Function of the windlass mechanism in excessively pronated feet.

The foot postures of 39 subjects were evaluated for excessive pronation by means of six static weightbearing and five nonweightbearing measurements, and two types of footprint indexes. Visual evidence of windlass function was recorded by video. Chi-square analysis revealed that excessive pronation does not affect the establishment of the windlass mechanism. The position of the forefoot relative to the rearfoot, subtalar joint axis position, and navicular drift/foot length ratio were significantly associated with dynamic windlass function. These results suggest that selected static measurements may have value in predicting some aspects of dynamic foot function during the propulsive phase of the gait cycle.