Moment Arms of the Ankle Throughout the Range of Motion in Three Planes

Abstract

Background:

The moment, a force applied at a distance, is responsible for movement and balance. A key component of the moment is the moment arm. The moment arms of nine muscles surrounding the ankle complex during motion in three planes, were studied.

Materials and Methods:

Five cadaveric feet were mounted in a testing device that created moments in the sagittal, coronal and transverse planes. Axial and tendon loads were applied as the foot was passively moved in these planes. Tendon excursions and bone kinematics were monitored. The moment arm was calculated using the tendon excursion method and averaged across all specimens.

Results:

The largest average moment arm during plantarflexion/dorsiflexion, was the Achilles (mean, 53.1; SD, 5.1 mm). During internal/external rotation the largest moment arm was the peroneus brevis (mean, 20.5; SD, 6.4 mm). During inversion/eversion, the largest moment arm was the peroneus longus (31 mm; SD, 2.3 mm).

Conclusion:

This study quantified the functional moment arms of nine tendons of the ankle/foot. The involvement of multiple tendons in multiple planes of motion should be considered in computational models and when deciding treatments.

Clinical Relevance:

The correlation between moment arms and muscle function has significant effects on treatment efficacy. Information on the balance of moments around the ankle will assist in achieving optimal biomechanical behavior following operative treatments.

Keywords

Ankle Moment Arms Biomechanics Tendons

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ueba

Chao

et al.: Tendon excursion and moment arm of index finger muscles. J Biomech. 16: 419–425, 1983. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/0021-9290(83)90074-X.

Arai

Ringleb

Zhao

et al.: The effect of flatfoot deformity and tendon loading on the work of friction measured in the posterior tibial tendon. Clin Biomech. 22: 592–598, 2007. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2007.01.011.

Den Hartog

: Flexor digitorum longus transfer with medial displacement calcaneal osteotomy. Biomechanical rationale. Foot Ankle Clin. 6: 67–76, 2001. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/S1083-7515(03)00079-2.

Hintermann

Nigg

Sommer

: Foot movement and tendon excursion: An in vitro study. Foot Ankle Int. 15: 386–395, 1994.

Hirano

McCullough

MBA

Kitaoka

et al.: Effects of foot orthoses on the work of friction of the posterior tibial tendon. Clin Biomech. 24: 776–780, 2009. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2009.07.009.

Kellgren

Lawrence

: Rheumatism in miners. II. X-ray study. Br J Ind Med. 6. 9: 197–207, 1952.

Kitaoka

Crevoisier

Hansen

et al.: Foot and ankle kinematics and ground reaction forces during ambulation. Foot Ankle Int. 27: 808–813, 2006.

Klein

Mattys

Rooze

: Moment arm length variations of selected muscles acting on talocrural and subtalar joints during movement: An in vitro study. J Biomech. 29: 21–30, 1996. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/0021-9290(95)00025-9.

Kubo

Morimoto

Komuro

et al.: Age-related differences in the properties of the plantar flexor muscles and tendons. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 39: 541–547, 2007. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1249/01.mss.0000247006.24965.74.

10.

Lee

SSM

Piazza

: Inversion-eversion moment arms of gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior measured in vivo. J Biomech. 41: 3366–3370, 2008. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2008.09.029.

11.

Maganaris

: In vivo measurement-based estimations of the moment arm in the human tibialis anterior muscle-tendon unit. J Biomech. 33: 375–379, 2000. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/S0021-9290(99)00188-8.

12.

Maganaris

Baltzopoulos

Sargeant

: Changes in the tibialis anterior tendon moment arm from rest to maximum isometric dorsiflexion: In vivo observations in man. Clin Biomech. 14: 661–666, 1999. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/S0268-0033(99)00018-2.

13.

Piazza

Adamson

Moran

et al.: Effects of tensioning errors in split transfers of tibialis anterior and posterior tendons. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 85-A: 858–865, 2003.

14.

Piazza

Adamson

Sanders

Sharkey

: Changes in muscle moment arms following split tendon transfer of tibialis anterior and tibialis posterior. Gait Posture. 14: 271–278, 2001. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/S0966-6362(01)00143-6.

15.

Rugg

Gregor

Mandelbaum

Chiu

: In vivo moment arm calculations at the ankle using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). J Biomech. 23: 495–501, 1990. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/0021-9290(90)90305-M.

16.

Sammarco

Burstein

Frankel

: Biomechanics of the Ankle: A Kinematic Study. Ortho Clin of North America. 4: 75–96, 1973.

17.

Spoor

Van Leeuwen

Meskers

et al.: Estimation of instantaneous moment arms of lower-leg muscles. J Biomech. 23: 1247–1259, 1990. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/0021-9290(90)90382-D.

18.

Zajac

: Muscle coordination of movement: A perspective. J Biomech. 26 Suppl 1: 109–124, 1993. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.1016/0021-9290(93)90083-Q.