EFFECTIVENESS OF ARCH STRENGTHENING EXERCISES Joy Teo Nicole Ho - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARCH HEIGHT AND STRENGTH AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ARCH STRENGTHENING EXERCISES Joy Teo Nicole Ho Rachel Chan

Overview • Background • Aim • Hypotheses • Method • Data • Discussion • Conclusion

Background • Arches of feet are important for: – Stability – Flexibility – Shock absorption – Weight distribution – Assisting feet in adapting to surface changes • Hence weak arches will increase chances of injury

Aim of Project • Determine relationship between arch height and arch strength • Come up with an exercise plan as an intervention • Measure effectiveness of proposed exercise plan

Research Question 1 Which type of arch is the strongest? Hypothesis 1 Low arches are the strongest. • More surface area

Research Question 2 Is the intervention exercise plan effective? Hypothesis 2 It is effective. • Adapted from exercises commonly used by professional ballet dancers to improve arch strength

Methodology • Measuring arch height and categorizing into high, medium and low Foot Arch Ratio • Measuring arch strength using spring balance Grip Test • Month-long intervention with arch strengthening exercises Intervention • Repeat to measure arch strength improvement after intervention Grip Test

Foot Arch Ratio • Calculated from subjects’ footprints on graph paper 𝐶 • 𝐺𝐵𝑆 = 𝐵+𝐶+𝐷

High Arch

Medium Arch

Low Arch

Determining Arch Categories • Average of FAR taken • Standard Deviation (SD) calculated • Upper limit = Ave FAR+ 1 SD • Lower limit= Ave FAR – 1 SD

Results Type of Arch Low Medium High FAR range >0.343 Between 0.257 <0.257 and 0.343 Percentage of 10.3 76.5 13.2 subjects (%) Low, High, 10.3% 13.2% Medium, 76.5%

Categorization

Grip Test • Adapted from the Paper Grip Test commonly used in leprosy patients

Grip Test • Participants to: – Sit upright – Feet flat on ground – Legs kept at right angles – Refrain from using toes to hold

Arch Height and Strength • High arches are stronger – Varying pressure points of different types of feet Arch Type Arch Strength (N) Low 23.6 Medium 21.3 High 29.8

Arch Height and Strength • High arch – Arch elevation reduces contact area with ground – Plantar pressure increases

Arch Height and Strength • Low arch – Even distribution of pressure on foot contact area – Plantar pressure decreases

Arch Height and Strength • Focus of the Grip Test- Plantar Pressure • Favors subjects with high arch • Variety of means to measure Arch Strength

Intervention

Results Improvement in Arch Strength Post- intervention Improved 25% Did not Improve 75%

Results Percentage Improvement in Arch Strength (Post-Intervention) 90 Percentage Improvment (%) 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Low Arch Medium Arch High Arch

Intervention • Arch strengthening exercises proven effective • However some subjects did not improve – Less than 50% of exercises completed – Foot-related injuries

Limitations • Paper grip test only measures one aspect of “strength” • Fat feet vs. flat feet • Limited resources

Conclusion • Relationship between arch height and strength not definite • Research proved – High arches are stronger – Intervention was effective • Intervention exercises can be recommended for use

Recommended extension • Explore other methods of analysing strength – Intrinsic Positive Test – Ultrasonography

Thank you