Citation

DiLiberto FE, Nawoczenski DA, Houck J. J. Appl. Biomech. 2018; 34(4): 262-269.

Affiliation

Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, George Fox University, Newberg, OR.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Human Kinetics Publishers)

DOI

10.1123/jab.2017-0095

PMID

29485306

Abstract

Ankle power dominates forward propulsion of gait, but midfoot power generation is also important for successful push off. However, it is unclear if midfoot power generation increases or stays the same in response to propulsive activities that induce larger external loads and require greater ankle power. The purpose of this study was to examine ankle and midfoot power in healthy adults during progressively more demanding functional tasks. Multi-segment foot motion (tibia, calcaneus, forefoot) and ground reaction forces were recorded as participants (N=12) walked, ascended a standard step, and ascended a high step. Ankle and midfoot positive peak power and total power, and the proportion of midfoot to ankle total power were calculated. One-way repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to evaluate differences across tasks. Main effects were found for ankle and midfoot peak and total powers (all p <.001), but not for the proportion of midfoot to ankle total power (p =.331). Ankle and midfoot power significantly increased across each task. Midfoot power increased in proportion to ankle power and in congruence to the external load of a task. Study findings may serve to inform multi-segment foot modeling applications and internal mechanistic theories of normal and pathological foot function.

Language: en

Keywords

foot biomechanics; kinetics; multi-segment foot model