Correlation of foot arch with lower extremity gait kinematics in healthy adults.

Foot posture is characterized by the external shape of the foot and is determined by alignment of bones of the foot and the location, size and mechanical properties of the soft tissue covering them. Variations in foot posture such as pes planus or pes cavus are thought to be an intrinsic factor for injury due to altered motion of the lower extremity. The different postures thus influence segments higher up in the kinetic chain and dynamic posture during gait. Gait analysis involves a systematic measurement, description and assessment of quantities that characterize human locomotion. It becomes a necessity to learn about the intricacies of gait patterns that would predict future outcomes. Since there is a lack of literature of the effect of varied foot arches on lower extremity gait kinematics, this study aims to establish a baseline for gait patterns in healthy adults.

AIM: To study the effects of foot arch on lower extremity gait kinematics.

OBJECTIVES: 1. To assess foot posture in healthy adults.

2. To procure lower extremity gait kinematics with force plate analysis of healthy adults.

3. To correlate 3D gait analysis with foot posture in healthy adults.

INCLUSION CRITERIA:  Healthy adults in the age group of 18-25 years EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Any musculoskeletal trauma or soft tissue injury of the lower limb, neurological conditions within the past 6 months which can influence the normal gait pattern in participants