Plantar fasciitis is a common overuse injury in runners accounting for almost 10% of all injuries. (45) An excessively flexible shoe midsole or shank may be at fault for the development of plantar fasciitis in runners because of the unnecessary stretching of the plantar fascia ligament. (9;12;48) The main purpose of the study was to assess whether a change in shoe midsole flexibility would influence gait behavior and/or accelerate recovery time from plantar fasciitis. Method. Eighteen male and female (M= 10: F= 8) subjects participated for 3-months performing their normal exercise activities and either wearing shoes prescribed by the study (> 27 N/mm in stiffness) or remained in their current shoes. Mean age, mass, height and years running for the experimental group were 41.9 yrs, 147.3 lbs, 167.1 cm and 13.7 yrs and the control group were 45.3 yrs, 199.7 lbs, 180 cm and 15.3 yrs, respectively. Participants attended 3-separate sessions (initial, 45 & 90 days post initial visit). Pre and post kinematic parameters were collected for rear foot, ankle, knee and hip angles (degrees) while running at a speed of 3.0m/s. Shoe shank-midsole motion (mm) was also evaluated to determine dynamic flexibility of the shoe. Results. Significant differences were found between groups for range of motion (ROM) of the rear foot angle and mid shoe shank compression motion as well as pain level (p<0.05). The experimental group increased rear foot ROM, slightly decreased mid shoe shank ROM motion and decreased pain level. The control group decreased rear foot angle, decreased mid shoe shank ROM and maintained pain level. No significant differences were found for ankle, knee and hip angles. Conclusion. A stiffer shoe could potentially dissipate or transfer forces exerted on the foot away from the plantar fascia to alleviate strain during stance phase of running. Significant relief from the symptoms of plantar fasciitis can be attained with the use of a stiffer shoe. No generalizations can be drawn for ankle, knee and hip ROM because too many adaptations patterns exist among runners.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/27281 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Parker, Kasey R |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 120 p. |
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