Walking and running roll-off characteristics in patients with ACL reconstruction history

BACKGROUND

Gait mechanics alternation is one of side effects after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Foot roll-off characteristics shows whole gait mechanics and is not well known in ACLR patients. The purpose of present study was to investigate the roll-off process characteristics while walking and running in patients with ACLR history.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Is there any difference in walking and running roll-off characteristics between patients with ACLR history and healthy individuals?

METHODS

48 physically active males (24 healthy and 24 with ACLR history) participated in this study. Participants walked and ran on a footscan (Rsscan International) which was mounted in the midway of a 18 m runway at the speeds of 2 m·s-1 and 3.3 m·s-1. Center of pressure (COP) trajectory, timing of stance subphases, foot progression angle and contact time were calculated bilaterally in walking and running. Mixed-design MANOVA was used to examine effect of ACLR on the outcomes.

RESULTS

The results showed that ACLR participants had greater foot progression angle (p = .001) and more medially oriented COP trajectory in forefoot push-off phase (FFPOP) of waking (p = .001) and running (p = .001), but showed shorter contact time in running compared to healthy group (p = .02). Involved leg in ACLR group showed greater foot progression angle (p = .001) and more medially directed COP trajectory in FFPOP of walking (p = .001) and running (p = .01) compared to uninvolved side. Also, involved leg had shorter contact time (p = .04) and shorter relative time in the forefoot contact phase (p = .001), and longer relative time in forefoot flat phase (p = .001) during running.

SIGNIFICANCE

Based on the results, it can be concluded that ACLR affects running and walking roll-off characteristics which can show altered mechanics. Running shows remarkable differences in roll-off process than walking. So, it is recommended to use running in post-ACLR assessments rather than walking.

Pedobarographic evaluations in physical medicine and rehabilitation practice

The feet are complex structures that transmit loads transferred by other parts of the body to the ground and are involved in many static and dynamic activities, such as standing and walking. The contact area and pressure changes between the feet and the ground surface can be measured using pedobarographic devices. With pedobarographic examinations, it is possible to obtain a wide range of information needed to support clinical evaluation and diagnostic tests in physical medicine and rehabilitation practice. Foot structure and function, postural stability, lower extremity biomechanics, and gait analysis are among the areas that can be further investigated using pedobarography.

The influence of population characteristics and measurement system on barefoot plantar pressures: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis

BACKGROUND

The measurement of plantar pressure distributions during gait can provide insights into the effects of musculoskeletal disease on foot function. A range of hardware, software, and protocols are available for the collection of this type of data, with sometimes disparate and conflicting results reported between individual studies. In this systematic review and meta-regression analysis of dynamic regional peak pressures, we aimed to test if 1) the system used to obtain the pressure measurements and 2) the characteristics of the study populations had a significant effect on the results.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to identify articles reporting regional peak plantar pressures during barefoot walking. A mixed-effects modeling approach was used to analyze the extracted data. Initially, the effect of the system used to collect the data was tested. Following this, the effect of participant characteristics on the results were analyzed, using moderators of cohort type (defined as the primary health characteristic of the participants), age, sex, and BMI.

RESULTS

115 participant groups were included in the analysis. Sufficient cohorts were available to test those that consisted of healthy individuals, and those with diabetes and diabetic neuropathy. Significant differences were found between results reported by studies using different pressure measurement systems in 8 of the 16 regions analyzed. The analysis of participant characteristics revealed a number of significant relationships between regional peak pressures and participant characteristics, including: BMI and midfoot plantar pressures; elevated forefoot pressures as a result of diabetic neuropathy; and sex-differences in regional loading patterns.

CONCLUSIONS

At the level of the literature, we confirmed significant effects of disease status, age, BMI, and sex on regional peak plantar pressures. Researchers and clinicians should be aware that measurements of peak plantar pressure variables obtained from different collection equipment are not directly comparable.