Acute Effects of Foot Orthoses on Muscle Mechanical Properties in Individuals With Pes Planus

Overview

This randomized controlled study will examine the acute effects of a medial arch support and a prefabricated insole on lower-limb muscle mechanical properties and pain in young adults with pes planus. Ninety participants will be allocated in a 1:1:1 ratio to a medial arch support group, an insole group, or a control group. Muscle mechanical and viscoelastic properties will be assessed with MyotonPRO, and pain will be assessed with a visual analog scale.

Participants will first undergo baseline assessments, followed by 30 minutes of treadmill walking at a self-selected speed and 0° incline while wearing comfortable shoes without an added orthosis. Dynamic stiffness, oscillation frequency, other MyotonPRO parameters, and pain will then be reassessed (T0). Participants in the medial arch support and insole groups will rest for 30 minutes and complete a second 30-minute walk at the same speed and incline with the assigned device placed inside the shoe. Outcomes will be reassessed immediately after this walk (T1). Participants in the control group will complete the study after the first, unassisted walking condition and T0 assessment; no T1 measurement is planned for this group. MyotonPRO assessments will include the tibialis anterior, peroneus longus, and medial and lateral gastrocnemius-soleus muscle groups, following the measurement procedures specified in the ethics application. The control group will characterize the acute response to the initial unassisted walking task. Because the approved protocol does not include a second walking condition for the control group, analyses requiring T1 will be limited to the two orthosis groups. Between-group comparisons involving all three groups will use the time points available across all groups, including baseline and T0.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Outcomes

Central Contacts