The effects of short foot exercises to treat flat foot deformity: A systematic review

Comparison by ultrasound shear wave elastography of toe flexor muscle contraction during MTP flexion exercise and short-foot exercise

BACKGROUND

The intrinsic foot muscles play an important role in medial longitudinal arch support, as well as several extrinsic foot muscles. While various strength training methods specific to intrinsic foot muscles have been conducted, these exercises are associated with certain concerns regarding their effectiveness and difficulty. We developed a new exercise for the intrinsic muscles (MTP flexion exercise).

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to compare the shear modulus of the toe flexors as the muscle contraction activity during MTP flexion and short-foot exercises using ultrasound shear wave elastography.

METHODS

Eleven healthy participants were included in this study. The shear modulus of the toe flexor muscles was measured during MTP flexion and short-foot exercises using ultrasound shear wave elastography. The muscle shear modulus was statistically compared between the resting phase, and during the two exercises.

RESULTS

The shear modulus during MTP flexion exercise was significantly greater than in the resting phase in the abductor hallucis, flexor hallucis brevis, flexor digitorum brevis, quadratus plantae, and flexor digitorum longus. The flexor digitorum longus showed greater shear modulus during MTP flexion exercise than during short-foot exercise.

CONCLUSION

MTP flexion exercise showed equivalent or greater contraction activity in certain intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles when compared with short-foot exercise. This exercise is considered one of the training options for strengthening the intrinsic muscles of the foot.

Effects of short foot exercises with ultrasound bio-feedback on motor learning and foot alignment: A double blinded randomized control trial

BACKGROUND

Short foot exercises (SFE) take a long time to master and require a feedback tool to improve motor learning.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the effect of bio-feedback of talonavicular joint movements in learning SFE with ultrasound (US) imaging.

METHODS

This study included thirty-one healthy volunteers and was designed as a double-blind randomized control trial. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the control group, which performed SFE under verbal instruction, and the US bio-feedback (USBF) group, which performed SFE with real-time bio-feedback of the talonavicular joint alignment. All subjects underwent two sessions of 5 minutes each, and SFE was performed as a self-exercise, between sessions, for one week. The difference in foot length and navicular height were assessed at baseline, after Session 1, before Session 2, and one week after Session 2. These differences were compared between the two groups using the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

In terms of navicular height change, the USBF group (7.5 ± 4.3 mm) was significantly higher than the control group (4.2 ± 3.3 mm) one week after session 2 (p= 0.04, effect size = 0.86).

CONCLUSION

SFE with USBF is an effective intervention for performing SFE.

Efficacy of Faradic Foot Baths and Short Foot Exercises in Symptomatic Flatfoot: A Review

Flatfoot is a common condition among adults, according to orthopedic experts. Flatfoot is defined in this document as a foot condition that occurs after the completion of skeletal growth and is characterized by either partial or complete reduction of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of short foot exercise (SFE) and faradic foot baths on people who have flat feet. This review focused on comprehensive original primary articles written in English. Numerous studies have been conducted in order to determine the effects of both interventions. The search yielded a wide range of papers, including editorials, review articles, freely available full texts, and abstracts. The results showed that both SFE and faradic foot baths effectively improved flat feet.