A Comparative Biomechanical Analysis the Vertical Jump between Flatfoot and Normal Foot

Abstract

Flatfoot has been one of the most common foot deformity, which gives rise to several malfunctions or disoders to the foot and lower extremity. Difference between flatfoot and normal foot mainly present in the middle foot, while few is known about the biomechanical difference under barefoot vertical jump. The objective of this study is to investigate the difference of flatfoot and normal foot while vertical jumping under barefoot condition. Twenty males (ten with flatfoot and ten with normal foot) volunteered to participate in this study. Foot morphology was measured with Easy-Foot-Scan. Foot kinetics and joint kinematics were obtained from EMED force platform and Vicon motion analysis system. Results showed that flatfoot group had a significantly larger peak pressure in the region of hallux and larger contact area of center forefoot than that of normal foot group, and larger contact area in medial midfoot. The flatfoot group presented larger plantarflexion and smaller external rotation to the ankle, and larger flexion and abduction and smaller external rotation to the knee than normal foot group during vertical jump. It can be concluded that people with flat-arched feet may have a poorer ability of self-regulation when facing a movement with rapid impact force like vertical jump, which will increase the risk of injuries. This information will be valuable for future work in structure, function and potential treatment of low arched feet.

Association of Arch Stiffness with Plantar Impulse Distribution during Walking, Running, and Gait Termination

“…The extrinsic muscles provide both absorption and propulsion abilities to the longitudinal arch during gait [6]. The difference in arch type is a contributory factor in sports injuries, which could affect and influence physical performance [3,8]. Furthermore, poor exercise behaviors might also lead to progressive deformation in arch morphology, resulting in foot problems and affecting the quality of life [1,[9][10][11].…”

“…Foot morphological indexes represented by arch height have also been reported to affect health-related quality of life [10,12]. In the past two decades, arch height index (AHI) has been recognized as a valid and reliable indicator for evaluating arch structure [3,4,8,12], which was outlined by Williams and Mcclay in 2000 [13]. Nevertheless, Wendi and Justin [14] proposed that it is not recommended to use the pure AHI to classify foot arch types due to the interference of ethnicity, gender, and other factors.…”

Examining the Relationship between Pes Planus Degree, Balance and Jump Performances in Athletes

“…Pes planus is one of the most common musculoskeletal abnormalities in young people, which causes pain and difficulty during walking and running and jumping [ 22 ]. It has been found that athletes with pes planus exhibit poor ability to control foot movements in the ankle and foot complex, which may cause poor balance and jump performance [ 23 ]. However, one study found no significant correlation between the foot arch height and the vertical jump height in both normal-arched and pes planus individuals [ 24 ].…”

Arch-Support Induced Changes in Foot-Ankle Coordination in Young Males with Flatfoot during Unplanned Gait Termination

“…Among them, flatfoot is a typical foot deformity characterized by the medial arch’s reduction or disappearance, accompanied by calcaneus valgus and talus sinking [ 6 , 7 ]. Many studies have disclosed that flatfoot deformity increases the patients’ likelihood of experiencing knee or hip/back pain symptoms, soft tissue injury, and arthritis [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ], as well as a decreased lower-limb motor function [ 12 , 13 ]. At present, the standard and conservative medical intervention for symptomatic flatfoot is orthotic treatment, such as correcting altered biomechanical characteristics of lower limbs by foot orthoses [ 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”