Interventions for idiopathic toe walking.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Caserta AJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6778693 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:PurposeThe aim of the present study was to investigate the functional effects on gait parameters of serial ankle casts for patients with idiopathic toe walking (ITW), in comparison with an unremarkable control group.MethodsA prospective trial with a pre-test-post-test control group design included ten patients with ITW and ten healthy matched children. Children with ITW underwent serial casting to stretch the plantar flexors, with two 14-day periods with walking plaster casts set at the maximum available ankle dorsiflexion. Both groups were assessed clinically and using a functional gait analysis before and after serial casting, as well as at a six-month follow-up visit.ResultsThe normalized plantar heel force increased from 5% pre-interventionally to 79% at the follow-up. The upper ankle-joint angle and the base angle also demonstrated significant changes. Normalized compound action potentials of the medial heads of the gastrocnemius were reduced by 70%. None of these parameters demonstrated any significant differences at the follow-up examination in comparison with the healthy control group. Variations in the displacement of the knee joint on the sagittal plane and of the center of gravity in the transverse plane did not show any significant differences in comparison with the control group.ConclusionThe reduction of muscle tone and lengthening of the ankle plantar flexors led to persistent increased active ankle dorsiflexion with significant long-term improvement of functional kinematic parameters. No significant difference in the gait analysis was found between the ITW group and healthy children six months after treatment.Level of Evidence: Level II - Therapeutic.
| S-EPMC6442509 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThere is no universally accepted treatment standard for idiopathic toe walking patients (ITW) in the current literature. None of the established methods provide homogenous satisfying results. In our department we treat ITW patients with lower leg orthoses with a circular foot unit for a total of 16 weeks. In this study we reviewed our database to evaluate the success of our treatment protocol for a 24 months follow up period.ResultsTwenty-two patients were included in this study. Age at the beginning of treatment was 7.0 years +/- 2.9 (range 2.5-13.1). Percentage of ITW at the beginning of treatment according to the perception of the parents was 89% +/- 22.2 (range 50-100). Immediately after the treatment with our device, percentage of ITW dropped to 11% +/- 13.2 (range 0-50). After 12 months, 73% of the patients (16/22) walked completely normal or showed ITW less than 10% of the day. After 24 months, 64% of the patients kept a normal gait (14/22).ConclusionThis study provides evidence that the treatment of idiopathic toe walking with lower leg orthoses with a circular foot unit results in satisfying long-term results in two thirds of the patients.
| S-EPMC8183056 | biostudies-literature
Project description:There is no gold-standard treatment for idiopathic toe walking (ITW). Some previous evidence suggested that botulinum neurotoxin-A injection might improve ITW. This is a single-center retrospective study on children with ITW treated with incobotulinumtoxinA injection in the gastrocnemius medialis/lateralis muscles. We screened the charts of 97 ITW children treated with incobotulinumtoxinA (January 2019-December 2021), and the data of 28 of them, who satisfied the inclusion/exclusion criteria, were analyzed. The maximal passive ankle dorsiflexion (knee extended) was assessed at three time points, i.e., immediately before incobotulinumtoxinA injection (T0), after incobotulinumtoxinA injection during the timeframe of its effect (T1), and at follow-up, when the effect was expected to disappear (T2). The maximal passive ankle dorsiflexion was improved by incobotulinumtoxinA injection, and the effect lasted up to 6 months in some children. No adverse effects were reported to incobotulinumtoxinA injections. The treatment with incobotulinumtoxinA might improve the maximal passive ankle dorsiflexion and is safe and well-tolerated in ITW with a longer-than-expected effect in comparison to cerebral palsy. These results may offer ground to future randomized controlled trials and studies assessing the effect of BoNT-A in combination with other non-invasive approaches and exercise programs in children with ITW.
| S-EPMC9694855 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo determine if children with idiopathic toe walking (ITW) reach Australian 24-hour movement guidelines. Additional objectives were to identify any factors associated with moderate to vigorous physical activity time of children with ITW.DesignCross sectional.SettingPrivate practice, public health outpatient, community clinics.ParticipantsChildren between 4 and 14 years, who toe walked and had no medical conditions known to cause ITW.Outcome measuresPhysical activity intensity, sedentary behaviour and sleep data were collected via an ActiGraph. Physical activity level intensity data were triangulated with the Child Leisure Activities Study Survey (CLASS) to highlight the subjective nature of parent-reported measures. Health related quality of life information was collected using the Parent-Proxy and Child-Self Report Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core Scale. Regression analyses were used to explore individual factors associated with moderate to vigorous physical activity.ResultsTwenty-seven participants, 17(63%) male, age mean = 6.62 (SD = 2.29) years, provided information on physical activity (CLASS n = 18, ActiGraph n = 22), physical functioning and psychosocial functioning domains on the PedsQL (Parent-Proxy n = 25, Child n = 22). All participants exceeded Australian recommendations for physical activity, 44% (8/18) met recommended screen time amounts, and two (9%) met recommended sleep times. The Child-Self Report PedsQL scale score of social functioning was the only factor associated with an increase in physical activity (Coef = 0.48, 95%CI = 0.09 to 0.87, p = 0.019).ConclusionParticipants achieved high levels of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity, and this was associated with social functioning. Given current uncertainty regarding benefits and effectiveness of treatment choices for children who have ITW, these findings should encourage clinicians to consider how their treatment recommendations interact with the PA level and sleep of children with ITW. Any treatment choice should also be implemented with consideration of how it may impact social functioning. This study had a small sample size therefore results should be cautiously interpreted and not generalised to all children with ITW.
| S-EPMC9472422 | biostudies-literature
Project description:During typical human walking, the metatarsophalangeal joints undergo extension/flexion, which we term toe joint articulation. This toe joint articulation impacts locomotor performance, as evidenced by prior studies on prostheses, footwear, sports and humanoid robots. However, a knowledge gap exists in our understanding of how individual toe properties (e.g. shape, joint stiffness) affect bipedal locomotion. To address this gap, we designed and built a pair of adjustable foot prostheses that enabled us to independently vary different toe properties, across a broad range of physiological and non-physiological values. We then characterized the effects of varying toe joint stiffness across a range of different ankle joint stiffness conditions, and the effects of varying toe shape on walking biomechanics. Ten able-bodied individuals walked on a treadmill with prostheses mounted bilaterally underneath simulator boots (which immobilized their biological ankles). We collected motion capture and ground reaction force data, then computed joint kinematics and kinetics, and center-of-mass (COM) power and work. To our surprise, we found that varying toe joint stiffness affected COM Push-off dynamics during walking as much as, or in some cases even more than, varying ankle joint stiffness. Increasing toe joint stiffness increased COM Push-off work by up to 48% (6 J), and prosthetic anklefoot Push-off work by up to 181% (12 J). In contrast, large changes in toe shape had little effect on gait. This study brings attention to the toes, an aspect of prosthetic and robotic foot design that is often overlooked or overshadowed by design of the ankle. Optimizing toe joint stiffness in assistive and robotic devices (e.g. prostheses, exoskeletons, robot feet) may provide a complementary means of enhancing Push-off or other aspects of locomotor performance, in conjunction with the more conventional approach of augmenting ankle dynamics. Future studies are needed to isolate the effects of additional toe properties (e.g. toe length).
| S-EPMC8777388 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Idiopathic toe walking (ITW) is a gait deviation characterized by forefoot contact with the ground, sometimes observed in children, that alters ankle kinematics, possibly leading to health-related issues. When studying foot and ankle gait deviations, the adoption of a single-segment foot model entails a significant simplification of foot and ankle movement, and thus may potentially mask some important foot dynamics. Differences in ankle kinematics between single- (conventional gait model, PiG, or Davis) and multi-segment (Oxford foot model, OFM) foot models were investigated in children with ITW. Fourteen participants were enrolled in the study and underwent instrumented gait analysis. Children were asked to walk barefoot and while wearing a foot orthosis that modified the ankle movement pattern toward a more physiological one without blocking foot intrinsic motion. ITW gait abnormalities, e.g., the absence of heel rocker and the presence of anticipated forefoot rocker, were found/not found according to the foot model. Walking conditions significantly interacted with the foot model effect. Finally, the different characterization of gait abnormalities led to a different classification of ITW, with a possible impact on the clinical evaluation. Due to its closer adhesion to ankle anatomy and to its sensitivity to ITW peculiarities, OFM may be preferable for instrumented gait analysis in this population.
| S-EPMC10047957 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo understand parent journeys while navigating diagnosis, assessment or treatment of their children with idiopathic toe walking (ITW).DesignMixed methods qualitative study: analyses of survey data from the measure of processes of care-20 (MPOC-20) and semistructured interviews were analysed with an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Trustworthiness of data was achieved through member checking, researcher triangulation, reflexivity and transferability and comparison with the MPOC-20 results.SettingUSA and Australia.ParticipantsParents of children diagnosed with ITW who had seen more than one health professional during their care and lived in Australia or the USA.ResultsTen parents of children aged between 3 and 13 years and diagnosed with ITW participated. Parents described complex themes relating to their journeys. The themes relating to their journeys were: (1) riding the rollercoaster of diagnosis; (2) navigating the treatment options and (3) supporting parents in the journey. Each theme was supported by parent quotes about their experiences. Challenges were not localised to one country, in spite of vastly different healthcare systems.ConclusionsThese findings create opportunities for an international approach to education, treatment recommendations and outcome measures to improve patient and parent experiences. Health professionals should consider the impact on parents in navigating between health professionals when provided with a diagnosis which can have variable outcomes and varied treatment options.
| S-EPMC7470490 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionFrequently, toe walking gait is the result of disease processes, trauma or neurogenic influences. Idiopathic toe walking (ITW) is, by definition, the diagnosis of a toe walking gait adopted in the absence of one of these medical conditions. Long-term ITW has been associated with reduced ankle range of motion. Reported treatments have included serial casting, Botulinum toxin type A or surgery to improve the ankle range of motion. Investigating the impact of simple and non-invasive treatment options for ITW is important for future research and clinical outcomes. This study investigates the immediate impact of footwear, footwear with orthotics and whole body vibration on ITW to determine if any one intervention improves heel contact and spatial-temporal gait measures. This determination is important for future clinical trials into treatment effectiveness.Methods and analysisDesignthis protocol describes a within-subject randomised controlled trial that measures changes in gait following changes in external stimuli.Participants15 children diagnosed with an ITW gait will be recruited from the Victorian Paediatric Rehabilitation Service at Monash Children's Hospital Toe Walking Clinic provided they have ITW and meet the inclusion criteria.Procedureparticipants will have their gait recorded walking barefoot, in usual footwear, a custom-made, full-length carbon fibre orthotic in usual footwear and following whole body vibration. Outcome measures will include the presence of bilateral heel contact preintervention and postintervention, stride length (cm), stride width (cm), left and right stride time (s), left and right stance and swing percentage of the gait cycle, gait velocity (m/s), left and right foot toe in/toe out angle (°) and weight-bearing lunge pre and post each condition.Ethics and disseminationThe results of this study will be published at the conclusion and have been approved by Southern Health HREC:12102B.Clinical trial registry numberACTRN12612000975897.
| S-EPMC3612749 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Human-like features, like toe-off, heel-strike can enhance the performance of bipedal robots. However, few studies have considered the anthropomorphism of walking planning. Fewer studies have achieved their toe-off, heel-strike gait planning framework in a child-sized humanoid robot platform. This paper presents a human-like walking control framework based on the Divergent Component of Motion (DCM) com planning method that enables a child-sized humanoid robot to walk with a humanoid pattern with a speed of 0.6 s per step a strike of 30 cm. The control framework consists of three parts: the human-like gait generation of the center of mass (CoM) and swings foot trajectory, the dynamic replan in phase switch and the upper body stabilization controller. The dynamic replanning of the CoM and foot trajectory can efficiently decrease the vibration in the step-phase switch. The up-body stabilization controller can reduce the up-body swing in walking and increase the robot's stability while walking. The robot uses a mems-based inertial measurement unit (IMU) and joint position encoders to estimate the current state of the robot and use force-sensitive resistors (FSR) on the robot foot to identify the actual step phase of the robot. None of these solutions is high-cost or difficult to integrate with a child-size robot. Software simulations and walking experiments are using to verify the motion control algorithm. The effectiveness of the pattern generation and the controller can realize more human-like walking styles in a child-size robot are confirmed.
| S-EPMC9044359 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Although most features of modern footwear have been intensively studied, there has been almost no research on the effects of toe springs. This nearly ubiquitous upward curvature of the sole at the front of the shoe elevates the toe box dorsally above the ground and thereby holds the toes in a constantly dorsiflexed position. While it is generally recognized that toe springs facilitate the forefoot's ability to roll forward at the end of stance, toe springs may also have some effect on natural foot function. This study investigated the effects of toe springs on foot biomechanics in a controlled experiment in which participants walked in specially-designed sandals with varying curvature in the toe region to simulate toe springs ranging from 10 to 40 degrees of curvature. Using inverse dynamics techniques, we found that toe springs alter the joint moments and work at the toes such that greater degrees of toe spring curvature resulted in lower work requirements during walking. Our results help explain why toe springs have been a pervasive feature in shoes for centuries but also suggest that toe springs may contribute to weakening of the foot muscles and possibly to increased susceptibility to common pathological conditions such as plantar fasciitis.
| S-EPMC7499201 | biostudies-literature