups.
Effect sizes of significant mean differences were large and comparable to similar
studies. Three key differences in overall foot function were observed between the
groups: (i) altered frontal and transverse plane angles of the rearfoot in the
pes cavus foot; (ii) Less midfoot motion in the pes cavus foot during initial
contact and midstance; and (iii) reduced midfoot frontal plane ROM in the pes
planus foot during pre-swing. These findings indicate that foot posture does
influence motion of the foot.
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