Background/Objectives: This study explores the prevalence of podiatric disorders in relation to factors such as gender, age, and the type of sports activity. Understanding these elements is crucial for implementing effective prevention strategies. Methods: The sample consisted of 70 participants, aged 12 to 30, with 71.4% youths and 28.6% adults, including 50 Portuguese and 20 Spanish individuals, who practiced either terrestrial or aquatic sports at varying training intensities. Statistical analyses were performed on data collected from athletes using chi-square tests and proportion tests. Variables such as exercise intensity and sport type (terrestrial vs. aquatic) were examined. Results: Skin disorders were more frequent in men (70.2%) compared to women (29.8%). Regarding age, 70% of individuals aged 19 to 30 years presented dermatoses, compared to 36% in the 12 to 18-year-old group. Exercise intensity also had an impact: 53.8% of athletes engaging in moderate activity exhibited keratoses, compared to 30.8% of those practicing intense activity. Additionally, athletes in terrestrial sports showed an average of 5.2 podiatric disorders, significantly higher than the 3.2 average in aquatic sports. Specifically, terrestrial athletes have a higher prevalence of pinch callus (84.6%) and hyperkeratosis on metatarsal heads (85.7%), while aquatic athletes have more onychomycosis (91.7%) and less hyperkeratosis. A higher prevalence of rotated toes (61.4%) and subungual hematoma (90.9%) was also observed in terrestrial athletes. Conclusions: The prevalence of podiatric disorders is significantly related to gender, age, and the type of physical activity. Men and young adults are more prone to dermatoses, while athletes engaging in moderate intensity activity and those athletes in terrestrial sport face a higher risk of podiatric issues. These findings highlight the need for prevention and treatment strategies in relation to the specific characteristics of each group.

Background: The use of foot orthoses to treat different pathologies in pronated feet in adults is widespread among podiatric professionals, although it has not been conclusively demonstrated to modify foot posture in the short or medium term. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether prefabricated foot supports reduce pronated foot posture in adults, as measured by the foot posture index (FPI). Methods: A randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted in 109 subjects with pronated feet. The participants were randomly placed into a control group that did not receive any intervention and an experimental group that used prefabricated orthoses for 6 months. The changes in the FPI were evaluated in both groups at 6 months. Results: Over the six-month follow-up period, the delta FPI variable was changed by −1.1 ± 2.2 points in the experimental group, whereas the same variable was reduced by 1.2 ± 2.1 points in the control group (p = 0.001). The participants in the experimental group neutralised their FPIs significantly more than those in the control group did (39.3% vs. 8.5%; p = 0.041). Moreover, individuals in the experimental group were more likely to migrate from highly pronated feet to pronated feet than those in the control group were (45.8% vs. 20%; p < 0.001). Finally, multivariate analysis indicated that prefabricated foot orthoses were associated with an improved FPI (OR: 6.23, CI%95: 2.72–17.09; p < 0.001). However, the corrective effect provided by the prefabricated foot orthoses, which neutralised the pronated posture, was nullified by the presence of index minus metatarsal formula. Conclusions: The use of prefabricated orthoses resulted in a decreased FPI in adults, especially in those with highly pronated feet. However, the index minus presence nullified the effect of prefabricated orthoses on foot posture neutralisation.

Introduction and Objectives: The thickness of the plantar fat pad (PFP) beneath the metatarsal heads may play a protective role in preventing forefoot disorders such as metatarsalgia. However, reference values for plantar adipose tissue thickness in this region among healthy individuals are currently unavailable. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine, by means of ultrasound imaging, the thickness of the PFP beneath the five metatarsal heads and to analyze its possible relationship with body mass index (BMI). Materials and Methods: Thirty-five young adults (17 males and 18 females) with neutral feet, free from deformities or pain, participated in the study. Using a VINNO E35 ultrasound device, the thickness of the PFP beneath each of the five metatarsal heads was quantified. A linear transducer was positioned longitudinally along the axis of each metatarsal. The distance between the dermis and the flexor tendon was measured from the second to the fifth metatarsal heads, and from the fibular sesamoid for the first metatarsal head. Results: The central forefoot showed the greatest PFP thickness (2nd metatarsal head, 7.1 ± 0.9 mm; 3rd metatarsal head, 6.9 ± 0.9 mm). No significant differences in PFP thickness were found between sexes. However, a positive correlation was observed between BMI and PFP thickness at the fourth metatarsal head (r = 0.358, p = 0.035). Conclusions: The study demonstrated greater PFP thickness beneath the second and third metatarsal heads, with no significant sex-related differences. These findings indicate a consistent anatomical pattern independent of sex in young, healthy individuals. Moreover, a moderate influence of BMI was identified at the fourth metatarsal head, which could represent a potential protective mechanism against forefoot overload.

The triceps surae complex is vital for gait propulsion and lower limb stability. Accurate assessment of the gastrocnemius muscles is essential for managing conditions like Achilles tendinopathy. This comparative study involving 24 participants (24.08±5.55 years) evaluated whether unilateral sequential (Protocol 1) or bilateral simultaneous (Protocol 2) surface electromyography (sEMG) recording protocols, using the wireless mDurance® system, affect signal consistency and clinical validity.Measurements included Maximum Voluntary Contraction (MCV) and Root Mean Square (RMS) under baseline, unipodal, and dynamic conditions. Statistical analysis included Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), Standard Error of Measurement (SEM), and Bland–Altman plots.Protocol 1 yielded significantly higher activation values (p<0.05) during baseline and unipodal tasks compared to Protocol 2, particularly showing moderate-to-large effect sizes in the right limb gastrocnemius during unipodal support. Conversely, no significant differences between protocols were found during dynamic gait tasks. Unipodal conditions demonstrated the highest relative reliability (ICC up to 0.777), whereas baseline and dynamic tasks exhibited higher variability.The recording protocol significantly influences sEMG signal magnitude, meaning they are not interchangeable. The greater reliability observed under unipodal conditions suggests that postural demand enhances signal reproducibility, while the lower consistency in baseline and dynamic tasks points to protocol-related variability rather than genuine neuromuscular differences.For clinical applications comparing activation between medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles, simultaneous bilateral recording combined with unipodal tasks is recommended to provide a robust framework for detecting neuromuscular activation differences

Background/Objectives: Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome associated with functional decline, dependency, and adverse health outcomes in older adults. Community-based nursing interventions may help prevent or delay frailty by promoting physical activity, health education, and self-care. This exploratory study aimed to describe pre–post changes in frailty status and functional capacity following a community-based nursing intervention among community-dwelling older women. Methods: An exploratory uncontrolled pre–post study was conducted in Spain. Of 35 community-dwelling, non-institutionalized women aged ≥65 years who underwent baseline assessment, 23 provided complete baseline and post-intervention data and were included in the final pre–post analysis. The intervention consisted of a 16-week nursing programme with weekly group sessions focused on adapted physical exercise, health education, and self-care. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL Scale. Four available components of the Fried phenotype were examined as secondary frailty-related measures. Functional capacity was evaluated using the Barthel Index and the Lawton and Brody Scale. Results: Among the 23 participants included in the final paired pre–post analysis, the proportion classified as frail according to the FRAIL Scale decreased from 47.8% at baseline to 8.7% at post-intervention assessment, while the proportion classified as robust increased from 17.4% to 30.4%. Nine of the eleven participants classified as frail at baseline moved to a less severe frailty category at follow-up. Frailty status changed significantly across the three FRAIL categories (p < 0.001). Additional analyses showed a decrease in difficulty walking 100 m (43.5% to 8.7%; p = 0.008) and in low physical activity (60.9% to 26.1%; p = 0.021). Functional capacity did not change significantly. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the programme. Conclusions: Favourable pre–post changes in FRAIL status and selected frailty-related measures were observed among participants who completed the study, while functional capacity remained stable. Given the exploratory uncontrolled design, small analytical sample, and participant attrition, these findings should not be interpreted as evidence of intervention effectiveness. Larger controlled studies are required to determine whether the observed changes can be attributed to the intervention.

Background/Objectives: Children’s footwear plays a key role in foot protection and development, influencing both mechanical and thermal comfort. However, there is limited evidence on how different types of footwear affect foot thermoregulation in the pediatric population. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze the thermal pattern of the pediatric foot and to compare temperature differences in plantar and dorsal regions following the use of school and sports footwear. Methods: A total of 108 schoolchildren (61 girls and 47 boys), with a mean age of 9.46 ± 0.52 years, participated in the study. A non-randomized within-participant repeated-measures crossover design was used, in which each participant was assessed wearing both types of footwear on two separate days, with each child therefore serving as their own control. Thermographic measurements were performed using a Flir^® E60bx camera (FLIR Systems, Wilsonville, OR, USA) after 3 h of school activity. Footwear conditions were compared within each region of interest (ROI) of the plantar and dorsal surfaces using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, with Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction. Results: Regardless of the footwear used, the highest temperatures were recorded in the medial longitudinal arch on the plantar surface and in the lateral region on the dorsal surface, whereas the lowest temperatures were observed in the fifth toe on both surfaces. Sports footwear was associated with higher mean temperatures than school footwear in all ROIs (0.61 to 0.95 °C). After FDR correction, significant differences remained only in the medial and lateral dorsal regions (+0.95 and +0.94 °C, respectively; q = 0.0139), whereas none of the plantar differences remained significant. A strong period effect was also observed, with foot temperatures 1.28 to 2.24 °C higher at the second visit regardless of footwear; after adjusting for this effect, temperatures remained higher with sports footwear in all ROIs (0.71 to 1.04 °C). Conclusions: The pediatric foot exhibited a consistent thermal pattern across footwear conditions. However, sports footwear was associated with an approximately 1 °C higher temperature in the medial and lateral regions of the dorsal foot, an effect that persisted after accounting for the period effect. These findings underscore the importance of thermoregulatory properties in children’s footwear selection.