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Mei Q, Gu Y, Kim J, Xiang L, Shim V, Fernandez J. Understanding the form and function in Chinese bound foot from last-generation cases. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1217276. [PMID: 37795266 PMCID: PMC10545958 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1217276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Foot adaptation in the typically developed foot is well explored. In this study, we aimed to explore the form and function of an atypical foot, the Chinese bound foot, which had a history of over a thousand years but is not practised anymore. Methods: We evaluated the foot shape and posture via a statistical shape modelling analysis, gait plantar loading distribution via gait analysis, and bone density adaptation via implementing finite element simulation and bone remodelling prediction. Results: The atypical foot with binding practice led to increased foot arch and vertically oriented calcaneus with larger size at the articulation, apart from smaller metatarsals compared with a typically developed foot. This shape change causes the tibia, which typically acts as a load transfer beam and shock absorber, to extend its function all the way through the talus to the calcaneus. This is evident in the bound foot by i) the reduced center of pressure trajectory in the medial-lateral direction, suggesting a reduced supination-pronation; ii) the increased density and stress in the talus-calcaneus articulation; and iii) the increased bone growth in the bound foot at articulation joints in the tibia, talus, and calcaneus. Conclusion: Knowledge from the last-generation bound foot cases may provide insights into the understanding of bone resorption and adaptation in response to different loading profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qichang Mei
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Research Academy of Grand Health, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Yaodong Gu
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Research Academy of Grand Health, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Julie Kim
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Liangliang Xiang
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Research Academy of Grand Health, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Vickie Shim
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Justin Fernandez
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Research Academy of Grand Health, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Engineering Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Footbinding and its cessation: An agent-based model adjudication of the labor market and evolutionary sciences hypotheses. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Berger E, Yang L, Ye W. Foot binding in a Ming dynasty cemetery near Xi'an, China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2019; 24:79-88. [PMID: 30300764 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This paper describes the morphology of the feet of a population of elite women from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 CE) in Shaanxi province. This is a social stratum, time, and place in which foot binding was practiced. Among a group of 31 skeletons exhumed from the cemetery, eight were women with well-preserved foot bones. Macroscopic examination revealed that half these women (4/8) had clearly altered foot bones: the metatarsal bones, and the few observable phalanges, were gracile and small, while the tarsal bones exhibited a slight reduction in size but no dramatic change in morphology. The other half of the women (4/8) had apparently unmodified metatarsal bones. T-tests comparing linear measurements of the foot bones between the two groups revealed that metatarsal bones were the most affected by binding, and among the tarsal bones, the talar trochlea and calcaneal dimensions were most impacted. This small group of skeletons reveals that some elite women in Shaanxi apparently still did not practice foot binding in the late Ming dynasty, or practiced a much milder form of foot binding, and that there was considerable variation even among those who did practice it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Berger
- Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan, United States.
| | | | - Wa Ye
- Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, University of California Los Angeles, United States
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Zhang Y, Awrejcewicz J, Baker JS, Gu Y. Cartilage Stiffness Effect on Foot Biomechanics of Chinese Bound Foot: A Finite Element Analysis. Front Physiol 2018; 9:1434. [PMID: 30364272 PMCID: PMC6193066 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of cartilage stiffness on inner foot biomechanics of Chinese bound foot while balanced standing using finite element method. A three-dimensional FE model of bound foot involving 28 bones, 72 ligaments, 5 plantar fascia, cartilages, and encapsulated soft tissue was constructed and validated. To conduct the sensitivity analysis of cartilage stiffness, the incremental Young’s modulus of 1, 5, 10, and 15 MPa were assigned to the cartilage. 25% of the body weight was applied to the Achilles tendon to adjust the anterior- posterior displacement of center of pressure agreeable with the measured result. As the Young’s modulus of cartilage increased, the peak von Mises stress in the fifth metatarsal increased obviously, while that in the calcaneus remains unchanged. The plantar fascia experienced reduced total tension with stiffer cartilage. The cartilage stiffening also caused a general increase of contact pressure at mid- and forefoot joints. Cartilage stiffening due to foot binding gave rise to risks of foot pain and longitude arch damage. Knowledge of this study contributes to the understanding of bound foot biomechanical behavior and demonstrating the mechanism of long-term injury and function damage in terms of weight-bearing due to foot binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhang
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.,Department of Automation, Biomechanics and Mechatronics, Lodz University of Technology, Lódź, Poland
| | - Jan Awrejcewicz
- Department of Automation, Biomechanics and Mechatronics, Lodz University of Technology, Lódź, Poland
| | - Julien S Baker
- Institute for Clinical Exercise and Health Science, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, United Kingdom
| | - Yaodong Gu
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
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Abstract
History A 99-year-old Chinese-Indonesian woman with a longstanding history of diabetes mellitus was admitted for chest infection and was incidentally found to have bilateral deformed feet. She was otherwise asymptomatic and could ambulate independently. Photographs and radiographs of the feet were obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeline Mei-Yen Yong
- From the National University Health System, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Rd, Singapore 119074
| | - Paul A Tambyah
- From the National University Health System, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Rd, Singapore 119074
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