Subtalar joint morphology and foot deformity in cerebral palsy v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploration of the role of subtalar joint morphology in the development of foot deformity in cerebral palsy
IRAS ID
273484
Contact name
Caroline Stewart
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
ORLAU
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a major cause of disability. Many children with CP develop foot deformities as they grow and these can become painful, adversely affecting their quality of life. We have previously studied foot morphology and biomechanics, including analysis of the subtalar joint. We have successfully located the joint axis from MRI scans.
In this project we plan to recruit 25 children (15 children with CP and 10 unimpaired control subjects). Each child will attend for a single visit, when we will use MRI imaging (with the foot loaded and unloaded) to measure the morphology of the ankle and foot, in particular the subtalar axis alignment. This has not been done before in CP.
Each child will have an instrumented gait analysis and musculoskeletal modelling techniques will be used to study the biomechanical action of the external ground reaction force and internal muscle forces. We will assess the potential of these forces to rotate the subtalar joint and deform the foot, resulting in new insights into potential mechanisms of foot deformity.
We also hope to be able to categorise children to identify those most at risk, leading to personalised screening measures and treatment strategies in the future.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0618
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jan 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion