Immediate effects of semi-rigid foot insoles on postural stability in individuals with flat foot Download PDF

One of the standard treatment protocol for Flat foot is the use of therapeutic insoles. Far too little attention has been paid on the effect of insoles on postural stability. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine postural stability regarding pre and post use of therapeutic insole in individuals with flat foot deformity. Twenty subjects (5 men, 15 women) with flexible flat foot deformity and 20 matched control participated in this study. Center of pressure (COP) data was assessed under 2 measurement conditions with and without insoles. Mean velocity and standard deviation of amplitude and velocity of the center of pressure sway. The results of this study showed that flat foot subjects had greater postural sway compared with control group. Center of pressure parameters in flat foot subjects were significantly different when they wear an insole and this effect was more obvious in the eyes closed conditions. The effect of cognition loading was not significantly different between the 2 groups. The results of this study showed greater postural sway in flat foot subjects. Use of insoles improved postural stability especially in closed eye conditions. Therefore, the use of insoles may be a beneficial modality to improve stability in these patients, particularly in conditions that sensory information is limited.