| Objective: To investigate the effect of different severity of flexible flatfoot on walking function in school-age children. Methods: In this study, 30 children with mild, moderate or severe flexible flatfoot and 30 normal children were included according to the clinical flatfoot grading criteria, and the data were collected under walking condition by applying the 3D motion analysis system, and the data of each group were compared to analyze the effects of different severity of flatfoot on the walking function of school-age children. Results: Compared with the normal children group, the step length, step speed, maximum ankle dorsiflexion angle, and average ankle inversion angle in stance phase were significantly reduced in the children with flat feet group (P<0.01); the step width, the percentage of stance phase and the first peak value of the ground reaction force in the internal and external directions increased significantly (P<0.01); the knee flexion angle and the maximum external rotation angle of the hip joint on initial contact decreased significantly (P<0.05). In the mild group, the ankle plantarflexion angle on initial contact was significantly increased as compared with the normal group (P<0.01), and the foot external orientation angle and hip flexion and extension range of motion were significantly reduced (P<0.01); the maximum knee flexion angle in swing phase was significantly reduced as compared with that in the moderate and severe groups and the normal group (all P<0.05). The mean valgus angle of the knee joint in stance phase of the moderate group was significantly lower than that of the severe group and the normal group (P<0.01). The maximum power of the hip joint was significantly reduced in the mild and moderate groups as compared with that in the normal group (P<0.05). The amplitude of ankle flexion and extension motion and the maximum inversion moment of the ankle joint were significantly reduced in the severe group as compared with those in the normal group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The effects of different severity of flatfoot on walking efficiency, walking stability, and joint coordination in school-age children were significant; children with mild flatfoot showed more abnormalities in joint coordination than children with moderate or severe flatfoot. The effects of flatfoot on walking function in school-age children did not show a progressive effect with increasing severity. |
