Criteria of Supporting Characteristics of the Human Foot

Abstract

The article presents the results of the study of the supporting characteristics of the human foot. The biomechanics of the foot is always considered in terms of its support and spring function. Overloading of the systems that support the arch - impaired foot function, distorts the overall motor stereotype, there are unwanted redistributions of forces and overload, which are transmitted to other parts of the musculoskeletal system, resulting in pathology. The leading place among diseases of the musculoskeletal system is occupied by various deformations of the feet. Diagnosis of human posture would not be complete without measuring and assessing the state of support and spring properties of the foot. Clinical analysis of movement and posturological examination are required to objectively assess the distribution of the load caused by human body weight and its effect on locomotion. When analyzing the loads on the foot, it is necessary to consider shocks as one of the types of dynamic loads. An analysis of the scientific literature has shown that the supporting properties of the foot have not been fully studied. However, most domestic and foreign researchers agree that to influence the proper formation of the arch of the foot is much more effective than preventive methods in childhood. Therefore, it is very important to identify existing deviations of foot deformities in children and to determine effective means of its correction.
 The purpose of the study is to increase the accuracy of estimating the biomechanical parameters of the human foot by assessing the impact of reference loads on the relevant phases of the step cycle. The subject of research is biomechanical, namely the supporting characteristics of the foot. The problem is solved by developing a new comprehensive method of analysis of the reference load, which allows you to assess the static and dynamic component of the load on the foot and is to determine the support characteristics. Several groups of subjects were selected as the object of study: control (relatively healthy) and III experimental groups with impaired foot function of varying degrees. In the course of research conducted in this work, it was found that the maximum contact per unit time has the front part (repulsion phase), then - the rear part (landing phase) and the lowest - the middle part of the foot (rolling phase). The greater the speed and length of the step, the greater the coefficient of shock loads, and their peak falls on the front and rear sections. It was found that in subjects with a shortening of the length of one of the lower extremities, with increasing difference in length increases the total load on the supporting limb, and decreases the force of the frontal shock. It is proved that the support force factor (static and dynamic component) can be used as a diagnostic criterion that affects the determination of foot deformity. Based on the calculation of the coefficients of determination, it is assumed that the presence of a certain deformation of the foot depends in part on the factor of support force.
 The practical significance of the obtained results is to improve the existing methods of studying biomechanical parameters by comprehensively assessing the peculiarities of standing and walking, step cycle and support-spring properties of the foot. Also, the results can be used in research and serve as an expert assessment of functional disorders in patients with lesions of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, vestibular disorders.