Are in-shoe pressure characteristics in symptomatic idiopathic pes cavus related

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Gait Posture. 2007 Jan 23

Are in-shoe pressure characteristics in symptomatic idiopathic pes

cavus related to the location of foot pain?

Crosbie J, Burns J.

School of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University

of Sydney, Australia.

People who have extremely high arched feet may be subject to

substantial levels of foot pain, despite the lack of obvious

pathology. This study sought to investigate the effect of pes cavus

on pain intensity and location and on the magnitude and distribution

of foot pressure.

Measurements were derived from the more symptomatic foot of 130

participants with painful, idiopathic pes cavus. Data were collected

using Pedar(®) in-shoe pressure sensors and averaged over nine

randomly selected steps. Participant information, including location

and intensity of pain, Foot Posture Index values and anthropometric

and " quality of life " variables, were also recorded.

Painful idiopathic pes cavus seems to provoke a more cautious gait

pattern than normal, with reduced peak and mean pressure values,

particularly in the fore- and rear-foot regions. In particular,

participants with pain confined to the rear-foot exhibit an antalgic

gait pattern, with lower pressure values and a longer period of foot-

ground contact in the heel region than those with pain only in the

fore-foot.

We determined no clear predictors of pain in terms of foot posture

or demographics, although people with high body mass index values

are more likely to have pain in several regions. The relationship

between the posture of the foot and the presentation of pain remains

unclear, however we believe that the presence of heel pain in pes

cavus may be more restricting than fore-foot pain.