Plantillas Ortopédicas

02/02/2026

THE QUADRICEPS – BIOMECHANICS BEYOND KNEE EXTENSION

The quadriceps femoris is often thought of as a simple knee-extending muscle group, but biomechanically it plays a much larger role in posture, pelvic control, and load transfer through the lower limb. Comprising the re**us femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and vastus intermedius, the quads influence both sagittal-plane movement and the balance between hip, knee, and spine during functional tasks.

The re**us femoris is biomechanically unique because it crosses two joints—the hip and the knee. During activities like squatting, walking, or running, it contributes to knee extension while simultaneously acting as a hip flexor. When this muscle becomes tight or overactive, it pulls the pelvis anteriorly, increasing anterior pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis. This shifts load away from the hips and gluteals and places greater compressive and shear forces on the lumbar spine.

In squatting mechanics, quad dominance is a common pattern. Excessive knee-forward movement increases knee extensor demand while reducing hip extensor contribution. Biomechanically, this increases patellofemoral joint reaction forces and overloads the quadriceps tendon, especially when hip extension is limited by tight re**us femoris or weak posterior chain muscles. Over time, this imbalance can contribute to anterior knee pain and inefficient force production.

The quadriceps also play a critical role in pelvic-abdominal interaction. Tight re**us femoris often coexists with weak or inhibited abdominal muscles. This imbalance reduces anterior pelvic control, allowing excessive lumbar extension during standing, gait, and lifting. As lumbar motion substitutes for hip motion, the spine becomes a compensation point rather than a stable base.

From a gait perspective, shortened quadriceps—especially re**us femoris—limit terminal stance hip extension. When hip extension is restricted, stride length decreases and lumbar extension increases to maintain forward progression. This altered biomechanics increases energy cost and places repetitive stress on the lumbar spine and anterior thigh structures.

Pain referral patterns shown in the image highlight another biomechanical aspect of quadriceps dysfunction. Overloaded or tight re**us femoris can produce diffuse anterior thigh pain that mimics knee pathology, while excessive tension near its origin can contribute to anterior hip discomfort. These symptoms often reflect altered load distribution rather than isolated tissue injury.

Quadriceps biomechanics are deeply integrated with hip, pelvic, and spinal mechanics. When the quads—particularly the re**us femoris—dominate movement, they disrupt optimal force sharing between the knee extensors and hip extensors. Restoring balanced quad function, improving hip extension, and reducing anterior pelvic bias are essential for efficient movement and long-term joint health.

02/02/2026

Biomechanics of Trendelenburg Gait – Why the Body Lurches

Trendelenburg gait is a classic frontal-plane gait deviation that occurs due to weakness or inefficiency of the hip abductor mechanism, primarily the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus on the stance limb. During normal walking, when one leg is in stance, the hip abductors generate a counteracting force to keep the pelvis level as the opposite limb swings forward. This action maintains horizontal pelvic alignment and efficient load transfer through the hip joint.

In Trendelenburg gait, failure of the hip abductors on the stance side leads to an inability to control pelvic position. As body weight shifts over the affected hip, the contralateral hemi-pelvis drops instead of remaining level. This pelvic drop increases the moment arm of body weight acting on the hip joint, further overwhelming already weak abductors and destabilizing frontal-plane control.

To compensate for this instability, the trunk lurches toward the affected side. This lateral trunk lean is a biomechanical strategy to reduce the external hip adduction moment by shifting the center of mass closer to the hip joint axis. While this reduces abductor demand and hip joint reaction force, it sacrifices normal gait efficiency and produces the characteristic “waddling” or “lurching” appearance.

At the hip joint, Trendelenburg gait significantly alters load distribution. The reduced abductor force decreases compressive stability of the femoral head within the acetabulum, increasing reliance on passive structures such as the joint capsule and labrum. Over time, this abnormal loading pattern may contribute to hip pain, degenerative changes, or post-surgical complications, especially after total hip arthroplasty.

The biomechanical consequences extend beyond the hip. Pelvic drop and trunk shift influence lumbar spine mechanics, often increasing lateral flexion stresses and paraspinal muscle overactivity. At the knee and ankle, altered alignment and timing can lead to secondary deviations such as knee valgus, excessive pronation, or asymmetrical step length, increasing overall energy expenditure during walking.

Clinically, Trendelenburg gait reflects more than isolated muscle weakness—it represents a failure of the entire lateral stability system of the lower limb. Neurological conditions, hip joint pathology, post-operative abductor insufficiency, or limb length discrepancy can all disrupt this system. Effective management focuses on restoring frontal-plane control through targeted strengthening, gait retraining, and when needed, orthotic or assistive interventions to normalize biomechanics and reduce compensatory stress.

02/02/2026

¡EL PRIMER PASO DEL DÍA! La logística de la Fascitis Plantar 🦶🔥

Si al levantarte sientes un pinchazo en el talón que parece un clavo, tu logística de amortiguación está fallando. La fascia plantar es una banda de tejido elástico que conecta el talón con los dedos y mantiene el arco del pie. Cuando esta "cuerda" recibe más presión de la que puede soportar, se inflama y se debilita.

Aquí la logística del dolor:

Sobrecarga en el arco 🏗️🦴: La fascia actúa como un resorte que absorbe el impacto cada vez que caminas. Una logística de carga excesiva (sobrepeso, calzado plano o caminar mucho en superficies duras) estira este tejido más allá de su límite. Esto genera micro-rupturas justo donde la banda se une al hueso del talón.

Logística del reposo nocturno 🧬💤: Mientras duermes, tu cuerpo intenta reparar los daños. La fascia se acorta y se tensa en estado de reposo. Por eso, el primer paso de la mañana es el más doloroso: estás estirando bruscamente un tejido que aún no ha terminado su logística de reparación y que está rígido por la inflamación.

El mito del espolón 📉🚫: Muchos creen que el dolor es causado por un "huesito" que crece en el talón. Sin embargo, el espolón es la consecuencia, no la causa. Es el intento del cuerpo de reforzar la zona ante la tensión constante. La logística de recuperación debe centrarse en estirar y fortalecer la fascia, no en "quitar" el hueso.

¡Recuperar la elasticidad es la clave para que tu base vuelva a ser funcional!

AVISO MÉDICO IMPORTANTE: El contenido aquí presentado es informativo. El tratamiento de la fascitis requiere ejercicios específicos de estiramiento y, en ocasiones, plantillas personalizadas. Si el dolor persiste por más de dos semanas, consulta a un fisioterapeuta o traumatólogo. Evitar el calzado inadecuado es preventivo. Este material no reemplaza la evaluación médica profesional. 🩺👟

02/02/2026

02/02/2026

02/02/2026

¿Cómo se forma un juanete?

El juanete, conocido médicamente como hallux valgus, es una deformidad progresiva del pie en la que el dedo gordo se desvía hacia los demás dedos, mientras que el hueso del primer metatarsiano se desplaza hacia afuera, formando la típica protuberancia ósea en la base del dedo.

Su formación no ocurre de un día para otro. Comienza con un desequilibrio biomecánico del pie: los músculos y ligamentos que estabilizan el dedo gordo pierden su alineación normal. Con el tiempo, la articulación se vuelve inestable y el dedo comienza a desviarse.

Factores como el uso de calzado estrecho o de punta, especialmente con tacón, aumentan la presión en el antepié y aceleran el proceso. También existe un fuerte componente hereditario, ya que ciertas formas de pie y laxitud ligamentosa predisponen a desarrollar juanetes. Además, alteraciones en la pisada, pie plano, sobrecarga repetitiva y cambios hormonales pueden favorecer su aparición.

A medida que el juanete progresa, se produce inflamación, dolor y rigidez, afectando la marcha y el equilibrio. Por eso, la prevención y el tratamiento temprano son clave. La fisioterapia, el uso de calzado adecuado, ejercicios específicos y, en algunos casos, vendajes u ortesis pueden retrasar su evolución y aliviar los síntomas.

👣💡 Un pequeño cambio en la alineación puede generar grandes molestias si no se atiende a tiempo.

02/02/2026

Postural Alignment, Foot Load & Whole-Body Biomechanics

This image tells a full kinetic-chain story—from head position to foot loading. In an ideal posture, the body’s center of mass aligns vertically over the foot through the ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle. This vertical stacking minimizes muscular effort and allows passive structures to share load efficiently. When this alignment is disturbed, compensations appear both above and below, increasing tissue stress and pain risk.

In the collapsed skeleton posture, the body’s mass drifts forward. Biomechanically, this shifts the ground-reaction force anterior to the ankle, knee, and hip. To prevent falling forward, the posterior chain—especially the calves, hamstrings, and spinal extensors—must work continuously. This increases Achilles tendon tension and plantar fascia strain while simultaneously compressing the lumbar spine and cervical segments due to forward head positioning.

The over-corrected stance represents the opposite extreme. Here, individuals attempt to “stand straight” by rigidly extending the knees, thrusting the ribs upward, and pushing the pelvis forward. While this moves weight backward, it excessively stretches the calf–Achilles complex and increases forefoot and midfoot loading. Instead of reducing stress, over-correction redistributes it—often leading to calf tightness, heel pain, or metatarsal overload.

The aligned and pain-free posture demonstrates optimal biomechanics. The skeleton—not constant muscle tension—supports body weight. The ankle sits in neutral dorsiflexion, allowing the plantar fascia to act as a spring rather than a brake. The Achilles tendon transmits force efficiently without excessive tensile load, and the foot’s arches deform and recoil appropriately during standing and gait.

At the foot level, poor postural alignment alters load transmission through the calcaneus, plantar fascia, and metatarsals. Forward weight shift increases heel compression and plantar fascia tension, predisposing to plantar fasciitis. Chronic calf overactivity further elevates Achilles strain, reducing ankle mobility and reinforcing faulty posture higher up the chain.

From a whole-body biomechanics perspective, posture is not just a spinal issue—it is a ground-up and top-down interaction. Correct alignment restores balanced force distribution across joints, improves elastic energy storage in tendons and fascia, and reduces unnecessary muscular guarding. True postural correction is dynamic, not rigid—allowing the body to stack, spring, and adapt efficiently with gravity rather than fight against it.

01/02/2026

Pilas con la postura 🔑 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HEQMJTNmh/

Las emociones necesitan del cuerpo para expresarse, y es esa expresión corporal lo que contribuye tanto a vivir una emoción como a recuperarse ella en el caso de emociones asertivas o negativas.

La literatura científica cuenta con amplias evidencias de cómo la postura favorece unas emociones frente a otras. Por ejemplo, estar encorvado se asocia a un mayor índice de pensamientos negativos frente a estar recto. En el año 2017 la Universidad de Amsterdam estudió con la postura puede ser clave para recuperarse de una emoción. Para ello midió a más de 200 personas y evaluó el impacto de su postura corporal sobre la emoción ala regulación de las emociones.

Sus resultados encontraron que mantener una postura encorvada (propia de estados negativos) dificulta el proceso de recuepración. Trabajar sobre la corrección de la postura corporal, la consciencia de nuestra postura e incorporar el cuerpo en la terapia o técnicas de regulación emocional puede contribuir significativamente a la recuperación de estados de alteración de la salud mental.

Esta nueva teoría, llamada la mente corporeizada, propone la combinación de terapia y técnicas corporales como aliado para la regulación de los estados mentales.

El cerebro interpreta (“ve”) la postura corporal para intuir el estado mental. Decía el pintor Edgar Degas que “el arte no está en lo que vemos sino en lo que hacemos ver”

31/01/2026

31/01/2026

31/01/2026

How Flat Feet Contribute to Knee Pain – The Biomechanics

Flat feet, or excessive foot pronation, don’t just affect the foot—they alter the entire lower-limb kinetic chain. In a normally aligned foot, the medial longitudinal arch helps distribute load and guides controlled pronation during stance. This allows the tibia to rotate internally only to the extent required for shock absorption, while the knee remains relatively centered over the foot. The result is efficient force transfer with minimal joint stress.

In a flat foot, the collapse of the medial arch causes prolonged and excessive pronation. As the calcaneus everts and the talus plantarflexes and adducts, the tibia is driven into excessive internal rotation. This tibial rotation does not stop at the ankle—it is transmitted upward to the knee joint. The knee, which primarily functions as a hinge with limited rotational tolerance, is now forced to accommodate rotational stress it is not designed to handle repetitively.

This excessive tibial internal rotation shifts the knee into a valgus-biased position, commonly described as “knee collapse inward.” Biomechanically, this increases compressive forces on the lateral compartment of the knee and tensile stress on medial structures such as the MCL. At the same time, altered patellofemoral tracking occurs because the femur and tibia rotate beneath the patella, increasing contact pressure on the patellar cartilage—one of the key mechanisms behind anterior knee pain.

From a load-management perspective, flat feet also change how ground reaction forces travel through the limb. Instead of being aligned through the ankle–knee–hip stack, forces deviate medially at the foot and laterally at the knee. This creates larger external knee abduction moments, meaning the muscles around the hip and knee must work harder to stabilize each step. When hip abductors and external rotators cannot compensate adequately, stress accumulates at the knee joint rather than being dissipated through coordinated motion.

Over time, this repetitive biomechanical mismatch leads to overuse injuries. Conditions such as patellofemoral pain syndrome, medial knee pain, pes anserine irritation, and even early degenerative changes can emerge—not because the knee itself is inherently weak, but because foot mechanics are driving faulty alignment upstream. In essence, the knee becomes a “victim joint,” absorbing errors originating at the foot.

In summary, flat feet influence knee pain through a clear biomechanical chain: arch collapse leads to excessive pronation, which drives tibial internal rotation, promotes knee valgus, alters patellar tracking, and increases joint stress. Understanding this relationship highlights why addressing foot mechanics—through strength, mobility, footwear, or orthotic strategies—is often essential for long-term knee health, not just local knee-focused treatment.

31/01/2026

Plantar Fasciitis & Foot Arch Mechanics

Plantar fasciitis is not simply an inflammatory condition of the heel; it is best understood as a repetitive load–failure problem of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia functions as a tension-bearing structure that helps maintain the medial longitudinal arch and assists in efficient force transfer during walking and running. When foot mechanics are altered, tensile stress on this structure increases beyond its capacity to recover.

During normal gait, the foot transitions between open-chain and closed-chain behaviors. At initial contact and loading response, the foot naturally pronates and “opens,” allowing the arch to lower slightly for shock absorption. As the body moves toward push-off, the foot supinates and “closes,” stiffening the arch to create a rigid lever. This timing is essential for minimizing strain on the plantar fascia.

In a low-arch (overpronated) foot, the arch remains excessively open for too long. Prolonged pronation increases the distance between the calcaneus and forefoot, stretching the plantar fascia with every step. The fascia is repeatedly loaded in a lengthened position, particularly during midstance and push-off, accelerating micro-tearing at its calcaneal attachment.

In contrast, a high-arch (supinated) foot fails to open adequately during loading. This reduces shock absorption and causes higher impact forces to travel directly into the plantar fascia and heel. Although the fascia may not be excessively lengthened, it is exposed to higher peak loads, which also increases injury risk through different mechanical pathways.

The windlass mechanism is central to plantar fascia function. As the toes dorsiflex during push-off, the plantar fascia tightens and elevates the arch. In dysfunctional feet, this mechanism either engages too late or under excessive tension, further increasing stress at the heel insertion.

Inflammation and degeneration occur not because the fascia is weak, but because load exceeds tissue tolerance. Repeated overstretching or excessive impact creates microdamage that accumulates faster than repair, leading to pain, stiffness, and reduced elasticity of the fascia.

Importantly, plantar fasciitis does not exist in isolation. Altered foot mechanics influence tibial rotation, knee alignment, and hip control. Likewise, poor proximal stability can overload the foot. The condition is therefore best viewed as a whole-chain biomechanical problem rather than a localized foot injury.

This explains why isolated treatments—such as stretching the plantar fascia or changing footwear—often provide only temporary relief. Without restoring proper timing between pronation and supination, excessive fascial strain persists during daily and athletic activities.

Plantar fasciitis develops when the foot loses its ability to transition smoothly between flexibility and rigidity. Whether the arch is too low or too high, inefficient force management increases fascial strain. Long-term recovery depends on restoring dynamic arch control, load tolerance, and coordinated movement across the entire lower limb.