L5 - Biomechanics of the foot and ankle Flashcards
Name the bones of the lower leg.
What do they form?
What structures are the “ankle bumps”?
- Tibia
- Fibula
Form ankle mortise
–> the ankle mortise is the joint formed by the tibia, fibula, and talus bones
Medial/lateral malleolus
See NDC p.3 for illustration
Name the parts of the foot + each’s bones.
- Hindfoot: talus, calcaneus
- Midfoot: navicular, cuboid, cuneiform x3
- Forefoot: metatarsals, phalanges
See NDC p.4 for illustration
Name the joints of the ankle/foot + what bones form them.
- Ankle (talocrural)
–> Tibia/fibula with talus - Subtalar
–> Talus with calcaneus - Distal tibofibular (syndesmosis)
–> Tibia with fibula
See NDC p.5 for illustration
Name the planes of foot motion + the motion?
- Sagittal plane: dorsiflexion/plantarflexion
- Frontal plane: eversion/inversion
- Transverse plane: abduction/adduction
See NDC p.7 for illustration
Motion of the foot
What is another name for dorsiflexion/plantarflexion of the foot? (sagittal plane)
Sometimes called flexion/extension
See NDC p.7 for illustration
Motion of the foot
What is another name for inversion/eversion of the foot? (frontal plane)
Inversion/eversion sometimes called
- supination/pronation
- adduction/abduction
See NDC p.7 for illustration
Motion of the foot
What is another name for abduction/adduction of the foot? (transverse plane)
Adduction/abduction sometimes called
- internal/external rotation
- varus/valgus
–> vaLgus = knees together SO feet out
See NDC p.7 for illustration
Why does the foot have triplanar motion?
It moves in 3 planes at once because its axis of movement does NOT line up with cardinal planes.
What is supination? (3)
Describe the foot. (2)
Describe the sole + part of foot that we walk on.
Plantarflexion, inversion, adduction
–> Rigid foot, stable
- The sole of the foot is pointing in
- Walk on outside of foot (lateral)
See NDC p.8 for illustration
What is pronation? (3)
Describe the foot. (2)
Describe the sole + part of foot that we walk on.
Dorsiflexion, eversion, abduction
–> Flexible foot, better for shock absorption
- The sole of the foot is pointing out
- Walk on inside of foot (medial) (flat foot)
See NDC p.8 for illustration
Describe the effect of tibia rotations on foot movement.
Tibia internal rotation: foot pronation (eversion,
abduction) –> flat feet
Tibia external rotation: foot supination (inversion,
adduction) –> high arch
What is the importance of foot-shank movements?
It helps transfer movement and forces from ground to foot to leg.
Describe the ankle joint (talocrural)
- classification
- degree of movement + movement
Mitered hinge joint
1 degree of freedom: plantarflexion and dorsiflexion
Some say 6 degrees of freedom… yes but muscles don’t control these
See NDC p.10 for illustration
Describe the axis of the ankle joint (talocrural).
What happens movement occurs at the foot when the ankle dorsiflexes?
Axis runs from medial side to lateral, inferior and posterior
–> Might move during movement
Dorsiflexion = eversion
See NDC p.11 for illustration
Does the ankle joint (talocrural joint) follow the concave-convex rule?
Yes!
Describe the concave-convex rule for dorsiflexion of the ankle joint (talocrural).
Concave: tibia and fibular
Convex: talus
Contact area moves anterior and tibia translates ANTERIOR w.r.t to talus
–> or talus translates POSTERIOR w.r.t. to tibia
- start plantarflex, going to dorsiflex = talus rotation posterior relative to tibia
- squatting = tibia rotation anterior relative to talus
Describe the concave-convex rule for plantarflexion of the ankle joint (talocrural).
Concave: tibia and fibular
Convex: talus
Contact area moves posterior and tibia translates POSTERIOR w.r.t. to talus
–> or talus translates ANTERIOR w.r.t. to tibia
- start dorsiflex, going to plantarflex = talus rotation anterior relative to tibia
What is the point of knowing the ways joints move (kinematics) ? (concave-convex rule)
- Guide treatments
- Joint replacement: we need to recreate the joint
What is a treatment to improve dorsiflexion after sprain, immobilization?
Is it effective?
Increasing posterior glide (translation) of talus w.r.t. tibia—-with movement
–> Improvement in dorsiflexion: yes, +6cm ROM
See NDC p.13 for graph
How do we measure functional dorsiflexion ROM?
Knee to wall test:
Max distance of heel, when knee can touch wall without heel lifting.
Describe the subtalar joint.
- classification
- bones forming it
- function
Hinge joint (uniaxial)
Talus and calcaneus: anterior, middle and posterior facets on each
Function: translate motion between foot and tibia
–> Walk on uneven ground, pivot, etc.
See NDC p.14 for illustration
What are the movements of the subtalar joint?
- Inversion/eversion
- Abduction/adduction
Describe the axis of the subtalar joint.
From medial superior: runs lateral, posterior inferior
Describe the shape of the posterior and anterior parts of the subtalar joint.
What does this cause?
Posterior: talus is concave, calcaneus convex
Anterior: talus is convex, calcaneus is concave
–> much variability
Can NOT be described as a simple machine (e.g. ball and socket or hinge)