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Link between foot intrinsic muscles and arch height

Discussion in 'Biomechanics, Sports and Foot orthoses' started by Nick Sebastian Caravaggio, Apr 9, 2013.


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    Hi everyone,

    I remember reading a discussion about the barefoot running and minimalist footwear and how some claim that by going barefoot or working out or running in minimalist shoes you would strengthen the foot intrinsics and create an arch thereby eliminating a lot of foot problems

    Someone later stated something to the effect that according to some study, there is no link with intrinsic muscles and arch height. Does anyone know if such a study exists and if so could I get a link to get it?



    let me know

    Nick
     
  2. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
    8
    1. There is one study that has shown that there is no relationship between muscle power and arch height
    2. Have you seen how tiny those muscles are on dissection? - how can they have the strength to do that?
    3. The muscles run pretty much parallel to the metatarsals; if they did increase arch height, they would have to do that by plantarflexing the the metatarsals .... how can those tiny muscles with a really poor lever arm come close to doing that? ... esp against body weight and the magnitude of forces generated during gait. (they obviously do have a potential to provide a plantarflexion moment; I just remain unconvinced that it is anything other than a trivial amount).
    4. The EMG studies on flatfoot show that the intrinsic muscles are very active (more active than a 'normal foot') .... if they are very active, then they must already be strong!
    5. In the diabetic foot when there is an atrophy of the intrinsic muscles ('intrinsic minus foot') and in early CMT when only the intrinsic muscles are affected, they actually develop a high arched foot! .. .so if an atrophy of those muscles lead to a higher arched foot, does a strengthening of those muscles lead to a lower arched foot????

    I did a blog post yesterday on Wishful thinking .... sound familiar? They just wish that is the case. Wishing something to be the case does not make it so.

    Having said that, I did speculate here, that those barefoot/minimalist runners who do see an increase in arch height are probably doing so as the increased activity of post tib muscle when forefoot striking, inverts the rearfoot more --> more first ray plantarflexion --> better windlass function and a correction of the acquired soft tissue contraction of a forefoot supinatus --> increase in arch height (NOTHING to do with muscle strength!).
    Some barefoot/minimalist runners do develop an increase in arch height and others do not --> speculate that those that do had a forefoot supinatus to start with (I have seen a couple of forum comments from barefooters who were p....d off that barefoot running did not increase their arch height! ... don't figure!)
     
  3. Thanks Craig,
    I completely agree with you on your points, I constantly get into discussions about this with trainers at my gym as well as the occasional patient. Just looking for research to back me up!

    Nick
     
  4. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
    8
    Perhaps you should ask them for their evidence!
     
  5. Anthony S

    Anthony S Active Member

    If barefoot runners land toe first, they've already pre loaded the windlass (sort of functional cluffy wedge).

    Is it plausible that because they are therefore working their tibialis group in a shorter range (stretching them less because they are pronating less) that they are in fact tightening them?
     
  6. gendel99

    gendel99 Active Member

    And what about posterior tendon disfunction - main cause adult acquired flatfoot?
     
  7. gendel99

    gendel99 Active Member

    If muscles isn't support arch of a foot, why posterior tendon disfunction "major contributor" adult flatfoot?
     
  8. David Wedemeyer

    David Wedemeyer Well-Known Member

    Gendel I believe that it is because the gradual attenuation of the PT tendon itself allows the defect to progress. It is not a muscular insult but the muscular influence is impacted by the loss of tendon integrity
     
  9. The words "foot, intrinsic and muscles" in the thread title? Bueller? Anyone?

    Anyway: http://173.193.11.193/data/Journals/JBJS/444/1184.pdf
     
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