A COMPARISION BETWEEN STATIC AND DYNAMIC FOOT MOBILITY MAGNITUDE MEASURES

Traditional methods used to assess foot posture during dynamic activities rely on static measures of foot dimensions during partial weight bearing. In recent years, evidence was found which links musculoskeletal and overuse injury patterns in athletes to foot posture. To be able to accurately assess the relationship between injury patterns and foot posture, it might be necessary to study changes in the foot posture during the dynamic activities that the athlete normally undertakes. The purpose of this research is to introduce a method which can be used to measure changes in the foot posture during dynamic activities, hence providing a better prediction of the changes in the foot posture and its relationship to lower limb injuries. The results from static and dynamic Foot posture measures were compared for two subjects and the results showed significant differences

A comparison between static and dynamic foot mobility magnitude measures

Traditional methods used to assess foot posture during dynamic activities rely on static measures of foot dimensions during partial weight bearing. In recent years, evidence was found which links musculoskeletal and overuse injury patterns in athletes to foot posture. To be able to accurately assess the relationship between injury patterns and foot posture, it might be necessary to study changes in the foot posture during the dynamic activities that the athlete normally undertakes. The purpose of this research is to introduce a method which can be used to measure changes in the foot posture during dynamic activities, hence providing a better prediction of the changes in the foot posture and its relationship to lower limb injuries. The results from static and dynamic foot posture measures were compared for two subjects and the results showed significant differences

A video-based system for plantar surface acquisition during gait

Video-based systems for digital object surface feature acquisition are commonly used to provide non-contact accurate 3D mapping of objects in motion. A review of the literature shows that these systems are extensively exploited in human movement studies. The shape of the human foot plantar surface during gait can be better studied using 3D surface models and contours. Additionally, surface contact characteristics and peak pressure of the plantar surface can be determined readily using the calculated 3D models. In this article, the processing algorithms, image capture and point cloud creating methods are discussed. Further discussion includes the findings of an investigation into the stance phase of gait and the plantar-substrate contact location. Tests show that the developed video-based 3D surface capture techniques are accurate and reliable

TENDINopathy Severity Assessment - Achilles (TENDINS-A):Development and Content Validity Assessment of a New Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Achilles Tendinopathy

OBJECTIVE: To develop a new patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) assessing TENDINopathy Severity of the Achilles (TENDINS-Achilles) and evaluate its content validity. DESIGN: Mixed-methods, modified Delphi. METHODS: We performed 1 round of semistructured one-on-one interview responses with professionals and patients, for initial item generation. This was followed by 1 round of survey responses for professionals and a final round of semistructured one-on-one interviews with patients. The work culminated in a PROM to quantify Achilles tendinopathy severity under the core health domain of disability. Participants identified 3 subdomains contributing to the severity of disability of Achilles tendinopathy: pain, symptoms, and functional capacity. RESULTS: All 8 patient participants invited to participate were enrolled. Forty professional participants (50% women, six different continents) were invited to participate and 30 were enrolled (75% response rate). Therefore, a total of 30 professionals and 8 patients were included within this study. Following 3 rounds of qualitative or quantitative feedback, this study has established the content validity of TENDINS-A (good relevance, comprehensibility, and comprehensiveness) as a new PROM to assess the severity of Achilles tendinopathy, which assesses aspects of pain, symptoms, and functional capacity. CONCLUSION: TENDINS-A has established content validity and is appropriate for use with clinical and research populations. We recommend users interpret TENDINS-A results cautiously, until further testing evaluates the most appropriate scoring scale, reliability, construct validity, criterion validity, and responsiveness of TENDINS-A. Until these psychometric properties are established, we suggest using TENDINS-A alongside existing tools. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2023;53(11):1-16. Epub: 24 August 2023. doi:10.2519/jospt.2023.11964.</p

The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organization

Background: The shift from solitary to social behavior is one of the major evolutionary transitions. Primitively eusocial bumblebees are uniquely placed to illuminate the evolution of highly eusocial insect societies. Bumblebees are also invaluable natural and agricultural pollinators, and there is widespread concern over recent population declines in some species. High-quality genomic data will inform key aspects of bumblebee biology, including susceptibility to implicated population viability threats. Results: We report the high quality draft genome sequences of Bombus terrestris and Bombus impatiens, two ecologically dominant bumblebees and widely utilized study species. Comparing these new genomes to those of the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera and other Hymenoptera, we identify deeply conserved similarities, as well as novelties key to the biology of these organisms. Some honeybee genome features thought to underpin advanced eusociality are also present in bumblebees, indicating an earlier evolution in the bee lineage. Xenobiotic detoxification and immune genes are similarly depauperate in bumblebees and honeybees, and multiple categories of genes linked to social organization, including development and behavior, show high conservation. Key differences identified include a bias in bumblebee chemoreception towards gustation from olfaction, and striking differences in microRNAs, potentially responsible for gene regulation underlying social and other traits. Conclusions: These two bumblebee genomes provide a foundation for post-genomic research on these key pollinators and insect societies. Overall, gene repertoires suggest that the route to advanced eusociality in bees was mediated by many small changes in many genes and processes, and not by notable expansion or depauperation

3D photogrammetric analysis of the load-bearing foot

Surpisingly, little is know about how the foot carries load while walking. Motion of the bones or shape of the foot during load-bearing has been studied using video fluoroscopy, laser scanning phtogrammetry or modelled from static poses using finite element techniques. Also, pressure under the foot is regularly measured, but how the plantar surface changes during weight-bearing is unknown despite being relevant to shoe design and orthothic prescriiption for the normal and pathological foot. Close-range photogrammetry (CRP) has been used extensively in medical applications, such as craniofacial mapping and scoliosis screening to obtain three-dimensional data and provides a feasible method for measuring the plantar surface of the foot during gait. Advantages of this method over existing imaging techniques are that it is (i) non-contact and non-invasive, (ii) provides instantaneous imaging, (iii) is highly accurate, and (iv) allows for dynamic analysis of structures. This paper presents the development and application of a novel CRP technique for studying 3D shape of the plantar surfuace of the foot during gait

It’s looking up! 3D mapping of foot surface contours

Surprisingly little is know about how the plantar aspect of the foot deforms while walking. Bone motion or foot shape during load-bearing has been studied using video fluoroscopy, laser scanning photogrammetry, or modelled from static poses using finite element techniques. Also, pressure under the foot is regularly measured, but how the plantar surface changes during weight-bearing is unknown despite being relevant to balance, shoe design and orthothic prescription for the normal and pathological foot. This paper presents the development and application of a novel close-range photogrammetry (CRP) technique for studying the dynamic 3D shape of the plantar surface of the foot during gait

Close range photogrammetric analysis of the human spine

Close-range photogrammetry (CRP) has been used extensively in medical applications, such as craniofacial mapping and scoliosis screening to obtain three-dimensional data. Advantages of this method over stadiometers and laser scanning are(i) non-contact and non-invasive, (ii) instantaneous imaging, (iii) highly accurate, and (iv) allows for dynamic analysis of structures. This paper presents the development and application of a field-based CRP technique for studying diurnal variation in the geometry of young adult male spines

Reliability of a high accuracy image-based system for 3D modelling of the medial longitudinal arch during gait

The Medial Longitudinal Arch (MLA) is the largest arch of the foot and is regarded as the most important foot arch in clinical foot assessments due to its influence on lower limb function, foot stability and foot pain. Each foot is classified as either high arched, low arched or normally arched depending on the structure of the MLA. There are currently a number of techniques that are used to classify the foot in a static state based on measurements of the MLA. These static measurements are then used to predict the behaviour of the foot arch in a dynamic state. However, it is easy to identify limitations with these techniques as the shape of the MLA in a static state cannot predict the behaviour of the MLA during dynamic activities. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to introduce a high accuracy 3D modelling system that has been developed to map the shape of the MLA during gait using high definition video camcorders. The objectives of the study were hence: (1) to determine whether changes can be detected along the MLA for different weight bearings during gait, (2) to test the accuracy and reliability of the developed imaging system for creating dynamic 3D models of the foot arch and (3) to determine the quality and suitability of the 3D model. The results of the study show that changes can be detected along the MLA during gait with a level of accuracy of less than 0.4 mm when a 3D model of the foot is generated in PhotoModeler Scanner

A dense surface modelling technique for foot surface imaging

Automated 3D point cloud generation of an object surface from images using a Dense Surface Modelling algorithm is a reliable technique. Recently, this technique has been applied in numerous mapping applications such as the human face, historical building facades, digital archaeological artefact recording and forensic investigation. In this paper, the technique is applied to the mapping of the dorsal and plantar aspect of a human foot during weight-bearing, which is considered a difficult surface for 3D mapping. The purpose of the research is to develop an approach that provides low-cost, high-quality 3D surface models which can be used to study the dynamics of the foot during slow-gait. The objective of this paper is to present the techniques used and the results of this investigation. The research results show that the total gaps in the generated 3D plantar surface, was less than 0.1 percent. However, these gaps did not reduce the anthropometric mark's positional measurement accuracy as these marks could be clearly identified in the 3D model. The 3D representation of the dorsal surface of the foot during walking exhibits significantly fewer holes than the plantar surface at about 0.02 percent. All the defined anthropometric landmarks appear clearly on the dorsum of the foot's 3D surface, thus making digital measurements on the surface an easy task. Light rays coming from the plantar surface must pass through a 12 mm tempered glass and, depending on the camera's position, some of the light rays suffered refraction and reflection, making the gaps in the plantar surface reconstruction unavoidable. However, the overall accuracy of the developed photogrammetric measurement technique is approximately 0.3mm for all the generated surfaces