EXERCISES AND NEUROMUSCULAR ELECTRIC STIMULATION FOR MEDIAL LONGITUDINAL ARCH: CLINICAL TRIAL

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation
• Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

Background:

• The foot's medial longitudinal arch is crucial for load distribution and is supported by intrinsic and extrinsic muscles.
• Impaired muscle function can affect arch stability, making interventions like neuromuscular electrostimulation (NMES) a potential rehabilitation tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of NMES combined with exercise on the medial longitudinal arch's structural characteristics.
• To assess changes in navicular height and medial longitudinal arch angle following NMES and exercise interventions.

Main Methods:

• A randomized blind clinical trial involving 60 asymptomatic participants.
• Participants were allocated to three groups: NMES, exercise, or control.
• Interventions included 6 weeks of specific exercises for foot muscles, with one group receiving NMES alongside exercises.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed in navicular height among the groups.
• The medial longitudinal arch angle also showed no significant changes across the NMES, exercise, and control groups.
• The combination of NMES and exercise did not lead to measurable alterations in arch morphology.

Conclusions:

• Neuromuscular electrostimulation (NMES) combined with exercise does not significantly alter the medial longitudinal arch or navicular height in asymptomatic individuals.
• The findings suggest that this combined intervention may not be effective for modifying the structural characteristics of the medial longitudinal arch in a healthy population.
• Level of Evidence: I (Randomized clinical trial).