Anatomical and biomechanical assessments of medial tibial stress syndrome

Abstract

Background: Medial tibial stress syndrome is a common overuse injury in weightbearing, physically active individuals and in athletes. Most research associated with this condition is primarily based on static foot and lower-extremity measurements.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to assess a set of static and dynamic measurements to determine which anatomical factors (limb length, ankle dorsiflexion, first metatarsophalangeal joint extension, and arch height) and biomechanical factors (center-of-pressure excursion index, malleolar valgus index, and gait velocity) are associated with medial tibial stress syndrome.

Results: One-way analysis of variance models revealed that participants with medial tibial stress syndrome had significantly greater visual analog pain levels and slower gait velocity than noninjured controls (P = .05). No other significant differences were found between the two groups.

Conclusions: Further investigation of these and other factors can help health professionals develop better strategies for the prevention and clinical intervention of medial tibial stress syndrome.