Volume 28, Issue 147, May 2024

Exploring the complex interplay: Correlation between pronated foot and pelvic inclination, femoral anteversion, quadriceps angle, tibial torsion and talus head position in asymptomatic adults

Ashish Tyagi^1♦, Patitapaban Mohanty², Monalisha Pattnaik³

¹Physiotherapist, JPNATC (Trauma Centre), AIIMS, New Delhi, India
²Director, SV NIRTAR, Cuttack, Odisha, India
³HOD, Department of Physiotherapy, SV NIRTAR, Cuttack, Odisha, India

^♦Corresponding author
Physiotherapist, JPNATC (Trauma Centre), AIIMS, New Delhi, India

ABSTRACT

Background: Pronated foot potentially induces alterations in lower limb kinetics, influencing gait patterns and elevating energy expenditure. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of the connection between pronated foot and other static alignment factors remains lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to establish correlations between pronated foot and pelvic inclination, femoral anteversion, Q-angle, tibial torsion, and talus head position. Method: This observational study involved 100 individuals of all genders, aged 18-30, with a Foot Posture Index (FPI) score of +6 or higher. Outcome measure evaluations were performed for pelvic inclination, femoral anteversion, Q-angle, tibial torsion, and talus head position. SPSS 25.0 software was used to analyze the correlation between the FPI score and all variables, employing Pearson’s correlation and one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc Tukey tests. Results: FPI exhibited a significant positive correlation with the Q-angle (r=0.267, p=0.007), while correlations with other variables were nonsignificant. Strong positive correlations were observed between tibial torsion and talus head position (r=0.696, p=0.000). Notable differences were identified between FPI scores of 6-8 and 9-10/11-12 across these variables using one-way ANOVA. A regression model utilizing Q-angle as a predictor revealed a statistically significant relationship with FPI (R=0.267, p<0.05). Conclusion: The study revealed significant connection between FPI and Q-angle, indicating possible link between foot posture and lower limb alignment. However, while certain alignment factors showed significant differences across FPI score groups, others didn’t exhibit notable variations, indicating a complex relationship between foot posture and these alignment measures.

Keywords: FPI, pelvic inclination, femoral anteversion, tibial torsion, Q-angle, talus head position

Medical Science, 2024, 28, e40ms3320

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v28i147.e40ms3320

Published: 14 May 2024