Midfoot Angle Changes During Running After an 8-week Foot Strengthening Program

NewsBot · Oct 3, 2018

Members do not see these Ads. Sign Up.
Midfoot Angle Changes During Running After an 8-week Foot Strengthening Program
Sarah Ridge, PhD, Adrienne Henderson, BS, Dustin Bruening, PhD, Kevin Jurgensmeier, BS, Mark Olsen, MS, David
Griffin, BS, Aaron Johnson, PhD, PT, Irene Davis, PhD, PT
AOFAS Annual Meeting 2018 1

Introduction/Purpose: The arch has been referred to as the core of the foot. The arch's structure, movement, and integrity
during running gait largely depends on the function of intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles. There are many injuries that can be
associated with a dysfunctional medial longitudinal arch. Improving the strength of the foot muscles could help improve arch
function during running. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in arch deformation after eight weeks in a foot
strengthening exercise group (FS), a group walking in minimalist shoes (MSW), and a control group (C).
Methods: 24 healthy runners (average of 15-30 miles/week, no experience with minimalist footwear) were randomly assigned to
FS (n=9), MSW (n=7) or C (n=8). FS subjects followed a series of progressive exercises designed to strengthen the intrinsic and
extrinsic foot muscles. MSW subjects walked in minimal footwear, increasing from 2,500 to 7,000 steps/day over an 8 wk period.
All runners maintained their pre-study mileage in conventional running shoes throughout the 8-week study Three-dimensional
motion analysis data was collected at the beginning of the study and after week 8. Passive-reflective markers were placed
according to the Oxford Foot Model. Subjects ran at a self-selected pace on a treadmill while data were collected for at least 10
strides. Peak midfoot angles were extracted and averaged within each trial. Group means at week 0 and week 8 were compared
using paired t-tests with alpha set at 0.05.
Results: While all groups experienced a decrease in midfoot angle, only the FS group experienced a significant change (see table).
These results suggest that the foot exercise intervention resulted in more arch control during running than the progressive
walking in minimal shoes. Greater changes may have been found if the subjects progressively ran in the minimal shoes which would
have placed greater demands on the arch musculature.
Conclusion: Based on these data, it seems possible for patients to reduce the amount of arch deformation during running by
using targeted foot exercises. This could help with patients who have overuse injuries associated with increased arch deformation.
These results also suggest that foot strengthening may be an effective way to prepare for minimal footwear running.
Click to expand...

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

The signed helical angle: A technique for characterizing midfoot motion during gait

Midfoot Joint Complex (Foot Arch) Contributes to the Upper Body Position in Bipedal Walking

Shape variations of hind and midfoot bones in flatfoot subjects

Mass-Like Fat at the Medial Midfoot

Proprioceptive Insoles decrease medial midfoot plantar forces

Hip external rotation stiffness and midfoot passive mechanical resistance

Innervation of the Dorsal Midfoot Capsule

Share This Page