Relationship between foot strength and motor function in preschool-age children

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Relationship between foot strength and motor function in preschool-

age children

Neuromuscular Disorders Volume 19, Issue 2, Pages 104-107 (February

2009)

http://www.nmd-journal.com/article/S0960-8966(08)00674-3/abstract

Kristy J. Rose, Burns, N. North

Abstract

Foot weakness occurs in many paediatric neuromuscular disorders,

which overtime can cause considerable functional motor difficulties.

Measuring foot strength with hand-held dynamometry is reliable in

preschool-age children, but its validity in this age group is

unknown. If foot strength measures are collected as endpoints in

clinical trials, they should represent functionally meaningful

outcomes. We evaluated the foot strength-motor function relationship

in 60 healthy children aged 2–4 years. Foot strength measures

included inversion, eversion, dorsiflexion and plantarflexion using

hand-held dynamometry. Motor function parameters included time to run

10-m, standing long jump distance and vertical jump height. Measures

of foot strength showed significant correlations with all measures of

motor function (r=0.40–0.57, p<0.001). Hand-held dynamometry may be

used as a valid and functionally meaningful measure of foot strength

in very young children.