ISSN: 1449-1907International Journal of Medical Sciences
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Int J Med Sci 2018; 15(9):907-914. doi:10.7150/ijms.25836 This issue Cite
Research Paper
Rehabilitative ultrasound imaging of the bilateral intrinsic plantar muscles and fascia in post-stroke survivors with hemiparesis: A case-control study.
1. Nursing and Physical Therapy Department, Institute of Biomedicine (IBIOMED), Universidad de León, Ponferrada, León, Spain.
2. Centro superior de estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
3. Unidad de Daño Cerebral, Hospital Beata Maria Ana, Madrid, Spain
4. Health science and Physical Therapy Research group, Physiotherapy Department, Faculty of Health, Exercise and Sport, European University of Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, Madrid, Spain
5. Research, Health and Podiatry Unit. Department of Health Sciences. Faculty of Nursing and Podiatry. Universidade da Coruña, Spain.
6. School of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry. University Complutense of Madrid, Spain.
7. Faculty of Health Sciences. University Rey Juan Carlos, Spain.
8. Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Badajoz. University of Extremadura, Spain.
Abstract
Purpose: The study main aim was to compare the cross-sectional area (CSA) and thickness of the plantar muscles and fascia in the hemiparesis and contralateral feet of poststroke survivors with respect to healthy feet of matched controls.
Methods: A case-control observational study was performed using B-mode rehabilitative ultrasound imaging. A convenience sampling method was used to select 60 feet. The sample was divided into 20 feet ipsilateral and 20 feet contralateral to the hemiparesis lower limb from poststroke survivors, as well as 20 healthy feet from matched controls. The CSA and thickness of the abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis and flexor hallucis brevis, as well as the thickness for the posterior, middle and anterior plantar fascia portions were measured. Comparisons and multivariate predictive analyses were carried out for ultrasound measurements. In all analyses, a P-value<.01 with a 99% confidence interval was considered as statistically significant.
Results: Statistically significant differences (P<.01) were shown for a flexor hallucis brevis thickness increase as well as middle and anterior plantar fascia thickness decrease of the hemiparesis feet and contralateral feet with respect to the healthy matched control feet. The rest of measurements did not show any statistically significant difference (P>.01).
Conclusions: The thickness of the flexor hallucis brevis muscle as well as the middle and anterior plantar fascia portions of the hemiparesis and contralateral feet from poststroke survivors presented morphology changes with respect to the healthy matched control feet.
Keywords: Anatomy, Cross-sectional, Foot, Ultrasonography, Paresis.
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