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I had some email dialogue with PT about this last week. here is a cut and paste of some of my comments:
Quote:
There was a small 'news article' in BioMechanics magazine a few yrs ago that reported on an abstract from a Clinical Gait Analysis Society Conference (but I looked in the abstract book and can not find it). They did a 3d analysis of the developing gait and showed that during gait that 1st MPJ dorsiflexion does not full develop until a mean of age x (I can't actually recall the age, but it was around 6) - they stated in the 'news article' that this was related to windlass function -- we sort of know that already as most below that age they have a very apropulsive gait and by around 6-7 the adult heel-toe gait develops --> ie hallux dorsifelxion DURING GAIT.
This means that the windlass is probably not working in kids under the age of 6 until that heel-toe gait pattern with hallux dorsiflexion develops --- this possibly is a contributing factor to paediatric flatfoot that is physiological.
Having said that - if you get a kid under 6 standing and grab the hallux, the windlass works and the arch comes up ... so the windlass is capable of working, but at that age they not using hallux dorsiflexion during gait --> no windlass during gait.
Quote:
The "news article" that reported on the non-existent abstract (the reporter was at the conference) said that hallux dorsiflexion during gait did not happen until a mean age of around 6.something ... ..I not sure how they got 3d markers on such small feet, esp the MPJ????
So it´s more to do with lack of dorsiflexion of the 1st MTP joint during rather than bone and Joint development of the 1st MTP joint and the plantarfascia being able to use the joint to create the windlass mechanism.
or maybe a little of both, as the child I had has no windlass when I dorsiflexed the hallux when weightbearing. Be intersting to see her over the years.
to see if it changes.
Windlass mechanism and children
Linear Mode
