Prevention of injuries in excessive pronators through proper soccer shoe fit

Properly fitting shoes are important in the prevention of injuries. When it involves the lower extremity and pronation, proper fitting of shoes is considered as a treatment for gender variations in shoe fit and excessive pronators. The purpose of the study therefore, is to compare static and dynamic foot tracings in excessive pronators to determine if there were differences between right and left feet of male and female soccer athletes.

Multivariate analysis with static and dynamic foot tracing measurements of foot length, first metatarsal length, fifth metatarsal length, metatarsal width, and heel width as the dependent variables and male and female (gender) as the effect. Interscholastic soccer players who were excessive pronators were used in the study.

Volunteers were solicited from a boys and girls interscholastic soccer team (level C to varsity). From this pool of 40 subjects, a group of 20 (10 males and 10 females, n = 40 feet), with excessive pronation were used in the study. Criteria for selection was based on navicular height (? 10 mm) and arch index (? .26).

Static and dynamic foot tracings were determined. From these tracings, foot length, first metatarsal length, fifth metatarsal length, metatarsal width, and heel width were determined. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA; p < .05), one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA; p < .05), and pairwise comparisons (p < .05) were performed to determine significance, as well as intraclass correlation coefficients for intraclass reliability of the measurements.

For between genders, male foot tracings for static and dynamic right and/or left feet were statistically greater in all foot parameters except heel width. Comparison of same side static and dynamic measurements for the right or left foot indicated differences for foot length, metatarsal width, and heel width for males, and foot length, fifth metatarsal width, metatarsal width, and heel width for females. There were no significant differences between static and dynamic foot measurements for either foot between genders and within genders.

Foot length should not be the only consideration used for determining proper shoe fit. Static and dynamic measurements for the right or left foot, as well as metatarsal width, fifth metatarsal length, and heel width should also be included.