Ankle Braces & Foot Support
2016-05-24
The feet are the basis of the human body. They are the mostly used body parts and have to carry the complete body weight when walking upright. They bear all strains during walking, running and jumping. Alone the Achilles tendon of the foot, is able to withstand a weight of approx. 1 ton. Despite its extreme stability, the foot is a filigree masterpiece of nature. It consists of 26 bones, 27 joints, 32 muscles and tendons, 107 ligaments and 1.700 nerve endings. Foot Anatomy
Roughly, the human foot can be divided into forefoot, middlefoot and backfoot. The short and long foot muscles brace the foot arch and enable the foot to accomplish various movements. Normally, every healthy foot has a medial arch and a metatarsal arch, but there are also malpositions such as splay-foot, drop-foot, knock- foot and flat feet. Heel and forefoot are carrying the biggest part of the body weight, whereas there is relatively little weight load on the toes as well on the outer edges of the foot.Ankle joint Anatomy
The connection joint between foot and lower thigh is the ankle joint. A distinction is made between upper and lower ankle joint. The upper ankle joint consists of shin bone, calf bone tip and ankle bone - talus. It allows the motion between foot and lower thigh, and is responsible for lifting and lowering the foot. These movements are important for the flexing action during walking. Furthermore, they provide repulsion force for jumping. The upper ankle joint is the mostly loaded joint of the human body. It is especially injury-prone, because the natural stability of the joint decreases while lowering the foot. Therefore, the upper ankle joint is often sprained or twisted. When this happens, the ligaments of the upper ankle joint can become overstretched, strained or even torn. Fractures of the ankle, damages of the cartilage and joint injuries are possible further consequences. Existing malpositions of the foot and misloads on the joint, are the basis for further damages to the upper ankle joint.Even though the lower ankle joint is anatomically divided into two sections, it forms one functional unit.In this joint, the foot moves against the ankle bone in the sense of lifting the inner foot edge supination / inversion respectively lifting the outer foot edge pronation / eversion. It is used especially during standing on inclined ground or uneven terrain. The lower ankle joint guide is supported by an extensive ligament construction.Orthopaedic aids are playing an important role for the treatment of foot and ankle joint injuries, orthopaedic malpositions as well as medical conditions of the locomotory system.
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May 2016