Effect of the Medial Longitudinal Arch Height of the Foot on Static and Dynamic Balance of Male Collegiate Athletes

Balance is one of the most important factors regarding physical fitness and is also considered a basic element in controlling the posture and in carrying out sports skills. The source of balance is in close kinetic chain and considering that the feet are placed at the lowest part of this chain, it is of important value for athletes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of the effect of the medial longitudinal arch height of the foot on static and dynamic balance of male college athletes.
According to the objectives of the research, the study followed a casual-comparative method. Using purposive sampling method, the balance of the 90 collegiate athletes, 18 to 25 years old, was tested using Zebris forced distribution in three groups of supinated (30 people), pronated (30 people), and neutral (30 people) foot, while the dynamic balance was tested using “Y” test. Also, in order to measure medial longitudinal arch height, the Navicular Drop test was implemented. Balance was compared between experimental groups running One-way ANOVA (P˃0.05).
The results of the study showed that there exists a significant difference in the average static postural sway of the participants (P≤ 0.05). Also, the results of the one way ANOVA for dynamic balance showed no significant difference between the study groups.
According to the results of the current study, although a change in the medial longitudinal arch height of the foot resulted in a negative effect on participants’ static balance (P=0.01, F=4.85, df=2,87), it did not show any significant effect on the dynamic balance (P=0.11, F=2.25, df=2,87). Thus, it is suggested that those with supinated and pronated foot take static balance training. Due to the variety of the influential factors on dynamic balance, it is advised that these effective factors be considered during studies.