Fatigue in Children with Pronated Feet After Aerobic Exercises

Abstract

Background: Sports have a strong influence on current society. Foot posture has been postulated as a risk factor for overuse injuries; however, the link between foot posture and injuries is unclear. This study aimed at checking whether children with pronated feet become more fatigued after participating in sports tests than those with normal feet.Methods: One-hundred five children between 10 and 12 years old (10.46 {plus minus} 0.78) participated in the sports tests. These tests were aerobic-type resistance exercises with six stations at which each child remained for 30 sec. The posture of the foot was evaluated via the foot posture index (FPI) and the plantar footprint via the arch index and Clarke's angle before and after aerobic-type resistance exercises. The perceived tiredness was evaluated with the Pictorial Children´s Effort Rating Table (PCERT) questionnaire and whether or not there was pain during or after physical activity.Results: The variables used to measure the foot posture and the plantar arch changed more in the group of children with pronated feet, suggesting that the feet undergo pronation more after physical exercise. The neutral feet group obtained an average score of 5.46 {plus minus} 1.89 on the PCERT, while the pronated feet group obtained a score of 7.60 {plus minus} 1.92. Conclusions: The children with pronated feet showed more fatigue and foot pain during and/or after physical exercise than those with neutral feet. The type of foot could be responsible for the lack of enthusiasm of children toward undertaking healthy activities, and this problem might be solved via appropriate orthopedic treatment.