Navicular drop is negatively associated with flexor hallucis brevis thickness in community-dwelling older adults

• Published in: Gait & posture Vol. 78; pp. 30 - 34
• Main Authors: Fukumoto, Yoshihiro, Asai, Tsuyoshi, Ichikawa, Masaru, Kusumi, Hiroyuki, Kubo, Hiroki, Oka, Tomohiro, Kasuya, Akihiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier B.V 01.05.2020
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Calcaneus - anatomy & histology; Female; Flatfoot - physiopathology; Foot - physiopathology; Foot intrinsic muscle; Hallux Valgus - physiopathology; Humans; Male; Medial longitudinal arch; Muscle thickness; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Navicular drop; Older adults; Sitting Position; Standing Position; Tarsal Bones - anatomy & histology; Tarsal Bones - physiopathology; Ultrasonography; Navicular drop; Foot intrinsic muscle; Muscle thickness; Medial longitudinal arch; Older adults
• ISSN: 0966-6362; 1879-2219
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2020.03.009

•A thicker FHB contributes to a higher navicular height and a smaller navicular drop.•FHB thickness and navicular height or drop association is not influenced by the hallux valgus angle.•None of the foot intrinsic muscles are associated with the rearfoot angle. Flatfoot is characterized as a lower longitudinal arch and is a common foot deformity in older adults. Foot intrinsic muscle dysfunction has been considered as one of the factors for a lower medial longitudinal arch. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of the navicular drop with the thickness of foot intrinsic muscles in older adults. Research question: Which intrinsic muscle contributes most to support the medial longitudinal arch in older adults? We studied 88 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 74.2 ± 6.2 years). We measured the navicular height, the calcaneus inclination, and hallux valgus angle on the right foot in the sitting and standing positions using a 3D foot scanner. Then, we calculated the navicular drop and changes in the calcaneus inclination from the sitting to the standing position. The muscle thickness of the flexor hallucis brevis (FHB), flexor digitorum brevis (FDB), and abductor hallucis (AbH) was measured on the right foot using Bmode ultrasonography. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that FHB thickness was significantly associated with navicular height in the standing positions (β = 8.568, P = 0.016) as well as navicular drop (β = −9.495, P = 0.037) after adjusting for age, sex, height, weight, and hallux valgus angle. There was no association with FDB or AbH. The thickness of any intrinsic muscle was not associated with the calcaneus inclination or changes in the calcaneus inclination. Our data suggest that FHB plays an important role in preventing navicular drop and that intrinsic muscles likely do not contribute to the rearfoot angle in older adults.