Foot Muscle Strengthening Exercises for Pes Planovalgus

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Status: Completed

Conditions: Pes Planus

Treatments: Other: Intrinsic and Ectrinsic Exercise; Other: Intrinsic Exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06548750

DT2024-AE

Details and patient eligibility

About

Pes planovalgus is a common foot condition affecting the child population. It is characterized by the partial or complete collapse of the medial longitudinal arch with rearfoot eversion and forefoot abduction, which is associated with changes in lower extremity kinematics during dynamic activity.

The lower extremity chain includes the foot, ankle, knee, and hip joints, with the feet acting as the base of support. However, due to their small size, maintaining balance can be challenging. Any small dynamic change in the foot, as the support base, can impact overall body posture. The foot arch, which can be pronated or supinated, affects proprioceptive input by altering joint movement, contact area, and muscle strategy for stability. Pes planovalgus, characterized by excessive subtalar pronation, lead to instability and hypermobility, requiring more neuromuscular control to maintain balance. As a result, flat feet can cause pathomechanical issues and compensatory actions in the lower extremity chain, affecting overall body balance.

The effectiveness of exercise interventions, particularly foot intrinsic muscle strengthening exercises, in increasing the medial longitudinal arch in individuals with pes planus has been investigated in numerous studies. It is widely accepted that both intrinsic and extrinsic muscle groups play a crucial role in the formation, maintenance, and enhancement of foot arches. However, there is a lack of studies specifically examining the effectiveness of exercises aimed at strengthening these muscles in children with pes planovalgus. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to compare the effects of two corrective exercise programs focused on the improvement of the medial longitudinal arch in children with pes planovalgus: one incorporating routine intrinsic muscle exercises and the other combining them with extrinsic muscle exercises.

Full description

Voluntary children who have been diagnosed with pes planovalgus will be included in the study. Signed voluntary consent will be obtained from caregivers. Participants will be divided into two groups. Study groups will be as follows: a) Intervention Group (Intrinsic&Extrinsic Exercise), b) Control Group (Intrinsic Exercise).

Enrollment: 32 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 4 to 7 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Presence of bilateral pes planovalgus,
• Being between 4-7 years of age,
• Having a body mass index within normal limits

Exclusion criteria

• Having high femoral anteversion, internal tibial torsion and metatarsus adductus
• Having leg length inequality
• Having any neurological, rheumatic, musculoskeletal, metabolic and connective tissue disease
• Having a history of pain, deformity or surgery related to the vertebral column and lower extremities
• Having a cognitive, mental or serious psychiatric disease
• Having been involved in any exercise program or sports activity in the last six months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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32 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention Group

Experimental group

Description:

Individuals with a diagnosis of pes planovalgus who underwent supervised exercise under the guidance of a physiotherapist for 8 weeks, 1 day a week.

Treatment:

Other: Intrinsic and Ectrinsic Exercise

Control Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Individuals with a diagnosis of pes planovalgus who underwent supervised exercise under the guidance of a physiotherapist for 8 weeks, 1 day a week.

Treatment:

Other: Intrinsic Exercise