Lower quarter screening for skeletal malalignment--suggestions for orthotics and shoewear.

Skeletal malalignments of the lower quarter, deformities within a bone or at a joint, may be the primary cause of musculoskeletal patient problems. Skeletal malalignments also may sustain the presence of a musculoskeletal patient problem that has some other causal mechanism. A screening exam for skeletal alignment of the lower quarter may assist clinicians in identifying skeletal malalignments that are associated with a musculoskeletal complaint. The purposes of this paper are to: 1) describe components for a skeletal alignment screening exam, 2) analyze how lower quarter malalignments may influence lower quarter function and contribute to the development of musculoskeletal pathology, and 3) suggest general characteristics of foot orthoses and shoes that may assist in the management of musculoskeletal patient problems of the lower quarter.