A Short-Term Evaluation of Foot Pronation Tendency in Healthy Recreational Runners.

Running is a highly physical activity, and it is related to injuries when there is an excessive pronation of the foot. This study evaluates, from a sample group of healthy recreational runners, if the foot tends to pronate after a period of running activity and when, with respect to a period of running compared to walking, evaluated during several phases: after 30, 45, and 60 min. This quasi-experimental study has been carried out on a total of 36 healthy recreational subjects. The subjects were evaluated during two different activities: running activity for a period of an hour with respect to normal walking activity. The main outcome measures were the foot posture index (FPI) and the navicular drop test (NDT), which were evaluated at p1 (the screening day), after 30 min of activity (p2), after 45 min of activity (p3), and finally after 60 min (p4) during running or walking activity. The analysis showed significant differences for the FPI and NDT variables in both groups and on both feet, comparing p1 and p4. These changes showed a significant relationship comparing p1 and p3 for the FPI variable, and for the NDT variable (p < 0.001) of the left foot and, with respect to the right foot, significance was shown to the FPI comparing the p1 and p2. A significant difference was found in the tendency to pronate the foot after a period of running compared to the same period of walking after 60 min of activity. Running produced an excessive pronation of the foot after 45 min of activity, evaluated with the FPI for both feet.

Pilot Study: Effect of Morton's Extension on the Subtalar Joint Forces in Subjects with Excessive Foot Pronation.

This study focuses on the assessment of the mechanical effect produced by Morton's extension as an orthopedic intervention in patients with bilateral foot pronation posture, through a variation in hindfoot and forefoot prone-supinator forces during the stance phase of gait. A quasi-experimental and transversal research was designed comparing three conditions: barefoot (A); wearing footwear with a 3 mm EVA flat insole (B); and wearing a 3 mm EVA flat insole with a 3 mm thick Morton's extension (C), with respect to the force or time relational to the maximum time of supination or pronation of the subtalar joint (STJ) using a Bertec force plate. Morton's extension did not show significant differences in the moment during the gait phase in which the maximum pronation force of the STJ is produced, nor in the magnitude of the force, although it decreased. The maximum force of supination increased significantly and was advanced in time. The use of Morton's extension seems to decrease the maximum force of pronation and increase supination of the subtalar joint. As such, it could be used to improve the biomechanical effects of foot orthoses to control excessive pronation.

Comparison of the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Self-Employed Private Healthcare Workers with Respect to Employed Public Healthcare Workers: Three-Wave Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain.

(1) Background: Coronavirus disease, also called COVID-19, is a worldwide pandemic with a major impact on all aspects of the individual (health status, psychological, and economic aspects, among others). The perception of health professionals in this situation has been influenced by their economic and psychosocial situations. On the economic level, self-employed workers have no state subsidies, with the added disadvantage of not having sufficient means to cope with contagion. This could potentially have an impact on their health and indirectly on their family members, creating additional stress. The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the level of anxiety of health professionals working in private practice compared to healthcare workers working in public institutions during the first three waves of COVID-19. (2) Methods: A cohort study on 517 subjects comparing anxiety between a group of health workers and a group of health professionals working in the public sector at three key moments during the pandemic was performed. (3) Results: Statistically significant differences were found between self-employed private health professionals compared to those working as public health workers. The perception of impact was worse in the self-employed; however, a higher level of anxiety was evident in public employees in all assessed domains (cognitive, physiological, and motor, p = 0.001). (4) Conclusions: There were significant changes when comparing the first phase between both groups; employed public healthcare workers manifested a sense of lower risk of COVID-19 contagion than privately employed professionals, who had a higher level of anxiety. In the second and third waves, negative feelings improved for both groups, and the fear of showing anxiety to the patient decreased over the course of the waves.

Relationship of the Use of Short Footwear with the Development of Hallux Valgus in a Sample of Andalusian Schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown the relationship between poor footwear fit and the risk of feet deformities. The available evidence seems to show that the development of hallux valgus deformity in the feet of schoolchildren may be related to the use of shoes that are poorly fitting in length. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to analyze the relationship between poor footwear fit in length and risk of developing hallux valgus. METHODS: Using an instrument that was designed and calibrated for this purpose, maximum foot length was obtained and compared to the inner length of the shoe in 187 schoolchildren. Hallux valgus angle (HVA) was measured on weight-bearing podogram image obtained from the longest foot in 188 schoolchildren. RESULTS: By default, the footwear was poorly fitting in length (too short or close-fitting) in 38.5% of the schoolchildren, with boys having the worst footwear fit; though no significant differences stood out. (p = 0.276). Regarding the HVA, no significant differences were recorded according to age or gender (p = 0.573). A strong correlation was observed between too-short footwear and the increase in HVA in 10-year-old boys (r = 0.817; p = 0.025) and in 9-year-old girls (r = 0.705; p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate footwear fit in length may be a predisposing extrinsic risk factor for the development of hallux valgus in schoolchildren of both sexes. Results of the present study demonstrate the need to adapt the sizes of footwear to the rapid increase in foot-length that occur at puberty to avoid the risk of developing hallux valgus, especially at the ages of onset pubertal foot growth.

A Case-Control Study of the Effects of Chronic Low Back Pain in Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters.

Chronic low back pain and biomechanical walking imbalances are closely related. It is relevant to identify if there are alterations in spatiotemporal gait patterns in subjects with CLBP (cases) versus healthy subjects (controls) to plan training interventions of motor control gait patterns, and thus allowing normal physical activity of the individual. This study is intended to identify if spatiotemporal alterations occur in the gait cycle in CLBP subjects (cases) compared with a control group (healthy patients) analyzed with an OptoGait LED sensors gait program. METHOD: A total of n = 147 participants: n = 75 cases (CLBP) and n = 72 healthy controls subjects were studied with OptoGait gait program. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the two groups and both feet in foot stride, for the differences of the total stride and contact, for gait cadence and total stride length of the gait cycle (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CLBP may alter some normal gait patterns measured by OptoGait; this finding presents imbalances in gait cycle as an underlying factor. The gait is part of daily life of any individual and it is an important physical activity in relation to the maintenance of an optimal state of health. In addition, future studies are deemed necessary.

Assessment of Selected Spatio-Temporal Gait Parameters on Subjects with Pronated Foot Posture on the Basis of Measurements Using OptoGait. A Case-Control Study.

Walking is part of daily life and in asymptomatic subjects it is relatively easy. The physiology of walking is complex and when this complex control system fails, the risk of falls increases. As a result, gait disorders have a major impact on the older adult population and have increased in frequency as a result of population aging. Therefore, the OptoGait sensor is intended to identify gait imbalances in pronating feet to try to prevent falling and injury by compensating for it with treatments that normalize such alteration. This study is intended to assess whether spatiotemporal alterations occur in the gait cycle in a young pronating population (cases) compared to a control group (non-pronating patients) analyzed with OptoGait. METHOD: a total of n = 142 participants consisting of n = 70 cases (pronators) and n = 72 healthy controls were studied by means of a 30 s treadmill program with a system of 96 OptoGait LED sensors. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the two groups and both feet in stride length and stride time, gait cycle duration and gait cadence (in all cases p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: pronating foot posture alters normal gait patterns measured by OptoGait; this finding presents imbalance in gait as an underlying factor. Prevention of this alteration could be considered in relation to its relationship to the risk of falling in future investigations.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Foot Growth and Its Correlation with Anthropometric Parameters in a Representative Cohort of Schoolchildren from Southern Spain.

Background: The relationship between growth of the foot and other anthropometric parameters during body development until puberty has been scarcely studied. Some studies propose that growth of the foot in length may be an early index of puberty. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to analyze the relationship between the growth of the foot in length and width with other anthropometric parameters, in prepubertal and early pubertal schoolchildren (Tanner stage II). Methods: Using an instrument that was designed and calibrated for this purpose, maximum foot length, width and height were obtained in 1005 schoolchildren. Results: The findings indicate that the age of onset of pubertal foot growth spur was 7-8 years in girls, and 8-9 years in boys. Growth in foot length stabilized in both sexes after 12 years of age. In boys, a strong correlation was found between height and foot length (r = 0.884; p < 0.047), and between body mass index (BMI) and forefoot width at 12 years of age (r = 0.935; p < 0.020). A strong correlation was found between height and forefoot width at 6 years in girls (r = 0.719; p < 0.001), as well as between BMI and metatarsal width in 10 years-old girls (r = 0.812; p <0.001). Conclusions: The average increase in foot length and width that precedes the onset of Tanner's stage II in both girls and boys can be considered as a useful biological indicator of the onset of puberty.

Assessment of the Anxiety Level of Andalusian Podiatrists during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Increase Phase.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-CoV-2 and represents the causative agent of a potentially fatal disease that is of great global public health concern. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease produced by the coronavirus family. The World Health Organization declared the disease a pandemic on 11 March 2020. Podiatrists are in a peculiar situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic: that of a health professional aspect and the singularity that most of them practise as self-employed workers. The aim of the study is to evaluate in a group of podiatrists, working at a national level, their knowledge, perception and degree of anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic via the use of a questionnaire specifically developed to this end in the initial phase of the pandemic. We employed a transversal descriptive study with 302 participants, with a purposive sampling technique. The degree of perception and knowledge of the podiatrists about COVID-19 was analysed as well as the cognitive impact of the situation of confinement. The results showed that the podiatrists perceive this situation as serious at the economic and health level, that they have a thorough knowledge of the disease and that they are in a moderate to severe percentile of anxiety. Additionally, 76.2% cancelled their usual work. The COVID-19 pandemic is negatively perceived by this group of podiatrists at the personal, professional, health and economic level, with even a state of anxiety being produced.

Footwear fit in schoolchildren of southern Spain: a population study.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies support the theory that ill-fitting shoes are an important source of pain and may lead to foot malformations in the medium term. Taking as reference the ideal allowance considered in the literature, the purpose of this study was to verify the outdoor footwear fit in a population of schoolchildren of southern Spain. METHODS: Five hundred and five children within the range of 3-12 years of age participated in this study. Using a measuring instrument designed and validated for this purpose, maximum foot length, width and height were obtained from the longest foot. These measurements were compared with the inner length, width and height of the footwear. An adequate toe allowance of 5-15 mm in length and 10 mm in width were estimated. RESULTS: Inner footwear length was shorter than foot length in 33.3% of the schoolchildren. Based on the allowance established, it was observed that the footwear of the schoolchildren was too short and too narrow in 72.5 and 66.7% of the cases, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Only one third of the participants analysed had well-fitted footwear. The results show that it is necessary to raise awareness among parents and teachers about the importance of replacing, periodically, the footwear of children in primary education. Manufacturers should adapt the lasts considering the use of 90th percentiles instead of mean values obtained from the growth curves of schoolchildren's feet.

Estrategias para promocionar la salud podológica, después de 10 años / Strategies to promote podiatric health, after 10 years

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