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Doing a 180 on the short foot exercise

Discussion in 'Biomechanics, Sports and Foot orthoses' started by scotfoot, Jul 7, 2019.

  1. scotfoot

    scotfoot Well-Known Member


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    Now that I feel I better understand the short foot exercise , I think it is an excellent exercise . However , to engage the plantar intrinsics , and not just the tibialis anterior ,tibialis posterior and peroneus longus ,the toes most exert pressure on the ground , but without curling of the toes .

    Browsing the internet , it would appear a number of authorities already advocate this method .
     
  2. scotfoot

    scotfoot Well-Known Member

    A few years ago a paper was produced by PO McKeon et al (see below ) which introduced a " new paradigm " for understanding foot function . With the advantage of hindsight the paper has a few wrinkles but in general , and in essence , it can be called enlightened . The intrinsics undoubtedly do stiffen the foot during later stance as the heel unweights , allowing prime movers such as the gastronemus and soleus muscles to better apply force through the foot . Also , as correctly identified in the paper , muscles such as the peroneus longus and tibialis posterior contribute to arch integrity .

    What I particularly like about the paper is that it gets away from the idea of the foot as a self supporting osseo-ligamentous structure and puts emphasis on neuromuscular input and control .

    The main "wrinkle" in the paper , in my opinion , would be the lack of downward pressure exerted by the toes that is implied by the phrase " With the short foot exercise, emphasis should be placed on the patient learning to sense subtalar neutral with the calcaneus and the metatarsal heads on the ground and the toes neither flexed nor extended " .

    But that apart , excellent .



    The foot core system: a new paradigm for understanding intrinsic foot ...


    https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/5/290
    by PO McKeon - ‎2015 - ‎Cited by 151 - ‎Related articlesThe relevance of core stability to the foot These muscles generally have small moment arms, small cross-sectional areas and serve primarily to stabilise the arches. The global movers are the muscles that originate in the lower leg, cross the ankle and insert on the foot. ... This may manifest in foot-related problems.
     
  3. scotfoot

    scotfoot Well-Known Member

    The authors of a recent paper (abstract below ) , looked at the effects of the short foot exercise on somatosensory function in ankle instability . Given that the short foot exercise actively engages the tibialis posterior , peroneus longus and tibialis anterior (ankle stabilizers as well as medial arch stabilizers ) it seems likely that it is the exercising/strengthening of these muscles , rather than the intrinsics , that produces the noted improvements .

    Actually , if as has been shown here the short foot exercise improves awareness of ankle position , it provides a good indication that the muscles around the ankle joint that are being exercised by the short foot exercise as well as the intrinsics .( The intrinsics are engaged if the toes are kept straight and pressed into the ground during the exercise ) .

    Med Sci Monit. 2019 Jan 21;25:618-626. doi: 10.12659/MSM.912785.
    Short-Foot Exercise Promotes Quantitative Somatosensory Function in Ankle Instability: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Lee E1, Cho J1, Lee S2.
    Author information

    Abstract


    BACKGROUND Ankle sprain reduces capacity for neurosensory information processing, and these patients commonly progress to chronic ankle instability (CAI). To address this problem, the short-foot exercise (SFE) may be used. However, there has been no previous research on the neurosensory impact of SFE. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess improvement of quantitative neurosensory indicators after SFE and to determine the effect of proprioceptive sensory exercise (PSE) in patients with CAI. MATERIAL AND METHODS The present study included 30 adults (age range: 19-29 years; 50% female). Selection criteria for CAI (Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool £24) were implemented, and participants were randomly allocated to 2 groups: SFE (n1=15) and PSE (n2=15). Exercises were conducted 3 times per week for 8 weeks. Measurements of quantitative somatosensory of joint position sense and vibration sensory thresholds, dynamic balance, and ankle instability assessment were evaluated before and after completion of each intervention. Data were analyzed using a repeated- measures analysis of variance. RESULTS In a time-by-group comparison, the SFE group showed a more significant improvement with regards to eversion joint position sense (F1,28=4.543, p<0.05). For vibration sensory threshold, the SFE group showed a more significant improvement (F1,28=8.280, p<0.01). Balance index according to anterio-posterior, mediolateral, and overall index the SFE group a more significant improvement (F1,28=6.666, 4.585, 5.207, p<0.05). And ankle instability SFE group showed a more significant improvement (F1,28=6.890, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS SFE is more effective than PSE for treating ankle sprain patients. There is a need to develop and promote an effective and controlled exercise program to facilitate the return of ankle sprain patients to normal daily life.
     
  4. scotfoot

    scotfoot Well-Known Member

    Re the above , the second paragraph should read -

    Actually , if as has been shown here the short foot exercise improves awareness of ankle position , it provides a good indication that the muscles around the ankle joint are being exercised by the short foot exercise , as well as the intrinsics .( The intrinsics are engaged if the toes are kept straight and pressed into the ground during the exercise ) .

    In my opinion you can do the short foot exercise the hard way or the easy way .

    Here is a link to the easy way . (see fig 1 ) It's a simple isometric hold using a pressuring monitoring system so that safe exercise limits are not exceeded .




    atrophy and strength loss of foot muscles and plantar pressure ...


    https://isbweb.org/images/conferences/isb-congresses/2013/.../cb-clinicalfoot.01.pdf

    .
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2019
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