Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Severe Obesity: Effects on Foot Mechanics During Walking

1994; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/107110079401500106

1944-7876

Stephen P. Messier, Angela B. Davies, Dominic Moore, Shala E. Davis, Robert J. Pack, Scott C. Kazmar,

Foot and Ankle Surgery

The purpose of our study was to determine the effects of severe obesity on the foot mechanics of adult females. Twenty-nine adult females between the ages of 20 and 48 years volunteered as subjects for this investigation. The subjects were separated into a severely obese (O) group (body mass index = 41.14 ± 2.61; N = 16) and a normal weight control group (body mass index = 20.84 ± 0.47; N = 13). A Locam camera (100 Hz) positioned perpendicular to the subjects’ posterior aspect was used to film the rearfoot movement of the subjects during the final 15 sec of a 10 min treadmill walk. The O group had a significantly greater touchdown angle ( P = .05), more total eversion range of motion ( P = .001), and a faster maximum eversion velocity ( P < .001). Moreover, analysis of dynamic foot angles indicated that the O group had significantly ( P = .003) more forefoot abduction. Finally, anthropometric data revealed statistically different ( P < .001) Q angle measurements between the O and control groups. The results of this study suggest that severely obese females have significantly greater rearfoot motion, foot angle, and Q angle values than normal weight females.