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Foot pronation, as one of the prevalent foot abnormalities, can influence the biomechanics of the lower limbs. The use of various foot orthoses, including insoles and braces, is very common in eliminating this problem. The results obtained regarding the effect of orthoses on pain and biomechanics of individuals with foot pronation are different. The present review study was conducted to evaluate the effects of foot orthoses and shoes on the biomechanics of the lower limbs and balance in individuals with foot pronation. The articles were searched in Persian and Latin languages during 2004-22 in the databases of PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, Islamic Science Citation (ISC), and Google Scholar search engine. Moreover, the types of the searched studies were original research, review studies, and clinical trials. Using keywords of Foot pronation, Foot orthoses, Medical soles, and Motion-control shoes, 52 relevant articles were selected, and 22 articles regarding the effects of orthoses and shoes on foot pronation were finally analyzed. Eight articles also reported that reducing forces imposed on the joints, absorbing shock, preventing pronation-related running injuries, and improving muscle activity occurred when using orthosis. Furthermore, 4 articles reported improving sports performance in athletes, reducing the ground reaction forces, and changing the frequency of muscle activity. Finally, 2 articles showed that motion-control shoes prevented intensifying the injury due to increased fatigue and subsequently increased mechanical loading during running. The results of the present study demonstrated that foot orthoses and motion-control shoes could have positive effects on balance, improving the activities of the lower limbs and reducing foot pronation and force imposed on the foot and lower limb joints.

Foot pronation, as one of the prevalent foot abnormalities, can influence the biomechanics of the lower limbs. The use of various foot orthoses, including insoles and braces, is very common in eliminating this problem. The results obtained regarding the effect of orthoses on pain and biomechanics of individuals with foot pronation are different. The present review study was conducted to evaluate the effects of foot orthoses and shoes on the biomechanics of the lower limbs and balance in individuals with foot pronation. The articles were searched in Persian and Latin languages during 2004-22 in the databases of PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, Islamic Science Citation (ISC), and Google Scholar search engine. Moreover, the types of the searched studies were original research, review studies, and clinical trials. Using keywords of Foot pronation, Foot orthoses, Medical soles, and Motion-control shoes, 52 relevant articles were selected, and 22 articles regarding the effects of orthoses and shoes on foot pronation were finally analyzed. Eight articles also reported that reducing forces imposed on the joints, absorbing shock, preventing pronation-related running injuries, and improving muscle activity occurred when using orthosis. Furthermore, 4 articles reported improving sports performance in athletes, reducing the ground reaction forces, and changing the frequency of muscle activity. Finally, 2 articles showed that motion-control shoes prevented intensifying the injury due to increased fatigue and subsequently increased mechanical loading during running. The results of the present study demonstrated that foot orthoses and motion-control shoes could have positive effects on balance, improving the activities of the lower limbs and reducing foot pronation and force imposed on the foot and lower limb joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The path of the center of pressure while walking reflects the general mechanics of the body. Also, the electrical stimulation system triggers movement units, including the lower limbs. The present study investigated the effect of the electrical stimulation system on gait and balance patterns in young athletes. Methods: This research is applied and semi-experimental. In this study, 15 male athletes were selected by convenience sampling. The present study was performed in February 1400 at Shahriar Health Club. Participants were asked to walk at a self-selected speed. In the middle of the walking path, a foot-scanning device was placed, which recorded information about the path of the center of pressure, the relative duration of the stance phases, and the forward angle in both positions with and without the muscle stimulation vest. After checking the normality of the data using the Shapiro-Wilk test, paired sample t-test was used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that the electrical muscle stimulation system had a favorable effect on the gait pattern of athletes compared to those without a vest. Electrical stimulation led to a slight increase in pressure center oscillations and improved displacement of pressure fluctuations (p=0.001) in the vest mode, which showed the effectiveness of this method. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that strengthening the muscles of the lower extremities by the electrical muscle stimulation system had favorable effects on athletes' gait pattern and foot pressure fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims The use of arch support foot orthoses is becoming quite widesprea in the management of foot pathologies. This study examined how lower limb joint angular velocities change with wearing arch support foot orthoses. Methods In this semi-experimental study, 20 healthy male volunteers (age: 34.2±8.9 years; height: 173.5±5.4 cm; mass: 76.3±13.5 kg; and BMI: 25.7±9.1 kg/m2) participated. The participants completed ten walking trials at a self-selected walking speed while 3-dimensional kinematic data of their ankle, knee, and hip joints were collected. Paired samples t-test was used for comparing two conditions: shod with no orthoses and shod with arch support foot orthoses. Results The use of arch support foot orthoses decreased joint angular velocity for the hip extension (P=0.000) and ankle dorsiflexion (P=0.02) compared to walking without orthoses. However, results revealed no significant differences in knee joint angular velocity values between both walking conditions (P=0.16). Conclusion We concluded that arch support foot orthoses can decrease ankle and hip joint angular velocities. The use of arch-support foot orthoses reduces the risk of overuse injuries by decreasing lower limb joint angular velocities.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with diminished joint proprioception, balance deficits and increased risk of falls. Patients with medial knee osteoarthritis are at higher risk of balance deficits and falling due to the development of secondary varus deformity. Therefore, it is of great clinical importance to identify the treatment methods that could improve balance in knee OA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Lateral Wedge Insole (LWI) on static and dynamic balance in patients with moderate medial knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: Thirty patients with moderate medial knee OA participated in this semi-experimental interventional study. Patients were recruited from orthopedic and rheumatology clinics of the university. For each patient, the static and dynamic balance were assessed in two conditions including wearing shoes with flat insole and wearing shoes with lateral wedge insole, using a Prokin stabilometer. The balance variables were the anteroposterior and mediolateral velocity and standard deviation of the center of pressure (COP) displacement, and total stability indices. Patients performed two familiarization trials, then, three actual trials with at least 30 s interval for each test. FINDINGS: Wearing LWIs resulted in significant decreases in the anteroposterior (static:1.78mm/s, dynamic:6.63mm/s) and mediolateral velocity of COP (static:1.53mm/s, dynamic:5.58mm/s) in compression to wearing shoes with flat insole (p

Older adults demonstrate increased amounts of postural sway, which may ultimately lead to falls. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the effect of different foot orthoses on lower limb biomechanical variables, lower limb muscular activity, and balance in elderly people. Examining texts based on the search on the Magiran, Google Schoolar, Pubmed, Scopus, and SIVILICA sites were done by using following keywords: foot orthoses, footwear, aging, aged, elderly, Kinematic, walking, loading rate, Kinetic Walking, in combination in four part from 2005 to 2018. In the initial searches, 72 papers were obtained, eight articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected. This systematic review demonstrated that the use of textures and modeling orthoses strengthens sensory receptors and improves postures, as well as improves the biomechanical parameters such as evertor and invertor moments and ground reaction forces in some cases.

Objective Plantar fasciitis is a plantar fascia inflammation and one of the most common causes of heel pain, causing pain in the inner side of the heel bone. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the effect of different foot orthoses on the distribution of foot pressure in patients with plantar fasciitis. Materials & Methods The systematic search of PubMed, Science Direct and Web of Knowledge databases was conducted using keywords such as plantar pressure, plantar fasciitis, heel pain, foot orthoses, and orthotic insoles to identify published articles in this field. The statistical population was all studies that examined heel and foot pressure in patients with plantar fasciitis. In addition, studies on different perspectives were identified in plantar fasciitis. From 1999 to 2018, thirteen articles were evaluated in Persian and English, nine of which directly evaluated the effect of foot orthoses on heel and foot pressure, and were selected based on entry criteria for the final examination. Results Nine articles were selected for inclusion in the study. These articles examined types of foot orthoses include, custom insole, prefabricated insole, foam insole, silicone heel cup, foam heel pad, viscoelastic heel pad, and tape and then measured heel and foot pressure using various devices. The results show that the insoles can be effective in reducing the maximum pressure and also reducing the average pressure. In one study, the maximum total pressure before using the insoles was 12 and decreased using custom insoles and prefabricated insoles respectively 7/7 and 8/7. Some studies have found little difference between these two insoles in reducing the heel and foot pressure. In one study, both insoles reduced the maximum pressure at the inside of heel to a value of 13%. Compared to the prefabricated insole with foam heel pad and silicone heel cup and heel lift, decrease pressure in prefabricated insoles was higher than other groups (P

Background and Objective: The asymmetry index during walking can be used for clinical treatment. This study was done to determine the immediate and long-term effects of foot orthoses on asymmetry of ground reaction forces frequency spectrum in male children with flat foot during walking. Methods: This clinical trial study was done on fifteen children with flat foot. Subjects were randomly divided into without foot orthoses, immediate and long term usage of foot orthoses groups. The kinematic and kinetic data during three without foot orthoses, immediate and long term use of foot orthoses conditions were recorded by the motion analysis and force platform systems, respectively. Results: Asymmetry index of medio-lateral frequency spectrum component during walking without foot orthoses, immediate and long term use of orthoses in median frequency and band width were greater than 4 percent. There were not any significant differences in asymmetry index of ground reaction force frequency spectrum components, asymmetry index of essential harmony numbers, asymmetry index of essential harmony total powers, and asymmetry index of fundamental harmony number in vertical, anterior-posterior, and medio-lateral axes between without foot orthoses, immediate and long term use of foot orthoses conditions. However, asymmetry index of essential harmony total power in medio-lateral axis during immediate use of foot orthoses tend to be reduced than that walking without foot orthoses. However, this difference was not significant. Conclusion: Despite the high asymmetry index of the ground reaction force frequency spectrum in the medio-lateral component during walking without foot orthoses, immediate and long-term effects of foot orthoses in the median and bandwidth frequency variables, the acute or long term use of foot orthoses did not show any significant effect on improvement of asymmetry index of ground reaction force frequency spectrum components.

Background: Walking is one the common daily activities. With the beginning of middle age, weakness in the lower limb muscles can reduce the ability to walk. The use of foot orthoses reduce the load on the limbs and supports the joints during walking. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the acute effect of foot orthoses on the frequency spectrum of ground reaction forces during walking in the older adults. Methods: In this semi-experimental and laboratory study, 21 elderly (15 females and 6 males )with a mean height of 164.19±4.26 centimeters and weight of 80.04±3.50 kg, and age of 66.00±3.50 years were volunteered to participate in the study. The walking trials were done during three conditions including walking without foot orthoses, walking with small and large textured orthoses .The Bertec force plate (made in USA) with dimensions of 40 * 60 cm was used to record ground reaction forces. Results: The results of this study did not show any significant differences between walking without foot orthoses, walking with small and large textured foot orthoses for frequency of 99.5%, median frequency, frequency band and number of essential harmonics (P>0.05). However, the comfort level during wearing of large texture insole condition significantly increased compared to other conditions (P<0.05). Conclusion: The textured foot orthoses do not affect the frequency spectrum of ground reaction forces; however, it improves the comfort of the individual while walking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Efficient walking requires the interaction of the three sensory systems for a good maintenance of the balance. In blind people, lack of visual input can harm for walking mechanics. The aim of this study was to compare plantar pressure variables during walking with and without immediate use of textured insoles in blind subjects. Methods: The design of the present study was self-controlled study. 12 blind men (age: 29.66±4.39 years) volunteered to participate in this study. A foot scan system (sampling rate: 300 Hz) was used for measuring plantar pressure variables during walking with and without textured insoles. Paired sample t-test was used for statistical analysis. Alpha level was set at p< 0.05. Results: Stance time duration did not show any significant difference between both walking with and without insole conditions (p>0.05). Results demonstrated that the medio-lateral displacement of the center of pressure during walking with insoles was lower than that walking without insoles by 35.51% (p= 0.001). First metatarsal peak plantar pressure and force during walking with insoles decreased by 25.69% (p= 0.020) and 64.30% (p= 0.004), respectively. While, peak plantar pressure in second and third metatarsals during walking with insoles increased by 20.03% (p= 0.041) and 28.9% (p= 0.023), respectively. Also, peak force in second metatarsal during walking with insoles was greater than that during walking without insoles by 19.70% (p= 0.010). Conclusion: Textured insoles improved medio-lateral postural control during walking. Therefore, it could be recommended for blind individuals. However, further study is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective A flat foot is a complex postural deformity in which the medial longitudinal arch is decreased. It is associated with diverse symptoms and varying degrees of deformity and disability. This disorder can sometimes contribute to problems in the ankles and knee as it can alter the alignment. Conservative treatments are used to treat patients with a flat foot. One common treatment is the use of insoles with medial heel skive technique. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of custom-molded insoles with new technique on pain and function in females with a flexible flat foot.. Materials & Methods This research is a quasi-experimental study of before-and-after type that included 12 subjects with a flexible flat foot from the Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences University of Tehran. To provide a negative cast, plaster cast impressions were taken for each participant’s foot. According to the method of modification (medial heel skive) that was introduced by Kirby, the positive cast of the foot was corrected. Each person received an insole with medial heel skive technique. The pain and function of each foot were evaluated with a visual analogue scale and Foot and Ankle Outcome Score before applying the treatment and at six weeks follow-up. Paired t-test and non-parametric tests were used for statistical analysis. Results It was found that the pain and function significantly improved after 6 weeks of using insoles with medial heel skive technique in subjects with flat foot (p

Background: Foot orthoses are often used to correct altered gait patterns. However, effect of long term use of arch support foot orthoses on walking mechanics is not well understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of long term use of arch support foot orthoses on the asymmetry indices of ground reaction forces during stance phase of walking in male children with flexible flat feet. Methods: Fifteen male volunteered children (with their parents' permission) with flexible flat feet were evaluated. Walking ground reaction forces and kinematic data before and after four months use of foot orthoses were recorded by force plate and Vicon motion system, respectively. Then, the asymmetry indices of ground reaction force components were calculated. Results: The results show that asymmetry index of the medio-lateral component of ground reaction force in loading response and push off phases during pre-test were higher than 4% (normal value). Also asymmetry index of its time to peak during the mid-stance phase in the pre-test were higher than normal value. Moreover, findings did not show any significant differences in asymmetry indices of other ground reaction force components and their time to peak, impulses and vertical loading rate between pre-test and post-test conditions. Conclusion: Despite the high asymmetry values of the peak medio-lateral component and it's time to peak in children with flexible flat feet during pre-test; long-term use of the foot orthoses did not show any significant effect on the improvement of the asymmetry index of these components. However, long-term wearing of the foot orthoses reduced asymmetry index of the peak positive free moment amplitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: The asymmetry index during walking can be used for clinical treatment. This study was done to determine the immediate and long-term effects of foot orthoses on asymmetry of ground reaction forces frequency spectrum in male children with flat foot during walking. Methods: This clinical trial study was done on fifteen children with flat foot. Subjects were randomly divided into without foot orthoses, immediate and long term usage of foot orthoses groups. The kinematic and kinetic data during three without foot orthoses, immediate and long term use of foot orthoses conditions were recorded by the motion analysis and force platform systems, respectively. Results: Asymmetry index of medio-lateral frequency spectrum component during walking without foot orthoses, immediate and long term use of orthoses in median frequency and band width were greater than 4 percent. There were not any significant differences in asymmetry index of ground reaction force frequency spectrum components, asymmetry index of essential harmony numbers, asymmetry index of essential harmony total powers, and asymmetry index of fundamental harmony number in vertical, anterior-posterior, and medio-lateral axes between without foot orthoses, immediate and long term use of foot orthoses conditions. However, asymmetry index of essential harmony total power in medio-lateral axis during immediate use of foot orthoses tend to be reduced than that walking without foot orthoses. However, this difference was not significant. Conclusion: Despite the high asymmetry index of the ground reaction force frequency spectrum in the medio-lateral component during walking without foot orthoses, immediate and long-term effects of foot orthoses in the median and bandwidth frequency variables, the acute or long term use of foot orthoses did not show any significant effect on improvement of asymmetry index of ground reaction force frequency spectrum components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Knee problems, particularly patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), are one of the common complaints of adolescents and young adults. PFPS is also known as "runner's knee" or "jumper's knee" due to its high prevalence among sportspersons. Its symptoms can be aggravated by ascending and descending stairs, squatting, deep squatting, kneeling, prolonged sitting, standing up from sitting, and running. Hence, it affects many aspects of daily life, including the ability to perform pain-free exercise or work-related activities. Non-surgical treatments such as physiotherapy, insoles, and knee orthoses are commonly used to treat people with PFPS. Insoles with medial heel skive is a new method of insole modification that can control pronation and involves the selective removal of small amounts of medial plantar heel of the positive cast of the foot. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of custom-made insole with medial heel skive technique on plantar pressure in PFPS subjects. Materials & Methods In this controlled before-after study, 14 subjects with PFPS were recruited. Plantar pressure and contact area in eight areas of the foot with and without insole with medial heel skive technique were measured using the Pedar system. A paired t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results The results of this study showed that the use of insole with medial heel skive technique resulted in decreased plantar pressure in the medial hind foot (P=0.001) compared to without insole. Also, the average plantar pressure (P=0.003) and contact area (P=0.002) in the medial mid-foot with the insole with medial heel skive significantly increased in comparison to without insole. However, no significant change was observed in other regions. Conclusion The above-mentioned insoles managed to control pronation and alter plantar pressure distribution. However, since the insoles simply transferred the pressure from one area to another area and failed to distribute the pressure equitably over the examined regions, they cannot be considered to have improved plantar pressure distribution in patients with PFPS.

Objective: Flexible flat foot is one the most common extremities diseases happen among adults, this causes change in foot, tibia, and higher joints alignment, pain and certain complications in upper joints and soft tissues. This study aimed to investigate differences in foot direction among patients with flexible flat feet as so called foot static response to a certain prefabricated insole. Materials & Methods: It was a quasi-experimental study and patients were consisted of 32 female with flat feet in range of 18 to 28 years old and to measure differences a laser device was used. The rear foot angle amount which is calculated by investigating the heel valgus angle and the forefoot angle amount which is calculated by investigating leg angle and forefoot, both assessed at barefoot condition and with medial flange insole mode. Results: Results showed that by using the insole there is a significant decrease in direction of anterior line angle (P

Objective: Previous studies have showed that Flatfoot as flattened out or lowered medial longitudinal arch of foot, may increase foot injuries during functional activities like walking. As foot orthotics widely is prescribed for the control of flatfoot. Mechanism of these devices’ effects on balance are not fully clear yet and need to be evaluated and quantified by using proper instruments beside clinical observations. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the immediate effect of UCBL, Functional and Modified UCBL foot orthosis on dynamic balance of subjects with Flexible Flatfoot Materials & Methods: Twenty men and wemen young adults (23.5) with flexible flatfoot were recruited. Subjects were recruited using non-probability sampling and sample available. Participants performed balance tests in 4 conditions: with shoes, shoes with functional insole, UCBL and modified UCBL foot orthosis on Biodex Balance System. In each of this conditions, total, medial-lateral and anterior-posterior balance sways were recorded and then evaluated. Repeated measures ANOVA test was used for analysis of data. Results: The results of this study showed that Total sways in functional and UCBL insoles were significantly lower than modified UCBL.(P

Objective: Lateral wedged insoles have been designed to decrease the force applied on the medial knee compartment. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of laterally wedged insoles regarding to the placement of the wedge under the sole (under the heel or under the forefoot) on the knee adduction moment and the ground reaction forces. Material & Methods: In this pretest-posttest study, three-dimensional gait analysis was performed on 20 healthy men between 18-30 years old. Knee adduction moment and ground reaction forces were compared among following three types of insoles: a flat insole, a 6˚ laterally inclined heel wedged insole and a 6˚ laterally- inclined forefoot wedged insole. Results: there was no difference between three conditions (flat insole (9.72±1.501), lateral heel wedge (9.866±2.141) and lateral forefoot wedge (9.952±1.986) in peak knee adduction moment (P>0.05). Ground reaction forces and spatiotemporal parameters of gait were not affected by any types of these insoles (P>0.05). Conclusion: Based on the current finding, placement of the lateral wedge under the sole, that is, under the heel or under the forefoot has no effect on the efficacy of these insoles on the adduction moment of the knee and ground reaction forces.