Effect of Functional Fatigue Protocol on Postural Control and Balance in People with Different Foot Arches

Minor biomechanical changes within the reliance surface of feet could affect postural control strategy, which can be more and exacerbated under fatigue. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of functional fatigue protocol on postural control in students with different foot arch. Statistical population of the current semi-experimental and cross-sectional study was 720 male students aged 10 to 13 years in the 6th district of Isfahan. A total of 60 students were selected as sample and were divided into 4 homogeneous groups of 15: natural foot, flexible flat foot, rigid flat foot, and cavus foot. Functional fatigue and standing with two feet for 20 seconds on a foot pressure was used for inducing fatigue and evaluating postural control, respectively. Independent T-test, analysis of variance, and tukey post hoc test were used at the 0.05 significance level. Fatigue resulted in significant decrease in all factors measured in all four groups (p≤ 0/05), but this decrease was significantly different among the four groups (p≤ 0/05). Also, prior to and after fatigue, there was a significant difference among the four groups in the measured factors (p≤ 0/05). Anatomical structure of the foot is effective in participants’ postural control. During fatigue, the balance in participants with abnormality in foot, especially in rigid flat foot, is further impaired. Therefore, due to a significant reduction in balance in individuals with different foot arches, it is suggested that corrective exercises of the foot arches and balance exercises in specific directions, in addition to the usual exercises, be considered in clinical and practice specific situations.