M. Wychowański

Lower limb laterality versus foot structure in men and women

Abstract Study aim: The aim of the study was to determine connections between the functional asymmetry of limbs and the morphological asymmetry of feet. Material and methods: The study population consisted of 56 students: 30 females (mean age 20.29 ± 0.59 years) and 26 males (mean age 20.41 ± 0.78 years). The measurements of body build were taken with classical instruments. Body build was assessed on the basis of body height, body mass, and BMI. Seven features of the foot and 8 indices of foot arches were assessed. Assessment of laterality in upper and lower limbs was conducted on the basis of data from repeated interviews, and then verified with simple motor tests that imitated characteristic functions of the limbs. Asymmetry indices were calculated in order to determine asymmetries of the features. Mollison’s index was applied to assess dimorphic differences. Results: Features that were statistically different in the foot of the dominant limb and in the foot of the non-dominant limb were: among the group of females, the foot length without hindfoot, and the Clarke’s angle; among the group of males - the foot length without toes. Analyses of results of this study do not allow for a claim that laterality of lower extremities has a considerable impact on indices of longitudinal and transverse foot arches. Conclusions: The following conclusions were formulated on the basis of the conducted analysis regarding the group of subjects with homogeneous right laterality: - in females, the dominant limb’s foot is characterized by a shorter bone arm lever for dorsiflexors; - in males, the dominant limb’s foot is characterized by a shorter bone arm lever for plantaflexors.

First signs of elderly gait for women

BACKGROUND The aims of this study have been twofold: to attempt to reduce the number of spatiotemporal parameters used for describing gait through the factor analysis and component analysis; and to explore the critical age of decline for other gait parameters for healthy women. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 106 women (aged ≥ 40 years old (N = 76) and ≤ 31 years old (N = 30)) were evaluated using a pressure-sensitive mat (Zebris Medical System, Tübingen, Germany) for collecting spatiotemporal gait parameters. RESULTS The factor analysis identified 2 factors - labelled Time and Rhythm - that accounted for 72% of the variation in significant free-gait parameters; the principal component analysis identified 4 of these parameters that permit full clinical evaluation of gait quality. No difference was found between the groups in terms of the values of parameters reflecting the temporal nature of gait (Rhythm), namely step time, stride time and cadence, whereas significant differences were found for total double support phase (p < 0.001). Next, seeking evidence of a critical decline in gait, we selected 3 parameters: total double support, stride time and velocity. We concluded that the women taking part in the experiment manifested significant signs of senile gait after the age of 60 years old, with the first symptoms thereof already manifesting themselves after 50 years of age. CONCLUSIONS We show that among 26 spatiotemporal parameters that may be used for characterizing gait, at least a half of them may be omitted in the assessment of gait correctness; a finding that may be useful in clinical practice. The finding that the onset of senile gait occurs in the case of women after the age of 60 years old, in turn, may be useful in evaluating the ability for performing types of physical work that mainly require ambulation. Med Pr 2017;68(4):441-448.

Laterality versus jumping performance in men and women.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between functional asymmetry of lower limbs, taking into account morphological features of the feet, and jumping ability in men and women. METHODS The study population consisted of 56 subjects, 30 women (age: 20.29 ± 0.59 years; body mass: 58.13 ± 4.58 kg, body height: 165.60 ± 5.03 cm) and 26 men (age: 20.41 ± 0.78 years, body mass: 78.39 ± 8.42 kg, body height: 181.15 ± 6.52 cm). The measurements of longitudinal arches were performed with the plan- tographic method on the basis of Clarkes angle mapped on a computer foot print. The measurements of jumping performance during bilateral (two legs) and unilateral (single-leg) counter movement jump (CMJ) were done on force plate. All subjects jumped three times each type of jump (total 9 jumps): three right leg, three left leg and three two legs. We put the test results through a detailed statistical analysis with the Statistica 8.0. The t-test for dependent variables and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for divergent variances of the fea- tures compared. The analysis of relationships between the chosen podometric and plantographic features and jumping performance was conducted on the basis of the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (for the features which presented normal distribution, according to the Shapiro-Wilk test). RESULTS The correlations between values of height of single-leg jumps (right and left) and bilateral jumps, and foot indices were found in few cases only in men who had greater values of jump height with the non-dominant limb. We did not find a significant difference in jumping ability between the dominant limb and the non-dominant limb in women. We found bilateral deficits in jumping ability in the study groups, though we did not find significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) between the values for women (a mean of 6.5%) and for men (a mean of 8.4%). CONCLUSION We found significant gender differences of the correlations between the values of height of jumps (single-leg and bilateral jumps) and foot indices.

Assessing the asymmetry of free gait in healthy young subjects

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to derive reference values for a four-level scale intended to evaluate variation in free gait asymmetry measurements in healthy subjects. METHODS This evaluation is based on kinetic values for the left and right lower limbs during gait, registered with advanced measurement systems and assessed using the symmetry index (SI) developed by Robinson. RESULTS For the majority of parameters, the SI does not follow normal distribution. As such, quartile values were used to create intervals for a four-step scale of assessing symmetry of free gait in healthy subjects for each gait parameter of interest. The SI rating intervals were from 0% (very good symmetry) to 21.2% (very poor symmetry) for kinetic parameters. The poorest symmetry was observed for horizontal force F3. CONCLUSIONS The four-step scale of assessing symmetry in free gait in healthy subjects can be used in diagnosing gait disorders, devising surgical treatment strategies, and monitoring the rehabilitation process. Reference values for intervals of symmetry indicators in healthy subjects can be used as criteria for comparing individuals with/without disabilities.