Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies

Background & Objectives: The feet require proper weight distribution during many body motions such as those for the maintenance of static balance and gait. In general, an abnormally low medial longitudinal arch in foot is called pes planus or flatfeet, which is divided into rigid and flexible pes planus. Pes planus has been reported to cause abnormal functions of the tendon sheath of the tibialis posterior, including dynamic imbalance, pain, joint damage, and even stress fractures. Diagnosing and improving flatfeet in the early age is effective in preventing various injuries. Foot as the most distal segment in the lower extremity chain, represents relatively small base of support on which the body maintains balance. Although it seems reasonable that even minor biomechanical alternations in the support surface may influence postural-control strategies. Studies represented several ways of using kinesiotape was affected on handling many kinds of skeletal deformities. There was evidence exists that traditional taping can be effective in controlling excessive pronated foot. The aim of this study was to evaluate corrective exercises and the use of kinesiotape on flatfeet and balance index in female students aged 15 to 17 years.
Methods: The method of this research was semi-experimental, which was conducted as an intervention in the form of a pre-test and post-test research design with two experimental groups. The statistical population of female students was 15 to 17 years old in Tehran, 28 female volunteer students were suffered pronation foot grouped random in 2, including 14 in both experimental group, corrective exercises with taping and corrective exercises without taping. The criteria for entering students into the research were: suffering from flat feet; written consent of the volunteer and parents; Confirmation of the health questionnaire by a specialist doctor, including checking the complete health of the skeletal and neuromuscular system, the visual system, the vestibular hearing system; Not taking any drugs that affect the nervous system and control posture; Not having a history of accidents and ankle sprains; Negativeness of the adhesive sensitivity test and no coldness and sweating of the soles of the feet. The criteria for the withdrawal of students from the research, eczema in the long term, the appearance of disorders in the health of the sensory and nervous systems, vestibular hearing, the appearance of vertigo, impaired control of standing, the occurrence of any type of accident and the occurrence of movement problems, the inability to continue exercises and the increase in body mass index body mass index (BMI) during the intervention period. The navicular drop test and foot printed measured by Staheli method were done to diagnose flat foot. Corrective exercises were scheduled for 8 weeks 32 sessions. Participants with tape were present throughout the study along with the taped foot during the day. The measurement of the height of the naval bone and amount of internal arches of the foot were measured and to find the balance it was performed by a posturography apparatus, Sensory organization test (SOT test), which all remeasured after 8 weeks exercises. The computerized dynamic posturography apparatus was the equitest model of the American NeuroCom company, one of the most advanced kinetic variables assessor apparatus that is used to manipulate effective sensory systems in control posture. This device has a unique evaluation technique that provides quantitative data in posture control and it is a suitable tool for analysing age–related changes. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, covariance analysis , independent t test and paired samples test in significance level 0.05. All data were analysed using SPSS 20 for windows.
Results: The results of covariance analysis showed that, after removing the effect of pre-test scores on post-test scores, there was a significant difference between the two groups in the first (p=0.251), second (p=0.113), third (p=0.071), fourth (p=0.862), fifth (p=0.260) and sixth (p=0.314) balances and the internal longitudinal arch of right foot (p=0.281) and left (p=0.125) and there was no increase in the height of the right naval bone (p=0.136) and the height of the left naval bone (p=0.240) and the use of kinesiotape could not facilitate the effect of corrective exercises; But the results of the paired t-test for intragroup comparisons showed that corrective exercises on the on internal longitudinal arch of right and left foot (p<0.001), increasing the height of the naval bone of the right and left foot (p<0.001) and static balance with eyes closed in the second condition (p<0.001) had a significant effect.
Conclusion: According to this study corrective exercises protocol can improve pronated foot (flat feet deformity) and static balance index in closed eyes position, and the use of the kinesiotape is not affective on improving pronated foot and improving balance index. Therefore, this training protocol can be useful for teenagers suffered pronated foot is to improve internal foot arches and height of the naval bone and static balance in closed eye position.