Relationship between Changes in Foot Arch and Sex Differences during the Menstrual Cycle

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Human Physiology
• Sex Differences

Background:

• Foot characteristics can change due to hormonal fluctuations.
• The menstrual cycle involves significant hormonal shifts that may impact musculoskeletal tissues.
• Understanding sex differences in foot mechanics is crucial for sports science and clinical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sex differences in foot characteristics during the menstrual cycle.
• To examine changes in the arch height index (AHI) and arch height flexibility (AHF) across menstrual cycle phases.
• To determine if hormonal fluctuations influence foot mechanics in females compared to males.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 10 female and 14 male university students.
• Monitored menstrual cycle phases (early follicular, ovulatory, luteal) using temperature, ovulation kits, and hormone levels.
• Measured foot characteristics using a 3D scanner under varying weight-bearing loads (10% and 50%) to calculate AHI and AHF.

Main Results:

• Arch height index (AHI) was significantly lower in females than males during the early follicular and ovulatory phases.
• No significant differences in AHI were observed between sexes during the luteal phase.
• Arch height flexibility (AHF) showed no significant differences between males and females across all menstrual cycle phases.

Conclusions:

• While AHI shows some sex-specific differences during certain menstrual phases, AHF does not exhibit significant variations.
• The study suggests that sex differences in arch height flexibility may be absent.
• No periodic fluctuation in AHI or AHF was observed, indicating limited impact of the menstrual cycle on these specific foot parameters.