Electrical stimulation stretching technique for high arch foot radiological angle changes

• Register: ANZCTR
• Last refreshed on: 13 January 2020
• Main ID: ACTRN12615000387527
• Date of registration: 28/04/2015
• Prospective Registration: No
• Primary sponsor: University of Sevilla (Spain)
• Public title: Electrical stimulation stretching technique for high arch foot radiological angle changes
• Scientific title: Changes in the Internal Moreau-Costa-Bertani, the first metatarsal declination and calcaneal pitch angles before, immediately after, and one week after administering the neuromuscular stretching technique to people with pes cavus.
• Date of first enrolment: 10/03/2013
• Target sample size: 34
• Recruitment status: Completed
• URL: https://anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12615000387527.aspx
• Study type: Interventional
• Study design: Purpose: Treatment; Allocation: Non-randomised trial; Masking: Open (masking not used);Assignment: Single group;Type of endpoint: Efficacy;
• Phase: Not Applicable

Countries of recruitment

Spain

Contacts

• Name: Prof Lourdes Maria Fernandez Seguin

• Name: Prof Lourdes Maria Fernandez Seguin

Key inclusion & exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: (I) having pes cavus. For this criterion, a weight-bearing lateral radiograph was taken of the dominant foot, measuring the Internal Moreau-Costa-Bertani angle, with pes cavus corresponding to a value greater than 125 degrees.

Exclusion criteria: (I)having a degenerative musculoskeletal, tumoral, or systemic disease
(II)having undergone foot surgery
III)having received manual foot treatment of some sort in the four weeks prior to the study
(IV)using orthopodiatric treatment for pes cavus
(V)having had serious trauma to the foot.

Age minimum: 18 Years
Age maximum: 45 Years
Gender: Both males and females

Health Condition(s) or Problem(s) studied

Physical Medicine / Rehabilitation - Physiotherapy

Cavus foot;
Cavus foot

Musculoskeletal - Other muscular and skeletal disorders

Intervention(s)

First we diagnosed pes cavus from a -bearing lateral radiography of both feet. The radiological angles were measured using the AutoCad'Registered Trademark'(AutoCad 2007) software package.
The electrotherapy instrument used to provoke the stretching of the fascia and of the intrinsic muscles of the foot was the TENS MED 931'Registered Trademark'(Enraf-Nonius, Rotterdam, Netherlands). The neuromuscular stretching was carried out on the subject's dominant foot. The contralateral foot was the control. To stretch the fascia and intrinsic muscles through electrical stimulation, the stimulating electrodes were put in place and the subject stood on one leg, holding on to a bar to keep steady. The current intensity was increased until we observed contraction of the toes (besides, the current intensity depends on the threshold of tolerance of each subject) At that point we stopped increasing the current. When relaxation of the toes was evident to the examiner, the intensity of the current was again increased until there was another toe contraction. This procedure was repeated thrice as is established for post-isometric muscle relaxation procedures. The duration of the stretching varied from subject to subject, but ranged from 2 to 5 minutes.
Post-intervention radiographic measurements were performed immediately after the completion of the neuromuscular technique, following the protocol described above. To evaluate the short-term effects, these measurements were repeated one week after the intervention.

Primary Outcome(s)

-Calcaneal pitch angle.

This angle results from the intersection of the line tangent to the plantar surface of the calcaneus with the line parallel to the horizontal of the ground.


[This angle was measured three times:
- Before the intervention technique (stretching)
-Immediately after stretching
-Second timepoint( one week after stretching)]

-Internal Moreau-Costa-Bertani angle.
To measure this angle, three points are marked:
(1) the lowest point of the posterior calcaneal tuberosity;
(2) the lowest point of the talar head;
and (3) the plantarmost surface of the internal sesamoid.

The two lines formed by joining points 1 and 2 and points 2 and 3 give the final angle as a result.


[This angle was measured three times:
- Before the intervention technique (stretching)
-Immediately after stretching
-Second timepoint (one week after stretching)]

-First metatarsal declination angle.

This angle results from the intersection between the axis of the first metatarsal shaft and the horizontal.

[This angle was measured three times:
- Before the intervention technique (stretching)
-Immediately after stretching
-Second timepoint( one week after stretching)]

Secondary Outcome(s)

Nil[Nil]

Secondary ID(s)

Nil

Source(s) of Monetary Support

University of Sevilla (Spain)

Secondary Sponsor(s)

Lourdes Maria Fernandez-Seguin

Ethics review

Status: Approved
Approval date:
Contact:

COMITE ETICO DE EXPERIMENTACION DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DE SEVILLA