Vertical talus in this context occurs when which strength pattern is present?

Vertical talus in this context occurs when which strength pattern is present?

• A. Have dorsiflexion strength but no plantarflexion strength
• B. Have plantarflexion strength but no dorsiflexion strength
• C. Have both dorsiflexion and plantarflexion strengths
• D. Have neither dorsiflexion nor plantarflexion strengths

Answer: (A)

Vertical talus shows up when the ankle’s opposing muscle groups are out of balance: dorsiflexors stay functional while plantarflexors are absent or very weak. With plantarflexion power missing, there’s nothing to counteract the pull of dorsiflexion, so the foot tends to be held in a high, dorsiflexed position and the talus sits upright within the ankle joint. This creates the rigid, rocker-bottom foot appearance that defines vertical talus. If plantarflexion strength were present (even with some dorsiflexion), the foot wouldn’t be maintained in that fixed dorsiflexed, vertical talus position. In conditions like myelomeningocele, the pattern of preserved dorsiflexion with absent plantarflexion best explains the development of vertical talus.

Vertical talus shows up when the ankle’s opposing muscle groups are out of balance: dorsiflexors stay functional while plantarflexors are absent or very weak. With plantarflexion power missing, there’s nothing to counteract the pull of dorsiflexion, so the foot tends to be held in a high, dorsiflexed position and the talus sits upright within the ankle joint. This creates the rigid, rocker-bottom foot appearance that defines vertical talus. If plantarflexion strength were present (even with some dorsiflexion), the foot wouldn’t be maintained in that fixed dorsiflexed, vertical talus position. In conditions like myelomeningocele, the pattern of preserved dorsiflexion with absent plantarflexion best explains the development of vertical talus.