Effect of a Forefoot Off-loading Postoperative Shoe on Muscle Activity, Posture, and Static Balance.

Conclusions: The posterior shift in center of pressure toward and behind the ankle joint axis is believed to result in the increase in tibialis anterior muscle activity that now acts as the primary stabilizer around the ankle. Instability may, therefore, increase in patients with weak tibialis anterior muscles (eg, diabetic neuropathy) who need to wear offloading devices for ulcer management. We suggest that the addition of a contralateral shoe raise fitted with a FOPS may potentially be beneficial in maintaining stability while off-loading the forefoot in this patient group. PMID: 23328851 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association - Category: Podiatry Authors: Tags: J Am Podiatr Med Assoc Source Type: research