Whether the increase in BMI affects the biomechanical status of foot arch and plantar pain?

Obesity is associated with many biomechanical disorders in the musculoskeletal system, which has been less studied. Understanding the biomechanical disorders with obesity can help to reduce these complications, including musculoskeletal problem. This study was performed to determine the relationship between the foot medial longitudinal arch and plantar pain with body mass index (BMI) in people referred to the Hazrat Rasool Hospital.
In this cross-sectional study conducted in 2016, 60 eligible subjects referred to Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center, were enrolled with convenience sampling and classified into two groups to high and normal BMI. Heel pain, pain intensity (VAS) and the amount of Navicular drop were evaluated in the participants. Independent Sample T Test and Chi-Square Correlation were applied to analyze the data.
Findings: In this study, the mean of Navicular drop was 12.8 ± 5.4 degree and 9.1 ± 3.1 degree , respectively in high and normal BMI which confirmed a statistically significant difference (P=0.004) between the groups. Also, a significant correlation was found between the high BMI and increased Navicular drop (P=0.021).
Finally, according to the obtained results, it may be concluded that there is a significant correlation between Navicular drop and reduced foot medial longitudinal arch with increased BMI.