Factors Associated With Foot and Ankle Strength in Healthy Preschool-Age Children and Age-Matched Cases of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1A

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease affects foot and ankle strength from the earliest stages of the disease; however, little is known about factors influencing normal strength development or the pathogenesis of foot weakness and deformity in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The authors investigated factors associated with foot and ankle strength in healthy preschool-age children and compared to age-matched cases of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A. In healthy children, ankle dorsiflexion range of motion was one of the strongest independent correlates of foot and ankle strength. Compared with healthy children, those with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A had significantly less dorsiflexion strength and range as well as imbalance in inversion-to-eversion and plantarflexion-to-dorsiflexion strength ratios. Given the association between ankle dorsiflexion strength and range in the healthy children, and the abnormality of these parameters in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, investigation of the cause-effect relationship is warranted to identify more targeted therapy and further understand the pathogenesis of foot deformity in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.