The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

If It doesn't work, why do we still do it? The continuing use of subtalar joint neutral theory in the face of overpowering critical research

If It doesn't work, why do we still do it? The continuing use of subtalar joint neutral theory in the face of overpowering critical research
If It doesn't work, why do we still do it? The continuing use of subtalar joint neutral theory in the face of overpowering critical research
The use of subtalar joint neutral (STJN) in the assessment and treatment of foot-related musculoskeletal symptomology is common in daily practice and still widely taught. The main pioneer of this theory was Dr Merton L. Root, and it has been labeled with a variety of names: “the foot morphology theory,” “the subtalar joint neutral theory,” or simply “Rootian theory” or “Root model.” The theory's core concepts still underpin a common approach to musculoskeletal assessment of the foot, as well as the consequent design of foot orthoses. The available literature continues to point to Dr Root's theory as the most prevalently utilized. Concurrently, the worth of this theory has been challenged due to its poor reliability and limited external validity. This Viewpoint reviews the main clinical areas of the STJN theory, and concludes with a possible explanation and concerns for its ongoing use. To support our view, we will discuss (1) historical inaccuracies, (2) challenges with reliability, and (3) concerns with validity.
0190-6011
130-133
Harradine, Paul
da3e2326-1b7e-4e40-a43e-ea806a80a99d
Gates, Lucy
bc67b8b8-110b-4358-8e1b-6f1d345bd503
Bowen, Catherine
fd85c3c5-96d9-49b8-86c6-caa94e1a222b
Harradine, Paul
da3e2326-1b7e-4e40-a43e-ea806a80a99d
Gates, Lucy
bc67b8b8-110b-4358-8e1b-6f1d345bd503
Bowen, Catherine
fd85c3c5-96d9-49b8-86c6-caa94e1a222b

Harradine, Paul, Gates, Lucy and Bowen, Catherine (2018) If It doesn't work, why do we still do it? The continuing use of subtalar joint neutral theory in the face of overpowering critical research. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 48 (3), 130-133. (doi:10.2519/jospt.2018.0604).

Record type: Letter

Abstract

The use of subtalar joint neutral (STJN) in the assessment and treatment of foot-related musculoskeletal symptomology is common in daily practice and still widely taught. The main pioneer of this theory was Dr Merton L. Root, and it has been labeled with a variety of names: “the foot morphology theory,” “the subtalar joint neutral theory,” or simply “Rootian theory” or “Root model.” The theory's core concepts still underpin a common approach to musculoskeletal assessment of the foot, as well as the consequent design of foot orthoses. The available literature continues to point to Dr Root's theory as the most prevalently utilized. Concurrently, the worth of this theory has been challenged due to its poor reliability and limited external validity. This Viewpoint reviews the main clinical areas of the STJN theory, and concludes with a possible explanation and concerns for its ongoing use. To support our view, we will discuss (1) historical inaccuracies, (2) challenges with reliability, and (3) concerns with validity.

Text
If It Doesn’t Work, Why Do We Still Do It? The Continuing Use of Subtalar Joint Neutral Theory in the Face of Overpowering Critical Research - Accepted Manuscript
Download (32kB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 22 January 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 28 February 2018
Published date: 1 March 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 419072
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/419072
ISSN: 0190-6011
PURE UUID: 274eefd2-6d95-4c99-bbf0-81cffe90f6a9
ORCID for Lucy Gates: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8627-3418
ORCID for Catherine Bowen: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7252-9515

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 28 Mar 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 06:21

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Paul Harradine
Author: Lucy Gates ORCID iD
Author: Catherine Bowen ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×