The human foot is a unique and defining characteristic of our anatomy. Most primates have grasping, prehensile feet, whereas the human foot stands out as a powerful non-grasping propulsive lever that is central to our evolution as adept bipedal walkers and runners and defines our lineage. Very few books have compiled and evaluated key research on the primate foot and provided a perspective on what we know and what we still need to know. This book serves as an essential companion to “The Evolution of the Primate Hand” volume, also in the Developments in Primatology series. This book includes chapters written by experts in the field of morphology and mechanics of the primate foot, the role of the foot in different aspects of primate locomotion (including but not limited to human bipedalism), the “hard evidence” of primate foot evolution including fossil foot bones and fossil footprints, and the relevance of our foot’s evolutionary history to modern human foot pathology. This volume addresses three fundamental questions: (1) What makes the human foot so different from that of other primates? (2) How does the anatomy, biomechanics, and ecological context of the foot and foot use differ among primates and why? (3) how did foot anatomy and function change throughout primate and human evolution, and why is this evolutionary history relevant in clinical contexts today? This co-edited volume, which relies on the insights of leading scholars in primate foot anatomy and evolution provides for the first time a comprehensive review and scholarly discussion of the primate foot from multiple perspectives. It is accessible to readers at different levels of inquiry (e.g., undergraduate/graduate students, postdoctoral research, other scholars outside of biological anthropology). This volume provides an all-in‐one resource for research on the comparative and functional morphology and evolution of the primate foot.

An essential resource for bodyworkers, physical therapists, and sports medicine practitioners--a vital guide to understanding the anatomy, form, and mechanics of the human foot. Understanding the Human Foot is a full-color, up-to-date overview of the structure and function of the foot, written for physical therapists and movement practitioners looking to deepen their understanding of holistic anatomy. Readers will gain perspective on the impacts of foot shape; the interdependence of form and function; and the cellular processes that determine how our tissue is designed. Most importantly, author James Earls demonstrates how the foot relates to and interacts with the rest of the body during movement, laying the groundwork for a comprehensive holistic approach to assessing, troubleshooting, and addressing functional and structural foot issues. Starting with big-picture questions--what is a foot, and what is it used for? How does it work, both on its own and as part of a whole?--before zeroing in on the 26 bones, 33 joints, and many muscles that make up the foot, Earls teaches anatomy the way he wishes he'd been taught 30 years ago: with a holistic emphasis on interrelated systems, real-life applications, and approachable, easy-to-understand language. He shares: Full-color illustrations for easy reference and comprehensive understanding An overview of the bones, ligaments, and extrinsic and intrinsic muscles of the foot How your gait impacts the rest of the body--and can cause problems as high up as the neck and shoulders How to assess structural problems of the foot Corrective exercises A footwear guide to choosing the best shoe for your foot type

Developmental Juvenile Osteology was created as a core reference text to document the development of the entire human skeleton from early embryonic life to adulthood. In the period since its first publication there has been a resurgence of interest in the developing skeleton, and the second edition of Developmental Juvenile Osteology incorporates much of the key literature that has been published in the intervening time. The main core of the text persists by describing each individual component of the human skeleton from its embryological origin through to its final adult form. This systematic approach has been shown to assist the processes of both identification and age estimation and acts as a core source for the basic understanding of normal human skeletal development. In addition to this core, new sections have been added where there have been significant advances in the field. - Identifies every component of the juvenile skeleton, by providing a detailed analysis of development and ageing and a detailed description of each bone in four ways: adult bone, early development, ossification and practical notes - New chapters and updated sections covering the dentition, age estimation in the living and bone histology - An updated bibliography documenting the research literature that has contributed to the field over the past15 years since the publication of the first edition - Heavily illustrated, including new additions

The first photographic and descriptive musculoskeletal atlas of a baby gorilla, this book details the comparative and phylogenetic context of the gross anatomy and evolutionary history of the soft tissue morphology of modern humans and one of their closest relatives. With detailed high-quality photographs of musculoskeletal structures, it provides

This thesis examines the anatomical locations of the dynamic pressures that create the first five footprints when a standing person starts to walk. It is hypothesized that the primary activity starts with the dorsiflexion or lifting of the great toe. Consequently, the metatarsophalangeal region of the forefoot was studied from three directions. Viewed side-on, the great toe free-body is found from a detailed post hoc analysis of previous kinematic data obtained from cadavers to operate as a cam. The cam model also follows closely from Aristotle's ancient description of the hinged instrument of animate motion. Viewed in coronal cross-section, the first metatarsal torsion strength was estimated in 13 humans, 1 gorilla, 3 chimpanzees, 1 orangutan and 1 baboon set of dry-bone specimens of the hands and feet. The first metatarsal bone alone contributes 43% of the total strength of all the metatarsal bones. A result unique amongst the hominids and apes studied. Viewed in horizontal plan, the dynamic components and principle axes of the footprints of 54 barefoot humans (32 male, 22 female, age 32 +-11 years) were studied whilst standing on a 0.5m pressure plate, and then immediately when walking over a 2m plate (4 sensors per cm2 sampled at 100hz). Two footprints were obtained during the initial stance posture, and the first three footprints of the initial walk. Three new principles of animate motion were deduced from the divergent results obtained from complete and dissected cadavers: The metatarsal cam (from the sagittal side view) the ground reaction torque (from the frontal coronal view) and the amputation artifact. The philosophy of experimenting on inanimate cadavers rather than living subjects was intensively researched. Instead of assuming that gait is a uniform or regular motion as is usual, the foot was analyzed rather as if it was a beam attached to the ground. Engineering equations were used to determine the flexural properties of the foot every 0.01 seconds, including the principle axes, radius of gyration and the local shear stresses on the sensors spaced 5-7mm apart. A sequence of these impressions creates a mathematically animated model of the footprint. The local force under the foot was normalized against both the total force and contact duration. The forces under the foot were each divided between 10 anatomical regions using individual masks for each foot strike. Producing a 54-subject database from which the normal behavior of the foot could be quantified. The group showed a surprisingly low right foot step-off dominance of only 54%. The combination of the radius of gyration and impulse in particular produces a succinct but powerful summary of the footprint during dynamic activity. The initial angle and magnitudes of the loads that are applied and removed demonstrates that the body first rocks onto the heels after the instruction to walk is given. The feet simultaneously invert and their arches rise off the ground as anticipated. The principle axes were then animated in a mathematical four-dimensional model. The horizontal radius of gyration is on average 5 cm during heel strike, but increases to 20 cm as the forefoot comes into contact with the ground, finally rising to 25 cm at toe-off. Significantly the applied load during the fore-foot loading phase is more widely distributed than the load being removed. A new and unanticipated result that is believed to be a special characteristic of the animate foot. The standard deviation of the force under the great toe is the first mechanical parameter to converge in the 54 subjects, conclusively verifying the hypothesis that the great toe both initiates and controls gait.