Variations of Foot Arch Index Among Pregnant Women in a South Eastern Nigeria Community

Pregnancy results in musculoskeletal alterations which result in biomechanical re-adaptations of the human musculoskeletal system. The weight of the body transferred to the foot usually increases and soft tissue integrity are affected by hormonal changes. This study explored the (a) variations of arch index among pregnant and non-pregnant South-Eastern Nigerian women (b) and relationships among arch index, gestational trimester and body mass index (BMI) of the pregnant participants.
In this study, 328 (215 pregnant women in different trimesters and 113 nulliparous women) participants were selected from Enugu in South-Eastern Nigeria. Their arch indexes were obtained from their foot prints. Data was summarized using frequency counts, mean, standard deviation and percentages. Inferential statistics of independent t test and Pearson correlation test were used to determine the differences and relationships among variables with alpha level set at P Results showed that a greater percentage of the pregnant women (57.2% on the right foot and 59.1% on the left foot) had low arches, indicating pes planus as compared to their age-matched nulliparous counterparts (19.5% on the right and 23.3% on the left). Statistical analysis further showed significant differences between the arch indexes of women in both groups. No significant relationship was found among gestational trimesters, BMI and arch index of pregnant women.
Pregnant women have lower arch indexes, indicating pes planus, than nulliparous women. Gestational trimesters and BMI had no associations with the arch index during pregnancy.