PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to determine the effects of wrestling shoes during
practicing wrestling, wrestling mats and wrestling styles on foot posture deformation and
form opinions about its causes. METHODS: A total of 158 athletes, which consist of 49
females and 109 males from 18 different countries who participated in the 12th World
Universities Wrestling Championship, which was held in the City of Çorum, Turkey during
October 25-30, 2016. 102 of these wrestlers are freestyle wrestlers while 56 of them are
Greco-Roman wrestlers. Footprint parameters were used in order to determine and evaluate
the general structure of the foot (Forriol and Pascual, 1990; Waldecker, 2004). The Staheli
index (Staheli et al., 1987), which has a high validity rate, was used in the study. BMI was
formulated using Anthropometric measurements by proportioning the body weight with
height in meter squares (weight / height2, kg / m2). The analysis of the data was carried out in
SPSS 17.00 package software. Comparison meaningfulness tests were conducted on the
level of α = .05. In the analysis of whether the observed and expected frequencies had a
meaningful difference and in the qualitatively expressed data analysis, the Chi-square test
was adopted. RESULTS: It was concluded that wrestlers who are 19 years old or younger had
a pes planus rate of 10.5%, for 20-23 years old, it was 15.7%, for 24-27 years old, it was 26.2%
and for 28 years old and older, it was 28.6%. In the conducted Chi-square test statistical
equation, it was observed that there was not a meaningful relationship between the ages of
wrestlers and their pes planus states. Wrestlers who practiced wrestling for 5 years or less
had a pes planus rate of 9.1%, for 6-10 years, it was 13.6% and for 11 years or more, it was
28.8%. In the conducted Chi-square test statistical equation, it was observed that there was a
meaningful relationship between the years practicing sports of wrestlers and their pes planus
states. In terms of gender variable, the rate of having pes planus for women was 8.4%, while
males had a rate of 19.3%. In the conducted Chi-square test statistical equation, it was
observed that there was no meaningful relationship between the genders of wrestlers and
their pes planus states. In terms of wrestling style variable, the rate of having pes planus for
freestyle wrestlers was 22.5%, while Greco-Roman wrestlers had a rate of 12.5%. In the
conducted Chi-square test statistical equation, it was observed that there was a meaningful
relationship between the wrestling styles of wrestlers and their pes planus rates.
CONCLUSIONS:It was observed that there was a meaningful relationship between ages in the
conducted percentage tests (with increased age, pes planus rates also increased) yet in the
results of Chi-Square Test for One Sample (,064), it was concluded that there was no
meaningful relationship. In terms of years of practicing sports of wrestlers, in the examination
of rates of pes planus, it was concluded that there was a meaningful relationship between
years of practicing sports and the rate of pes planus. Years of practicing sports express the
number of wrestling trainings and matches practiced. In other words, it expresses the fact
that wrestlers wear the wrestling shoes for a long time and they exercise on the wrestling mat
for a long time. This situation can be interpreted to be a cause of pes planus of wrestlers. No
meaningful relationship was observed between the genders of wrestlers and their pes planus
states. However, a meaningful relationship was observed between the wrestling styles of
wrestlers and their pes planus states. Freestyle wrestlers lean forward and they try to disturb
the balance of their opponents by moving forward, backward or to right or left, and they push
and pull their opponents and their center of mass shifts during these movements. The sole of
the foot extends the contact surface on the mat in order to maintain the balance or a plethora
of surface of the foot contacts with the mat. This situation can be interpreted as the reason for
freestyle wrestlers’ higher rate of having pes planus. In addition, the fact that wrestling shoes
cover the Achilles tendon, the extension of this tendon is obstructed. The Achilles tendon’s
obstruction of extension strengthens the opinion that freestyle wrestlers experience pes
planus more.
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