Ultrasound assessment of distal femoral cartilage thickness measurements after walking/jogging in subjects with pes planus.

Abstract

Because there is a closed kinematic chain between the lower extremity joints during weight-bearing activities, pes planus can affect knee biomechanics. This study aimed to measure distal femoral cartilage thickness with ultrasound after 3 different conditions (at rest, during walking and jogging) in subjects with pes planus and compare these conditions with each other and also with controls. Sixteen participants with pes planus(5-men, 11-women; aged 18-30 years) and 16 controls(3-men, 13-women; aged 18-30 years) were enrolled. Distal femoral cartilage thickness was evaluated with ultrasound before and after three separate 30-min conditions. Preferred walking speed (PWS) was determined on the ground. Subjects walked on a treadmill for 30-min at their PWS and jogged 30-min at 30% above their PWS. The Foot Function Index and the Foot-Ankle Outcome Survey were used to evaluate the clinical and functional status of the subjects. Neither PWSs nor jogging speeds were statistically different between groups (p > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between groups for absolute and percent change of cartilage thickness for all three conditions (p > 0.05). There were also no statistically significant differences between conditions for each intragroup (p > 0.05). The median Foot Function Index score of the subjects with pes planus was 9.78(0-44.35) for the right foot and 9.52(0-40.87) for the left foot. The median the Foot-Ankle Outcome Survey score of the subjects with pes planus was 88(65-100). There was no difference in knee joint cartilage deformations under different loading conditions, neither in subjects with pes planus nor in controls.