The foot posture index between elite athletic and sedentary college students

Abstract

Sports participation may lead to musculoskeletal adaptation and alter foot posture; however, the effect of high impact sports on foot posture has not fully been understood yet. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in foot posture between elite collegiate athletes participating in high impact sports and sedentary college students using the Foot Posture Index (FPI). Foot postures of 30 elite collegiate athletes of high impact sports and 30 sedentary controls were observed in standing and evaluated using the 6-item FPI. The FPI-6 score for the athletic group was statistically significantly higher than that for the sedentary group (z=−2.282, p=.022). Participation in high impact sports can be associated with a more pronated foot posture; however, most college students, whether athletic or sedentary, had normal feet as categorized by the FPI-6.