Date of Award

1994

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Physical Therapy (MPT)

Department

Physical Therapy

First Advisor

Beverly Johnson

Keywords

Foot -- physiology; Gait; Orthotic Devices

Abstract

It has been established that foot orthotics can effectively control the amount of maximal calcaneal eversion while walking. However, there are conflicting studies about the successfulness of foot orthotics in regulating rearfoot motion during running. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of standard vertical semi-rigid foot orthotics in controlling subtalar joint subluxation (ST JS) and pain during three gait velocities. The study was also completed to ascertain whether any correlations existed between 8T JS and the static lower extremity measurements of tibio-fibular varum, gastrocnemius flexibility, and navicular drop. The results of this study revealed that pain increased significantly across the three test speeds; however, ST J8 did not. No strong correlations were found to exist between ST JS and the three lower extremity measurements for any test velocity. The current methods of prescribing, creating, and evaluating foot orthotics are not always adequate to control biomechanical alignment and shock dissipation through a large spectrum of gait velocities.

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