Short Foot Muscle Exercises and Foot Posture in Runners

scotfoot · Sep 13, 2020

It seems quite reasonable to suppose that if you put on a pair of running shoes and go out running your feet will get stronger . But will they get strong enough to resist injury and allow you to perform at an optimal level ?
Increasingly the evidence says no ,specific targeted exercises for the intrinsic foot muscles are required for best effect with progressive resistance exercises best of all .

It seems that even professional ballet dancers , trained in minimal footwear from an early age , must do intrinsic foot muscle strengthening exercises to have the best chance of avoiding injury .

Finding that out recently surprised me , but 20 years of history at the Australian Ballet deeply underscores the point .

NewsBot · Oct 10, 2020

Comparison of the Intrinsic Foot Muscle Activities between Therapeutic and Three-Dimensional Foot-Ankle Exercises in Healthy Adults: An Explanatory Study
Du-Jin Park, Young-In Hwang
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Oct 1;17(19)

Background: In recent years, a three-dimensional ankle exercise has been proposed as a practice for strengthening the intrinsic foot muscles, however this topic still requires further research. This study aimed to compare the activities of the intrinsic muscles in healthy participants during 3D foot-ankle exercises, namely, short foot (SF), and toe spread out (TSO).

Methods: Prior to the experiment, 16 healthy adults were trained on how to perform SF, TSO, and 3D foot-ankle exercises for an hour. Once all participants passed the foot-ankle exercise performance test, we randomly measured the activity of the intrinsic foot muscles using electromyography while the patients were performing foot-ankle exercises.

Results: The abductor hallucis (AbH), extensor hallucis longus (EHL), and flexor hallucis brevis (FHB) activities showed significant differences among the exercises for intrinsic foot muscle strengthening (p < 0.01). Additionally, the AbH/AdH (adductor hallucis) ratio showed significant differences among the exercises for strengthening the intrinsic foot muscles (p < 0.01).

Conclusions: Our results showed that the 3D extension exercise is as effective as the therapeutic exercise in terms of the AbH and FHB activities, and the AbH/AdH ratio. On the contrary, the 3D flexion exercise showed superiority in terms of the EHL activity.
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NewsBot · Dec 9, 2020

Modification of Pronated Foot Posture after a Program of Therapeutic Exercises
Raquel Sánchez-Rodríguez et al
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Nov 13;17(22):8406

Working on the intrinsic musculature of the foot has been shown to be effective in controlling pronation. However, the potential coadjuvant effect that involving other muscle groups might have on foot posture remains unknown. The aim was, therefore, to assess whether a 9-week intrinsic and extrinsic foot and core muscle strength program influenced foot posture in pronated subjects. The participants were 36 healthy adults with pronated feet that were randomly assigned to two groups. The experimental group (n = 18) performed a strengthening exercise protocol for 9 weeks (two sessions of 40 min per week), while the control group (n = 18) did not do these exercises. After 9 weeks, the foot posture index (FPI) scores of the two groups were analyzed to detect possible changes. The FPI at the baseline was 8.0 ± 1.5. After the 9 weeks, the experimental group showed significantly reduced FPI from 8.1 ± 1.7 to 6.4 ± 2.1 (p = 0.001), while the control group had the same score as pre-intervention (FPI 8 ± 1.2, p = 1.0). The FPI scores showed no significant differences by sex. Strengthening of the intrinsic and extrinsic foot and core muscles contributed to improving foot posture in adults, reducing their FPI by 1.66 points.
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NewsBot · Oct 5, 2021

The Effect of a Short Foot Eccentric Endurance Exercise on Foot Center of Pressure: A Pilot study
Jim Schilling et al
Source

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of a 5-week short foot eccentric endurance training program on the foot center of pressure measures in healthy university graduate students. METHODS: Eleven healthy students between the ages of 18 and 35 years (n=11, 3 males, 8 females; mean age 26.5±2.5 years; BMI 23.9±2.6 kg/㎡) were included in the study. The participants volunteered in a 5-week progressive eccentric contraction short foot exercise program performed three times per week. The main outcome pressure measurements pre- and post-intervention in static double leg stance were measured using a MatScan® Pressure Mapping System. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found in the base of support (p=.002, ES=2.59), time to boundary (p=.024, ES=1.63), and overall minima measures (p=.05, ES=1.36) pre- and post-intervention. CONCLUSIONS: A 5-week progressive eccentric contraction short foot exercise program significantly decreased the center of pressure excursion measures, demonstrating improved postural control.
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NewsBot · Oct 19, 2021

Effect of Incorporating Short-Foot Exercises in the Balance Rehabilitation of Flat Foot: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Dongchul Moon and Juhyeon Jung
Healthcare 2021, 9(10), 1358;

Effective balance rehabilitation is essential to address flat foot (pes planus) which is closely associated with reduced postural stability. Although sensorimotor training (SMT) and short-foot exercise (SFE) have been effective for improving postural stability, the combined effects of SMT with SFE have not been evaluated in previous studies. The aim of this study was to compare the lone versus combined effects of SMT with SFE on postural stability among participants with flat foot. This was a single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. A total of 32 flat-footed participants were included in the study (14 males and 18 females) and assigned to the SMT combined with SFE group and SMT alone group. All participants underwent 18 sessions of the SMT program three times a week for six weeks. Static balance, dynamic balance, and the Hmax/Mmax ratio were compared before and after the interventions. Static and dynamic balance significantly increased in the SMT combined with SFE group compared with the SMT alone group. However, the Hmax/Mmax ratio was not significantly different between the two groups. Therefore, this study confirms that the combination of SMT and SFE is superior to SMT alone to improve postural balance control in flat-footed patients in clinical settings.
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NewsBot · Nov 7, 2021

The Effects of Short Foot Exercise on Ground Reaction Forces during Landing
Connor M. Owen et al
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 14 : Iss. 1 , Article 46.

The foot is a shock absorber which helps attenuate loads during landing activities via pronation. Intrinsic foot muscles help stabilize the arch of the foot and assist in controlling pronation. Excessive pronation during landing may transfer up the kinetic chain, increasing the risk of knee injury. Additionally, increased ground reaction forces (GRF) during landing may increase the risk for an ACL injury. Acute bouts of short foot exercise (SFE) can strengthen IFM, improving foot posture, balance, and energy transfer in dynamic activities, reducing injury risk. PURPOSE: Therefore, this study investigates whether SFE training before jump performance lowers GRF upon landing. It is hypothesized that GRF will decrease following SFE. METHODS: Ten healthy participants, all right leg dominant, (6 males, 4 females; Age: 24.9±1.91 y; Height: 1.71±0.08 m; Mass: 66.09±10.39 kg), began testing with drop jumps (DJ) from an 18-inch box (PRE), being told to step off the box with hands on their hips, land with feet on the force plate, and immediately jump as high as possible. Two familiarization DJ trials were followed by three test trials with one minute rest between DJ. After initial DJ trials, participants performed 2 sets of 30 repetitions of SFE on each foot while seated, with contractions being held for 5 seconds, and with 2 seconds of rest between repetitions. Two more sets were completed on each foot with the participants standing. Following SFE, participants performed 3 additional DJ (POST). GRF data was sampled at 1000Hz with dual AMTI (Newton, MA) force platforms. Peak GRF during landing was normalized to body mass. RESULTS: Paired t-tests indicated no effect of SFE on GRF during landing (PRE=374±0.50 N/kg; POST=386±0.54 N/kg; p=0.379; d=0.292). CONCLUSION: Performing SFE before jumping for a healthy population had no significant impact on GRF during landing. It may be beneficial to investigate SFE effects on GRF in unhealthy or injured populations.
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DaVinci · Nov 8, 2021

How are people finding the compliance with patients in actually doing this exercise? Most seem to find it too hard and give up.

scotfoot · Nov 8, 2021

Foot doming might be an easier exercise to learn . Keep toes straight and press them into the ground . The ball of the foot lifts a little off the ground .
Moving the met heads towards the heel with relaxed toes can be mastered but this is not an IFM exercise .

NewsBot · Nov 10, 2021

Effect of Incorporating Short-Foot Exercises in the Balance Rehabilitation of Flat Foot: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Dongchul Moon , Juhyeon Jung
Healthcare (Basel). 2021 Oct 13;9(10):1358

Effective balance rehabilitation is essential to address flat foot (pes planus) which is closely associated with reduced postural stability. Although sensorimotor training (SMT) and short-foot exercise (SFE) have been effective for improving postural stability, the combined effects of SMT with SFE have not been evaluated in previous studies. The aim of this study was to compare the lone versus combined effects of SMT with SFE on postural stability among participants with flat foot. This was a single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. A total of 32 flat-footed participants were included in the study (14 males and 18 females) and assigned to the SMT combined with SFE group and SMT alone group. All participants underwent 18 sessions of the SMT program three times a week for six weeks. Static balance, dynamic balance, and the Hmax/Mmax ratio were compared before and after the interventions. Static and dynamic balance significantly increased in the SMT combined with SFE group compared with the SMT alone group. However, the Hmax/Mmax ratio was not significantly different between the two groups. Therefore, this study confirms that the combination of SMT and SFE is superior to SMT alone to improve postural balance control in flat-footed patients in clinical settings.
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NewsBot · Nov 10, 2021

Effects of Short Foot Exercise on Ankle Eversion Velocity,
Metri, Daniel; Mayoral, Jacob; Owen, Connor; Arant, Andy; Johnson, Dane; Dudley, Robert; and Du Bois, Andrea
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 14 : Iss. 1 , Article 94.

The biomechanical position of the foot while landing plays a major role in performance and injury. A common issue of landing is excessive foot pronation and subsequently ankle eversion. This biomechanical position can result in knee abduction, increasing the chance of knee injury. The velocity at which the ankle everts may also be a component of injury as long distance runners that became injured had higher ankle eversion velocity in their landing strides while running. Short foot exercise (SFE) strengthens the intrinsic muscles of the foot and help stabilize the arch which assists in eccentrically controlling pronation. However, acute effects of SFE are unknown. PURPOSE:The purpose of the study was to examine if an acute bout of SFE utilized as a warm up before jumping would have an impact on ankle eversion velocity while landing. METHODS: Ten healthy participants (6 male; 24.9 ±1.91 y) underwent vertical drop jumps (DJ) from an 18-inch box. The test began with three DJ trials (PRE) and were followed by SFE. The SFE involved contractions of 5 seconds and were performed with two sets of 30 repetitions on both feet both in sitting and standing. The participants then performed three more DJ tests (POST). Kinematics were collected at 100 Hz with a 14-camera motion system. Marker position data to calculate joint velocity as motion in the distal segment relative to proximal. Peak frontal plane ankle eversion velocity (EV) during landing was used for analysis. RESULTS: There was no effect of SFE on right EV (PRE: -119.32 ± 37.10 °/s; POST: -104.40 ± 39.32 °/s; p=0.202, d=0.435) or left EV (PRE= -129.93 ± 56.17°/s; POST= -135.43 ± 66.41 °/s; p=0.697; d=0.127). CONCLUSION: Performing acute SFE had no effect on ankle eversion velocity during the landing of the participants. It may be beneficial to examine single leg activity to increase demands. Additionally, participants were healthy and demonstrated proper mechanics, thus limiting the ability to induce a change.
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NewsBot · Nov 10, 2021

The Effect of the Short Foot Exercise on the Knee during Landing
Mayoral, Jacob G.; Owen, Connor; Metri, Daniel; Arant, Andy; Johnson, Dane; Dudley, Robert; and Du Bois, Andrea
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 14 : Iss. 1 , Article 91.

Intrinsic foot muscles play an important role in the stabilization of the foot and assist with pronation of the foot. Excessive eversion, a component of pronation, may carry up the kinetic chain to impact the knee’s frontal plane position, increasing the chance of a knee injury. Runners who go on to sustain injuries have a greater peak knee abduction moment during running than those without injury. Regular short foot exercise (SFE) strengthens the intrinsic foot muscles, which over time could help improve foot posture and mechanics up the kinetic chain. It is unclear if a single bout of SFE can change mechanics or reduce injurious movement patterns. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to study the effects of acute bouts of the SFE on knee adduction moments during a drop vertical jump (DVJ) landing. METHODS: Ten participants (6 male; 24.9+-1.19 yr) were asked to do three DVJs (PRE) from an 18-inch box. They then completed the SFE bilaterally for two sets of 30 repetitions, both seated and standing followed by three DVJs (POST). Kinetic data was sampled at 1000 Hz with dual AMTI force platforms (Newton, MA); and the kinematics were sampled at 100 Hz with 14-camera motion capture system (Qualysis, Sweden). External moments were calculated via standard inverse dynamics using Visual 3D software (C-motion Inc, Rockville, MD). Peak external knee abduction moment (KABD) normalized to body mass was used for analysis. RESULTS: Paired-t tests showed that there was no effect of SFE on the right KABD (PRE: 0.29 ± 0.13 Nm/kg; POST: 0.28 ± 0.14 Nm/kg; p=0.432; d=0.26); however, there was trend towards a decrease in the left KABD with a moderate effect size (PRE: 0.30 ± 0.17 Nm/kg; POST: 0.25 ± 0.14 Nm/kg; p=0.051; d=0.76). CONCLUSION: In a healthy population, the SFE has little to no effect on the KABD. There was a small decrease in the left KABD in these individuals indicating that in a population with poor mechanics, SFE might be an effective intervention.
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scotfoot · Nov 10, 2021

I would be interested to know what the group from Azusa Pacific University consider the SFE to be and what their aims were with the exercise . No toe press then no toe flexors so no plantar intrinsic involvement, ball of foot to heel regardless .

NewsBot · May 16, 2022

Eight Weeks of Exercising on Sand Has Positive Effects
on Biomechanics of Walking and Muscle Activities in
Individuals with Pronated Feet: A Randomized
Double-Blinded Controlled Trial
Amir Ali Jafarnezhadgero et al
Source

This study aimed to investigate the effects of eight weeks of barefoot running exercise
on sand versus control on measures of walking kinetics and muscle activities in individuals with
diagnosed pronated feet. Sixty physically active male adults with pronated feet were randomly
allocated into an intervention or a waiting control group. The intervention group conducted an
8-weeks progressive barefoot running exercise program on sand (e.g., short sprints) with three weekly
sessions. Pre and post intervention, participants walked at a constant speed of 1.3 m/s ± 5% on a
18 m walkway with a force plate embedded in the middle of the walkway. Results showed significant
group-by-time interactions for peak impact vertical and lateral ground reaction forces. Training but
not control resulted in significantly lower peak impact vertical and lateral ground reaction forces.
Significant group-by-time interactions were observed for vastus lateralis activity during the loading
phase. Training-induced increases were found for the vastus lateralis in the intervention but not
in the control group. This study revealed that the applied exercise program is a suitable means to
absorb ground reaction forces (e.g., lower impact vertical and lateral peaks) and increase activities of
selected lower limb muscles (e.g., vastus lateralis) when walking on stable ground.
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NewsBot · May 16, 2022

The Effects of a 6-Week Intrinsic Foot Morphology, Kinematics, and Kinetics in Individuals with Pes Planus
Marszalek, Rebecca; Simon, Janet E.; and Wayner, Robert
Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 4.

CONTEXT
The intrinsic foot muscles are vital in supporting the medial longitudinal arch of the foot. Individuals with pes planus have poor foot morphology, strength, and biomechanics, warranting an intervention.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
At pre-intervention, foot posture and arch height were assessed via the Foot Posture Index-6 and the Navicular Drop test, respectively. Cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis was assessed using ultrasound as an indirect measure of strength. Biomechanical measures, including peak rearfoot eversion, peak tibial internal rotation, peak rearfoot eversion moment, and center of pressure excursion, were collected using 3D-motion capture and an instrumented treadmill. At post-intervention, these morphological and biomechanical measures were repeated. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each dependent variable by group and time. A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted for each dependent variable with the within subjects factor time and between subjects factor group.
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Short Foot Muscle Exercises and Foot Posture in Runners

scotfoot Well-Known Member

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DaVinci Well-Known Member

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Short Foot Exercise vs. The Towel Curl Exercise for Intrinsic Muscle Strength

Learning to dome the foot (short foot exercise)

Effects of the Short Foot Exercise

Short foot exercise and pelvic obliquity

Chronic ankle instability and the short foot exercise

Doing a 180 on the short foot exercise

Short Foot Exercise and Medial Knee Osteoarthritis

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Short Foot Muscle Exercises and Foot Posture in Runners

scotfoot Well-Known Member

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DaVinci Well-Known Member

scotfoot Well-Known Member

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scotfoot Well-Known Member

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Short Foot Exercise vs. The Towel Curl Exercise for Intrinsic Muscle Strength

Learning to dome the foot (short foot exercise)

Effects of the Short Foot Exercise

Short foot exercise and pelvic obliquity

Chronic ankle instability and the short foot exercise

Doing a 180 on the short foot exercise

Short Foot Exercise and Medial Knee Osteoarthritis

Share This Page

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