Human in vivo talocrural contributions to ankle joint complex kinematics during walking, running, and hopping

The human ankle joint complex, consisting of calcaneus, talus, and tibia, is often simplified as a single functional ankle joint, neglecting the motion of the talus. Understanding the individual contributions of the talus and calcaneus is crucial for comprehending ankle joint complex function in hea...

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Main Authors: Anja-Verena Behling, Lauren Welte, Michael J. Rainbow, Luke Kelly
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Heliyon
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402417332X
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author Anja-Verena Behling
Lauren Welte
Michael J. Rainbow
Luke Kelly
author_facet Anja-Verena Behling
Lauren Welte
Michael J. Rainbow
Luke Kelly
author_sort Anja-Verena Behling
collection DOAJ
description The human ankle joint complex, consisting of calcaneus, talus, and tibia, is often simplified as a single functional ankle joint, neglecting the motion of the talus. Understanding the individual contributions of the talus and calcaneus is crucial for comprehending ankle joint complex function in healthy populations, and alterations in function that may exist in clinical conditions.To achieve accurate bone kinematics, high-resolution biplanar videoradiography was used with participants engaged in walking and running (n = 9) and hopping (n = 9) with no overlap in participants. The rotation axes for the calcaneus and talus were analysed relative to the tibia over the ankle joint dorsi-/plantar flexion phases. Contributions of the talocrural joint to overall ankle joint complex function were measured by comparing the range of motion (talus relative to calcaneus).Most of the sagittal plane motion in the ankle joint complex (80%) occurred in the talocrural joint, with the subtalar joint contributing 20%. Rotation of the calcaneus about the tibia dominated frontal and transverse plane motion during hopping. Although surprisingly large ranges of talus motion were also observed in these planes (>5deg), indicating notable inter-subject variability and that the talocrural joint is not a simple hinge joint.The study highlights the importance of directly quantifying talus motion to understand ankle joint complex function. The results showed opposing talus and calcaneus movements for many participants during different locomotor tasks, which may influence the magnitude and distribution of subtalar joint loading. In addition, the large out-of-sagittal plane movements and inter-subject variability in talus and calcaneus motion may further emphasize the need for personalised models to investigate treatments for ankle pathologies.
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spelling doaj-art-ac0bc4cb49df466aae573e12a1a81d3a2025-01-17T04:50:50ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402025-01-01111e41301Human in vivo talocrural contributions to ankle joint complex kinematics during walking, running, and hoppingAnja-Verena Behling0Lauren Welte1Michael J. Rainbow2Luke Kelly3School of Human Movement and Nutrition Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada; Corresponding author. School of Human Movement and Nutrition Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada; Corresponding author.School of Human Movement and Nutrition Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Australian Centre for Precision Health & Technology, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia; Corresponding author. School of Human Movement and Nutrition Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.The human ankle joint complex, consisting of calcaneus, talus, and tibia, is often simplified as a single functional ankle joint, neglecting the motion of the talus. Understanding the individual contributions of the talus and calcaneus is crucial for comprehending ankle joint complex function in healthy populations, and alterations in function that may exist in clinical conditions.To achieve accurate bone kinematics, high-resolution biplanar videoradiography was used with participants engaged in walking and running (n = 9) and hopping (n = 9) with no overlap in participants. The rotation axes for the calcaneus and talus were analysed relative to the tibia over the ankle joint dorsi-/plantar flexion phases. Contributions of the talocrural joint to overall ankle joint complex function were measured by comparing the range of motion (talus relative to calcaneus).Most of the sagittal plane motion in the ankle joint complex (80%) occurred in the talocrural joint, with the subtalar joint contributing 20%. Rotation of the calcaneus about the tibia dominated frontal and transverse plane motion during hopping. Although surprisingly large ranges of talus motion were also observed in these planes (>5deg), indicating notable inter-subject variability and that the talocrural joint is not a simple hinge joint.The study highlights the importance of directly quantifying talus motion to understand ankle joint complex function. The results showed opposing talus and calcaneus movements for many participants during different locomotor tasks, which may influence the magnitude and distribution of subtalar joint loading. In addition, the large out-of-sagittal plane movements and inter-subject variability in talus and calcaneus motion may further emphasize the need for personalised models to investigate treatments for ankle pathologies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402417332X
spellingShingle Anja-Verena Behling
Lauren Welte
Michael J. Rainbow
Luke Kelly
Human in vivo talocrural contributions to ankle joint complex kinematics during walking, running, and hopping
Heliyon
title Human in vivo talocrural contributions to ankle joint complex kinematics during walking, running, and hopping
title_full Human in vivo talocrural contributions to ankle joint complex kinematics during walking, running, and hopping
title_fullStr Human in vivo talocrural contributions to ankle joint complex kinematics during walking, running, and hopping
title_full_unstemmed Human in vivo talocrural contributions to ankle joint complex kinematics during walking, running, and hopping
title_short Human in vivo talocrural contributions to ankle joint complex kinematics during walking, running, and hopping
title_sort human in vivo talocrural contributions to ankle joint complex kinematics during walking running and hopping
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402417332X
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