Degeneracy of the Foot and Ankle Complex Enables Stable and Adaptable Tibial Motion in Human Locomotion
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Authors
Ferguson, Maximilian
Date
2025-10-03
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Biomechanics , Locomotion , Arch Motion , Running , Degeneracy
Alternative Title
Abstract
The pronounced medial arch of the foot is an important component in upright gait, however, its function and relationship with surrounding joints is not fully understood. The upright gait hypothesis describes the arches’ role in posteriorly tilting the hindfoot to accommodate talocrural articulation. It was also noted that during running, the motion of the arch seems to enable the tibia to maintain an upright and consistent angle during stance. The upright gait hypothesis of arch motion was put forward following an experiment where arch recoil was mathematically removed. While promising, it has not been experimentally verified. There has thus far been no research that 1) quantifies the consistent motion of the tibia and its response to perturbation 2) directly quantifies the relationship between the motion of the joints of the foot and ankle in the presence of experimental perturbation.
We leveraged three studies using different combinations of biplanar videoradiography and optical motion capture to observe sagittal plane kinematics of the foot, ankle, and leg. Our first two studies perturbed the arch through physical blocking using an arch supporting orthotic (study 1) and inhibiting the plantar muscles of the foot (study 2). We found that tibial angle variation was lower than all other surrounding joints/segments of the lower body, regardless of experimental intervention. We also found a significant positive relationship between the arch and the metatarsal phalangeal joints’ respective range of motion (ROM) and push off posture. In the third study we investigated tibial angle and foot and ankle motion adjustments made when accelerating and decelerating. We found that during acceleration the tibia tended to lean forward more than constant speed running during the second half of stance phase. Deceleration did not have a consistent effect on tibial angle. We also found that the relationships between the arch and the metatarsal phalangeal joint motion were consistent across all kinematic tasks.
These findings are consistent with the concept that the foot and ankle are a degenerate system, which means that high variability in both motion and morphology facilitates consistent yet adaptable motion of the lower leg.
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Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.