The Effect of Fatigue on Spatial and Temporal Parameters of Gait in People with Normal and Flexible Flat Foot11

Fatigue impairs the neuromuscular control of gait. A flat foot can cause early muscle fatigue and impair the weight-bearing function of the foot. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of fatigue on spatial and temporal parameters of gait in people with normal and flexible flat-foot.

In this Quasi-experimental study. 10 people with flexible flat foot and 10 people with normal foot arch participated were selected among 15-18 years male students in Tehran. Gait analysis treadmill was used to measure gait parameters. A running protocol on a treadmill was used to induce fatigue based on the Borg's Perceived Exertion scale. The gait parameters were collected for one minute before and one minute immediately after fatigue induced. Repeated measures and paired t-tests were used to compare the within-group and between-group effects of fatigue on the spatial and temporal parameters of gait in people with normal foot and flat foot.

Based on the results there was a significant difference in post-test scores between groups in the single support variable. However, there were no significant differences in the variables of stride time, step time, double support, stride length, step length, and step width. However, the effect size obtained for most variables indicated a strong interactive effect of flat foot and fatigue on these parameters. Besides, fatigue had a significant effect on the variables by increasing the stride time, step time, double support, stride length, step length, and step width.

According to the results of this study, it seems that fatigue has a significant effect on some temporal and spatial parameters of gait in people with normal and flat-foot.