ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Differences in sole arch indices in various sports

S T Aydog, O Tetik, H A Demirel and M N Doral

Department of Sports Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Aydog
Department of Sports Medicine, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, Ankara 06100, Turkey; taydog{at}hacettepe.edu.tr

Background: There are controversial data about the relation between foot morphology and athletic injuries of the lower extremity. Studies in soldiers have shown some relationship, whereas those involving athletes have not shown any significant relationship. The reason for these differences is not clear.

Objective: To determine the effect of various sports on sole arch indices (AIs).

Method: A total of 116 elite male athletes (24 soccer players, 23 wrestlers, 19 weightlifters, 30 handball players, and 20 gymnasts) and 30 non-athletic men were included in this cross sectional study. Images of both soles were taken in a podoscope and transferred to a computer using a digital still camera. AIs were calculated from the stored images.

Results: The AI of the right sole of the gymnasts was significantly lower than that of the soccer players, wrestlers, and non-athletic controls (p<0.01). The AI of the right sole of the wrestlers was significantly higher than that of the soccer players, handball players, weightlifters, gymnasts, and non-athletic controls (p<0.03). The AI of the left sole of the gymnasts was significantly lower than that of the wrestlers and non-athletic controls (p<0.001). The AI of the left sole of the wrestlers was significantly higher than that of the soccer players, handball players, and gymnasts (p<0.007). The AI of both soles in handball players was significantly lower than those of the non-athletic subjects (p = 0.049). The correlation between the AI of the left and right foot was poor in the soccer players, handball players, and wrestlers (r = 0.31, 0.69, and 0.56 respectively), but was high in the gymnasts, weightlifters, and non-athletic controls (r = 0.96, 0.88, and 0.80 respectively).

Conclusion: The AIs of the gymnasts and wrestlers were significantly different from those of other sportsmen studied, and those of the gymnasts and handball players were significantly different from those of non-athletic controls.

Keywords: arch index; pes planus; flat foot; foot morphology; pes cavus

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Relevant Article

Online original articles
Br. J. Sports Med. 2005 39: 101. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Aydog, S T, Ozcakar, L, Tetik, O, Demirel, H A, Hascelik, Z, Doral, M N (2005). Relation between foot arch index and ankle strength in elite gymnasts: a preliminary study. Br. J. Sports. Med. 39: e13-e13 [Abstract] [Full Text]