Investigation of a Clinically Useful Technique for the Evaluation of the Foot Shape -Sensitivity of the FOE Method and the Validity of the Screening Tests-

Abstract

[Purpose] In the present study, we analyzed the validity of several methods that are frequently used to assess the foot morphology in the clinical setting. [Subjects] The subjects were 45 healthy subjects and 30 stroke patients. [Methods] The foot volumes of subjects were measured. The relationships between the girth measures and the foot volume were investigated in healthy subjects. The girths were measured using traditional methods on 3 parts of the foot utilizing the figure-of-eight method (FOE). We also evaluated the method of girth measurements for detecting asymmetry of the foot volume in stroke patients. We investigated whether screening tests for edema and atrophy can be applied to the measurement of foot volume. [Results] The correlation between the girths and foot volume was high. This finding suggests that girths may be used as a parameter to estimate the volume of the foot. In stroke patients, when comparing the girth measurements and foot volume differences between hemiplegic limbs and non-hemiplegic limbs, there were significant correlations in FOE difference and S difference. The screening test for edema was found to be applicable, however the screening test for atrophy was not reliable in this study. [Conclusion] These results suggest that girth measurement is insufficient for accurately determining the foot volume and that a combination of the different evaluation methods may be required to properly assess the foot volume.