Abstract
The nerve conduction characteristics of adults with idiopathic pes cavus/hammer toes have not been studied extensively. Among 2048 out-patients (59.5 ± 13.9 years) referring to a laboratory of Neurophysiology in Rome, we recruited 18 patients with idiopathic pes cavus (61.3 ± 12.5 years). Fifty-four age/sex-matched controls were also studied. No nerve conduction differences were observed between patients with and without cavus foot (p > 0.05). The absence of deep tendon reflexes and slight muscle weakness and hypotrophy in the lower limbs were more common in subjects with cavus foot deformity than in controls (p < 0.001). Adult patients with idiopathic pes cavus/hammer toes do not differ from healthy controls from a neurophysiological standpoint, but they could show minor signs of clinical impairment, such as lower limb weakness, hypotrophy and areflexia.
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All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration.
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Di Fabio, R., Lispi, L., Santorelli, F.M. et al. Idiopathic pes cavus in adults is not associated with neurophysiological impairment in the lower limbs. Neurol Sci 36, 2287–2290 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-015-2334-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-015-2334-7