Relationship between total weight-bearing response of the navicular and talus bones and weight-bearing response of hindfoot valgus in normal foot arch

Abstract

Assessment of the total weight-bearing response of the navicular and talus bones is essential for evaluating the load absorption function. Although the weight-bearing response of the hindfoot valgus is likely related to the total weight-bearing response of the navicular and talus bones, this relationship is not well-understood. We evaluated the relationship between the total weight-bearing response of the navicular and talus bones and the weight-bearing response of the hindfoot valgus in the normal foot arch. Twenty-three males with normal foot arches were analyzed. We scanned the right foot of each participant under both non-loading and full weight-bearing conditions, using positional magnetic resonance imaging (pMRI). We measured the vertical and medial positions of the navicular and talus bones. The total positional changes of the navicular and talus bones (ΔTPCN and ΔTPCT, respectively) were calculated from the vertical and medial displacement values, using the Pythagorean theorem. To evaluate the weight-bearing response of the hindfoot valgus, the hindfoot alignment view (HAV) was measured. The difference in HAV (ΔHAV) between non-loading and full weight-bearing conditions was considered the weight-bearing response of the hindfoot valgus. Correlations between ΔTPCN, ΔTPCT, and ΔHAV were assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient, and ΔTPCN and ΔTPCT were found to be moderately correlated with ΔHAV. Our study indicated that the total weight-bearing response of the navicular and talus bones correlated with the weight-bearing response of the hindfoot valgus in healthy adult males with normal foot arch.