Home Search Sitemap Contact Bookmark

Free Dissertations - Health Dissertations

The Propulsive Phase Begins As The Heel Looses Contact With The Ground And ...



The propulsive phase begins as the heel looses contact with the ground and ends as the hallux leaves the ground. Clearly weight bearing is progressively taken by the other foot during this phase. The foot must be fully supinated and the mid-tarsal joint fully locked for this phase to be efficient. A prolonged midstance phase can occur for many reasons, most commonly if excessive pronation is occurring and this results in prolonged weight transfer through the forefoot. (Griffin T M et al. 2003)

Practical Gait Analysis.
The advent of both computer and video technologies have revolutionised the ability of the podiatrist to analyse movements, forces and loads that impinge upon the foot during not only normal gait, but sports related activities such as running and jumping. (Kirtley C 2006). This enables podiatrists to analyse gait patterns with great speed and accuracy. The dynamic mechanics of force transfer are now routinely measured and investigated with pressure sensitive insoles, pressure mats and force plates which can measure and record via transducers, in real time, allowing more sensitive and accurate diagnoses to be made thereby facilitating the appropriate and prompt application of corrective treatment modalities.

Gait analysis with the aid of specific instruments, (aside from observational gait analysis which is exclusively qualitative), is both qualitative and quantitative with quantitative motion and force data now being capable of being compiled simultaneously to conserve time and cost.

A brief overview of the literature shows an enormous array of techniques for practical gait analysis from the complex full body postural analysis of the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) (Hignett, McAtamney 2000) (CLIENT: I HAVE TAKEN THIS REFERENCE FROM YOUR PAPER, BUT IT IS NOT LISTED UNDER REFERENCES. YOU WILL NEED TO FIND IT AND RE-INSERT IT. PDG.) down to the Harris and Beath Mat which is a simple format of ink layer paper which does little more than simply demonstrate the high and low pressure areas by varying ink colour (West 1987).

(Client: I have purposely left this area as I do not know the depth to which your course needs it to be covered. Clearly it can be expanded as much as you require. PDG)

Abnormal Gait Patterns.
This is a potentially vast topic and we do not presume to present anything other than an overview in this dissertation.


Thanks