Relationship between floating toes condition and lower limb muscle weight in 8-year-old children: the Yamanashi adjunct study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS-Y) - PubMed Skip to main page content
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. 2023 Mar;35(3):252-256.
doi: 10.1589/jpts.35.252. Epub 2023 Mar 1.

Relationship between floating toes condition and lower limb muscle weight in 8-year-old children: the Yamanashi adjunct study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS-Y)

Masanori Wako  1 , Kensuke Koyama  1 , Naoto Furuya  1 , Ryoji Shinohara  2 , Sanae Otawa  2 , Anna Kobayashi  2 , Sayaka Horiuchi  2 , Megumi Kushima  2 , Zentaro Yamagata  2 , Hirotaka Haro  1
Affiliations

Relationship between floating toes condition and lower limb muscle weight in 8-year-old children: the Yamanashi adjunct study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS-Y)

Masanori Wako et al. J Phys Ther Sci. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

[Purpose] Floating toe is a condition in which the toes make insufficient contact with the ground. Weak muscle strength is reportedly one cause of floating toe. However, little evidence exists regarding the relationship between foot muscle strength and floating toe. Here we examined the relationship between foot muscle strength and floating toe by investigating the children' lower extremity muscle mass and floating toe conditions. [Participants and Methods] This cohort study enrolled 118 8-year-old children (62 females, 56 males) with recorded footprints and muscle mass evaluations using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. We calculated the floating toe score using the footprint. We measured the muscle weights and the muscle weights divided by the lengths of the lower limbs separately on the left and right sides using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. [Results] No significant correlations were observed between the floating toe score and muscle weights or muscle weights divided by lower-limb lengths for either gender or side. [Conclusion] In this study, no significant correlation was found between floating toe degree and lower limb muscle mass, suggesting that lower limb muscle strength is not the primary cause of floating toe, at least in children.

Keywords: Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA); Floating toe; Footprint.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Example of plantar foot print and floating toe score. One green and one blue toe on the right foot and four blue toes on the left foot resulted in a floating toe (FT) score of 7 points in this case.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Measuring muscle weight with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The measurement area was set up and measured by a skilled radiologist as shown in the figure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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