Research article - (2020)19, 662 - 669
Postural Stability and Muscle Activation Onset during Double- to Single-Leg Stance Transition in Flat-Footed Individuals
Yuta Koshino1,2, Mina Samukawa1,, Shuya Chida3, Shinpei Okada1, Hirono Tanaka1, Kentaro Watanabe1, Masato Chijimatsu4, Masanori Yamanaka5, Harukazu Tohyama1
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
2Rehabilitation Center, NTT Medical Center Sapporo, Sapporo, Japan
3Department of Rehabilitation, Hakodate Orthopedics Clinic, Hakodate, Japan
4Department of Rehabilitation, Matsuda Orthopedic Memorial Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
5Faculty of Health Science, Hokkaido Chitose College of Rehabilitation, Chitose, Japan

Mina Samukawa
✉ PhD, PT Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, West 5, North 12, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan
Email: mina@hs.hokudai.ac.jp
Received: 03-07-2020 -- Accepted: 25-08-2020
Published (online): 19-11-2020

ABSTRACT

The effects of foot posture on postural stability and on muscular activation pattern for postural control remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate postural stability and muscular activation onset during the transition task from double- to single-leg stance in individuals with different foot postures. Twenty-seven healthy men (age: 21.5 ± 1.5 years) were divided into 3 groups using the Foot Posture Index: neutral foot (n = 10); flatfoot (n = 8); and high-arched foot (n = 9). Center of pressure (COP) data and muscle activation onset times of the tibialis anterior, peroneus longus, gastrocnemius medialis, and soleus during the transition task with eyes closed were compared among groups using one-way analysis of variance and a post-hoc Tukey honestly significant difference test (p < 0.05) when the data were normally distributed and the Kruskal-Wallis test and a post-hoc Mann-Whitney U-test with Bonferroni correction (p < 0.0167) when the data were not normally distributed. The COP displacements in the mediolateral and anteroposterior directions and the resultant COP displacement during the first 3 s after a stability time point, as determined by sequential estimation during the single-leg stance phase, differed significantly among the three groups (p < 0.05). Post-hoc tests showed that the displacements were significantly greater in the flatfoot group than in the neutral and high-arched foot groups (p < 0.05), and the effect sizes for these results were large. No muscular activation onset times showed significant intergroup differences. Postural stability was significantly decreased only in the flatfoot group, while muscle activation onsets did not differ significantly by foot posture during the transition task. Decreased postural stability may be one mechanism underlying the link between flatfoot and risk of lower limb injury, and foot posture represents a potential confounder for measuring postural stability during the transition task.

Key words: Foot alignment, pes planus, pes cavus, pronated foot, postural control, balance

Key Points
  • We compared postural stability and muscular activation onset during double- to single-leg stance transition among participants with neutral foot, flatfoot, and high-arched foot.
  • The center of pressure displacements in the mediolateral and anteroposterior directions were significantly increased in the flatfoot group.
  • No muscular activation onset times showed significant intergroup differences.
  • Decreased postural stability may be one of the mechanisms underlying links between flatfoot and increased risk of lower limb injury.








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