Orthoses, exercises improve flat feet in children

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BioMechanics January 2006

Orthoses, exercises improve flat feet in children

By: Lori Rochelle Roniger

Wearing orthoses and performing exercises improves the medial arch in

the feet of children with hypotonia and flat foot dysfunction,

suggested a poster presentation at the American Orthotic & Prosthetic

Association's 2005 National Assembly in September.

The study's author, Charmayne Ross, DPTSc, physical therapy director

at Dynamic Therapies in Arcadia, CA, assigned 37 children ages 18

months through five years to one of three groups: orthosis-exercise,

whose 12 subjects were instructed to wear Cascade DAFO HotDog

orthoses and to perform two sets of 10 heel lifts during twice-weekly

physical therapy sessions; orthosis, whose 13 subjects also wore the

orthoses but did no exercises; and a 12-subject control group that

received no interventions. All study subjects had developmental

difficulties, including autism and Down syndrome.

Arch index, velocity, step length, single limb support, and cadence

were measured using the GAITRite Portable Walkway System at baseline

and over a six-month period.

The orthosis group had significant arch index changes from baseline

to six months, the orthosis-exercise group's arch results approached

significance, and the control group's arches became worse. As to why

the orthosis-exercise group did not see significant arch

improvements, Ross pointed to the study's relatively small sample

size and hypothesized that the children in that group may not have

worn their orthoses enough. The other gait measures changed

significantly for all three groups, although the orthosis and

orthosis-exercise groups experienced greater changes.

" Physical therapy works, " Ross said of the study's results. " Early

intervention is worthwhile. "

http://biomech.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=175804027