title: Static Foot Posture and Mobility Associated With Postural Sway in Elderly Women Using a Three-dimensional Foot Scanner.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maintaining balance is a complex phenomenon that is influenced by a range of sensorimotor factors. Foot posture and mobility may also influence balance and postural sway. Recently, three-dimensional foot scanners have been used to assess foot posture. This tool allows many individuals to be scanned quickly and easily and helps reduce patients' radiation exposure. The objective of this study was to determine whether static foot posture and mobility are independently associated with postural sway in a large community sample of older women using objective measures of balance status and the recently launched technology of three-dimensional foot scanning.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study included 140 community-dwelling elderly women (mean ± SD age, 73.9 ± 5.1 years) recruited in Kasama City, Japan. The postural sway variables were total path length and area and were measured by force plate. We measured static foot posture, sitting and standing navicular height, and mobility using a three-dimensional foot scanner. Foot mobility was determined as the amount of vertical navicular excursion between the positions of the subtalar joint, from neutral in sitting position to relaxed bilateral standing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting for potential cofounders, analysis of covariance revealed that sitting navicular height was associated with total path length (P = .038) and area (P = .031). Foot mobility was associated with total path length (P = .018).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that sitting navicular height and foot mobility are associated with postural sway in elderly women and might be an important factor in defining balance control in older adults.
authors.affiliation: * University of Tsukuba Department of Health and Sport Sciences.
authors.forename: Mahshid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saghazadeh
authors.affiliation: ‡ Physical Fitness Research Institute Meiji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsunoda
authors.affiliation: § University of Tsukuba Department of Health and Sport Sciences.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Soma
authors.affiliation: ¶ University of Tsukuba Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okura