Foot balance - Palmar or plantar angle

Palmar/ Plantar angle

The Palmar angle is the angle the bottom of the pedal bone makes with the ground. We are aiming for an angle of 2-4 degrees positive. When we say positive we expect the heel to be higher than the toe. A negative angle will mean that the back of the pedal bone is lower than the toe region. A negative palmar angle will place a lot of stress on the structures in the back of the foot: Navicular bone, Deep Digital Flexor Tendon and also the associated support structures.

The Plantar angle is the angle the bottom of the pedal bone makes with the ground in the hind foot. We are aiming for an angle of 2-4 degrees positive. When we say positive we expect the heel to be higher than the toe. A negative angle will mean that the back of the pedal bone is lower than the toe region. We know there are studies linking the hind foot conformation and more importantly the plantar angle and hock joint pain.

Ensuring this measurement is also taken in to consideration with the angle of the pastern and fetlock joint is important also. No point having a nice number if the pastern joint is broken forwards or back.