2009 Volume 54 Issue 3 Pages 198-205
This study aimed to examine the sex, age, and right and left differences of floating-toe and the relationship between floating-toe and physique in 579 preschool children (296 boys and 283 girls) aged from 3 to 6 years. The contact surface area of the soles was pictured during standing on a Pedoscope with bare feet. The presence of floating-toe was judged by trained testers. About 40 to 60 percent of the children were judged to have a floating toe. It was further clarified that the recently observed increase in children with floating-toe occurs in all age levels, from 3 to 6 years of age. The floating-toe occurred predominantly in the order of the fifth, fourth, second, and third toes, with 90 percent of the children having the fifth floating-toe. There were few sex, age, or right and left differences and little relationship to physique in the rate of children with floating-toe. It will be necessary to examine the cause of the floating-toe and its influence on the body in detail in the future.
