Associations of Foot Posture and Function to Lower Extremity Pain: Results From a Population‐Based Foot Study
Open Access
- 1 November 2013
- journal article
- lower extremity-pain
- Published by Wiley in Arthritis Care & Research
- Vol. 65 (11), 1804-1812
- https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.22049
Abstract
Objective Studies have implicated foot posture and foot function as risk factors for lower extremity pain. Empirical population‐based evidence for this assertion is lacking; therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate cross‐sectional associations of foot posture and foot function to lower extremity joint pain in a population‐based study of adults. Methods Participants were members of the Framingham Foot Study. Lower extremity joint pain was determined by the response to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey–type question, “On most days do you have pain, aching or stiffness in your (hips, knees, ankles, or feet)?” The Modified Arch Index classified participants as having planus, rectus (referent), or cavus foot posture. The Center of Pressure Excursion Index classified participants as having overpronated, normal (referent), or oversupinated foot function. Crude and adjusted (age, sex, and body mass index) logistic regression determined associations of foot posture and function to lower extremity pain. Results Participants with planus structure had higher odds of knee (odds ratio [OR] 1.57, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.24–1.99) or ankle (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.05–2.06) pain, whereas those with a cavus foot structure had increased odds of ankle pain only (OR 7.56, 95% CI 1.99–28.8) and pain at 1 lower extremity site (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.04–1.80). Associations between foot function and lower extremity joint pain were not statistically significant except for a reduced risk of hip pain in those with an oversupinated foot function (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.51–0.93). Conclusion These findings offer a link between foot posture and lower extremity pain, highlighting the need for longitudinal or intervention studies.This publication has 61 references indexed in Scilit:
- Musculoskeletal conditions of the foot and ankle: Assessments and treatment optionsBest Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology, 2012
- Functional foot symmetry and its relation to lower extremity physical performance in older adults: The Framingham Foot StudyJournal of Biomechanics, 2012
- Association of flat feet with knee pain and cartilage damage in older adultsArthritis Care & Research, 2011
- Risk Factors for Self-Reported Exercise-Related Leg Pain in High School Cross-Country AthletesJournal of Athletic Training, 2010
- Foot pain: Is current or past shoewear a factor?Arthritis Care & Research, 2009
- Obesity and pronated foot type may increase the risk of chronic plantar heel pain: a matched case-control studyBMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2007
- Foot pain in community-dwelling older people: an evaluation of the Manchester Foot Pain and Disability IndexRheumatology, 2006
- How Animals Move: An Integrative ViewScience, 2000
- Biomechanical Analysis of the Effect of Orthotic Shoe InsertsSports Medicine, 2000
- The framingham offspring study. Design and preliminary dataPreventive Medicine, 1975