Hello All,

Just a thought...  Maybe we should come up with
definitions based more upon function.  I am certain
that all those involved with this discussion have come
across people who seem to have excess motion in the
1st TMT joint (on the table) who have a functionally
stable medial column.  On the other hand it is not
unheard of to come across patients whose TMT seems
stable though they have increased callus under the
second MTPJ and excessive late pronation.  I have
evaluated function on the basis of common physical
examination and with F-Scan.  Though I have not
attempted to do so yet, I do believe that a functional
definition could be devised based upon F-Scan or
similarly derived data.  Perhaps some percentage of
peak 1st MTPJ pressure over total forefoot pressure.
I do hope that this doesn't complicate the discussion
but it seems to me that overall function is always
more important than individual findings.

Respectfully,

Jay


--- [log in to unmask] wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Jeff wrote:
>
> Kevin and Craig,
>
> The word stiff(ness) means hard to bend or move,
> rigid; sore or limited in
> movement: said of joints or muscles, not fluid;
> thick, strong; powerful.
> Does the term stiffness have meaning unless one
> considers the context in
> which the term is used?  I think the term stiff is
> just as subjective as the
> term hypermobile.  If motion is what you are
> attempting to describe, then
> the terms insufficient (or limited) motion,
> sufficient (or adequate) motion,
> and excessive (or hyper) motion may be terms that
> can be used to better
> describe motion than stiffness.
>
> Eric Adds:
>
> In addition to the dictionary definition there is an
> engineering definition.
> Stiffness is the ratio of stress / strain.  Stress
> if the force applied
> divided by the cross sectional area of the object
> the force is applied to.  Strain
> is the amount of deformation caused by that stress.
> So stiffness is a
> measurable term.  We just need to figure out how to
> use it in the questions that we
> have in how the foot works.
>
> Regards,
>
> Eric Fuller
>
>
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