Radiographic features of OA in commonly affected foot joints can be documented with high levels of agreement within examiners and moderate levels of agreement between examiners. Provided single examiners or consensus gradings are used, the atlas appears to be a useful tool to assist in the standardization of foot OA assessment for epidemiological and clinical studies.

BackgroundPlantar pressure systems are increasingly being used to evaluate foot function in both research settings and in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of the TekScan MatScan® system in assessing plantar forces and pressures during barefoot level walking.MethodsThirty participants were assessed for the reliability of measurements taken one week apart for the variables maximum force, peak pressure and average pressure. The following seven regions of the foot were investigated; heel, midfoot, 3rd-5th metatarsophalangeal joint, 2nd metatarsophalangeal joint, 1st metatarsophalangeal joint, hallux and the lesser toes.ResultsReliability was assessed using both the mean and the median values of three repeated trials. The system displayed moderate to good reliability of mean and median calculations for the three analysed variables across all seven regions, as indicated by intra-class correlation coefficients ranging from 0.44 to 0.95 for the mean and 0.54 to 0.97 for the median, and coefficients of variation ranging from 5 to 20% for the mean and 3 to 23% for the median. Selecting the median value of three repeated trials yielded slightly more reliable results than the mean.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that the TekScan MatScan® system demonstrates generally moderate to good reliability.

Background: Plantar calcaneal spurs are common, however their pathophysiology is poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and correlates of plantar calcaneal spurs in a large sample of older people.

These findings indicate that aging is associated with reduced plantarflexion strength of the toes. The paper grip test may be a useful screening tool to detect toe weakness in the clinical setting.

Epidemiological and clinical studies should incorporate observation of both OP and JSN from both DP and lateral views to determine the presence of OA in the foot, as the number of cases detected is reduced if only one radiographic feature or view is used. Radiographic foot OA is common in older people and is moderately associated with foot symptoms.