A Study of Structural Foot Deformity in Stroke Patients

by MASS4D® Prescription Orthotics January 25, 2017

The subjects of this study were hemiplegic patients who were diagnosed with a stroke through computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.

The aim of this study was to examine the foot shape of hemiplegic patients by using the foot posture index (FPI) and to understand how stroke affects foot joint deformity in hemiplegic patients by using different testing methods.

The FPI values of the non-paretic side of the hemiplegic patients and the control group were observed to be within the normal range.

In addition to the foot posture index (FPI), the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) test was used to measure the degree of spasticity of the ankle plantar flexors.

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According to the results collected, the joint of the supinated foot of stroke patients had a high score in the MAS test.

The Navicular Drop Test (NDT) was used to investigate the degree of navicular change.

It was found that when the hemiplegic patients changed their position from a neutral subtalar joint position to a standing position, the drop on the paretic side was greater than that on the non-paretic side and that of the control subjects.

The Resting Calcaneal Stance Position (RCSP) test was used to identify the location change of the heel bone.

The RCSP test results revealed that the foot joints of the hemiplegic patients on the paretic side were found in eversion than those on the non-paretic side. This indicated that the feet of the hemiplegic patients on the paretic side had an overall supinated shape.

This was supported with the strong negative correlation between the RCSP and the FPI.

The research established that the higher the degree of spasticity, the more supinated the foot; moreover patients whose degree of change in the navicular bone was low exhibited a high degree of spasticity and supination of the foot joint.

Copyright 2017 MASS4D® All rights reserved. 

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References:

1. Gwon Uk Jang, Mi Gyoug Kweon, Seol Park, Ji Young Kim, Ji Won Park (2015) A study of structural foot deformity in stroke patients. Journal of Physical Therapy Science: 2015, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 191-194.

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