Matsumoto Yuka, Ogihara Naomichi
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Graduate Course of Health and Social Services, Graduate School of Saitama Prefectural University, Saitama, Japan.
Clin Anat. 2025 Mar;38(2):116-126. doi: 10.1002/ca.24171. Epub 2024 Apr 20.
The plantar aponeurosis (PA) is an elastic longitudinal band that contributes to the generation of a propulsive force in the push-off phase during walking and running through the windlass mechanism. However, the dynamic behavior of the PA remains unclear owing to the lack of direct measurement of the strain it generates. Therefore, this study aimed to visualize and quantify the PA behavior during two distinct foot postures: (i) neutral posture and (ii) windlass posture with midtarsal joint plantarflexion and metatarsophalangeal joint dorsiflexion, using computed tomography scans. Six healthy adult males participated in the experiment, and three-dimensional reconstruction of the PA was conducted to calculate its path length, width, thickness, and cross-sectional area. This study successfully visualized and quantified the morphological changes in the PA induced by the windlass mechanism, providing a precise reference for biomechanical modeling. This study also highlighted the interindividual variability in the PA morphology and stretching patterns. Although the windlass posture was not identical to that observed in the push-off phase during walking, the observed PA behavior provides valuable insights into its mechanics and potential implications for foot disorders.
足底腱膜（PA）是一条弹性纵向带，在行走和跑步的蹬离阶段，通过绞盘机制助力产生推进力。然而，由于缺乏对其产生应变的直接测量，PA的动态行为仍不清楚。因此，本研究旨在使用计算机断层扫描，可视化并量化PA在两种不同足部姿势下的行为：（i）中立姿势和（ii）中跗关节跖屈和跖趾关节背屈的绞盘姿势。六名健康成年男性参与了实验，并对PA进行了三维重建，以计算其路径长度、宽度、厚度和横截面积。本研究成功地可视化并量化了绞盘机制引起的PA形态变化，为生物力学建模提供了精确参考。本研究还强调了PA形态和拉伸模式的个体间差异。尽管绞盘姿势与行走蹬离阶段观察到的姿势并不完全相同，但观察到的PA行为为其力学机制以及足部疾病的潜在影响提供了有价值的见解。
