Difference in plantar pressure between the preferred and non-preferred feet in four soccer-related movements

Pui-lam WONG ^1*, Karim CHAMARI ², Anis CHAOUACHI ², De Wei MAO ³ and Ulrik WISLOFF ⁴

¹ Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
² Research Unit ''Evaluation, Sport, Sant?', National Centre of Medicine and Science in Sport, Tunisia
³ The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
⁴ Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: delwong{at}alumni.cuhk.net.

Accepted 8 November 2006

Abstract

Objective and Participants: The present study measured the difference of plantar pressure between the preferred and non-preferred feet in four soccer-related movements among 15 male University soccer players (20.9 ± 1.3 years, 173 ± 4 cm, 61. 7 ± 3.6 kg).

Design: To record plantar pressure distribution, players randomly wore three types of soccer shoes (classical 6-stud and 12-stud, and specially designed 12- stud) embedded with an insole pressure recorder device with 99 sensors, divided into 10-areas for analysis. Plantar pressure was recorded in five successful trials in each of the four soccer-related movements: running (at 3.3m/s), sideward cutting, 45-degree cutting, and landing from a vertical jump.

Results: Plantar pressure of the preferred and non-preferred feet was different in 115 out of 120 comparisons. The overall plantar pressure of the preferred foot was higher than that of the non-preferred foot. Specifically, in each of the four movements, higher pressure of the preferred foot was found during the take-off phase, while higher pressure was found in the non-preferred foot during the landing phase. This would suggest a tendency for the preferred foot for higher motion force and the non-preferred foot for a greater role in body stabilization.

Conclusions: Our data indicate that one should treat the preferred and non-preferred feet independently in regard to strength/power training to avoid unnecessary injuries. Different shoes/insoles and different muscular strengthening programs are thus suggested for each of the soccer players’ feet.

Key Words: football, injury, shoe design, symmetry

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