Influence of Motion Control Shoes on the Lower Extremity Three Dimensional Joint Moments during Running in Females with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

 Footwears are routinely used with the belief that they have a direct effect on the knee. Excessive pronation of the subtalar joint with associated internal rotation of the tibia relative to the femur has been postulated to be a causative factor of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). Motion control shoes aim to reduce excessive rearfoot motion and lead to reduction of internal rotation of tibia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of motion control shoes on the three dimensional lower limb joint moments during running in patellofemoral pain syndrome females.

 A total of 20 females with PFPS performed 5 running trials at 3 ±0.2 m/s speed. Two shoes were tested: the Nike free 5 shoe (control)، and the Asics GEL-Kayano 21 (motion control). Joint moments calculation was carried out using invers dynamic equations. Also, between-condition comparisons were assessed running paired T-test (P≤0.05).

 A motion control shoe significantly reduced peak ankle adductor moment (p=0.038)، increased external rotator (p=0.001), and decreased abductor knee joint moments (p=0.024). In the hip joint، adductor moment was decreased (p=0.005) and the external rotator moment was increased (p=0.001) using motion control shoe. No differences were observed in sagittal plane lower limb joint moments between the two shoes.

 The results of our study indicated that a motion control shoe can control the subtalar joint pronation by decreasing the amount of adductor moment and increasing peak of the inversion angle during running. The effectiveness of these shoes in frontal and horizontal planes is high as they seem to control the rearfoot movement in these planes. These results indicate that the motion control shoes as an efficient and nonsurgical prevention must be considered for PFPS.