• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2023

Background: In this study, the abductor hallucis activity and medial longitudinal arch angle were compared by performing four exercises, namely the short foot exercise, the short foot exercise with 2^nd~5^th toe extension, the short foot exercise with 2^nd~5^th toe extension with a load of 1kt on the sole, and the short foot exercise with 2^nd~5^th toe extension with a load of 2kg on the sole. Methods: Four short foot exercises as described above were performed by 20 healthy adult males and females. The abductor hallucis activity and medial longitudinal arch angle were measured and analyzed by surface electromyography and the Kinovea software program. Results: The short foot exercise with 2^nd~5^th toe extension, short foot exercise with 2^nd~5^th toe extension with a load of 1kg on the sole, and the short foot exercise with 2^nd~5^th toe extension with a load of 2kg on the sole showed significantly higher abductor hallucis activity than the short foot exercise alone. Among these, the short foot exercise with the 2^nd~5^th toe extension was the most effective. All exercises showed a significantly decreased medial longitudinal arch angle post-exercise than pre-exercise, and the short foot exercise with the 2^nd~5^th toe extension showed a significantly decreased medial longitudinal arch angle compared to the other three exercises. Conclusion: It is believed that the short foot exercise with the 2^nd~5^th toe extension can be proposed as an effective exercise that can replace the short foot exercise alone.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.1-10
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• 2017

Purpose : This study was aimed at investgating the effect of short foot exercise(SFE) using an imagery technique on chronic ankle instability(CAI). Methods : Twenty subjects with chronic ankle instability were selected by using the Cumberland ankle instability tool. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups(10 in each group) : namely the short foot exercise group and imagery technique group. The short foot exercise group performed short foot exercise for 6 weeks(3 times a week, 15 min per session). The imagery technique group performed short foot exercise(3 times a week, 15 min per session) and the imagery technique(3 times a week, 5 min per session) for 6 weeks. We measured chronic ankle instability, balance and threshold of vibration sensation before and after exercise by using the Cumberland ankle instability tool, Biodex Balance System and VSA-II, respectively. Results : We found statistically significant differences in cumberland ankle instability tool, balance and threshold of vibration sensation between the groups(p<.05). Conclusion : We confirmed the effect of short foot exercise using an imagery technique. Thus, we thought these results could be used as basic data and reference for musculoskeletal therapy or intervention using an imagery technique.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.1934-1939
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• 2019

Background: Flexible flat foot is that the medial longitudinal arch collapses in weight bearing and returns normal arch when weight is removed and the weight bearing shifts toward medial part of the foot, which can cause pathological problems in the alignment of the lower extremities and the entire body. Objective: To compare the foot pressure for adults with flexible flat foot. Design: Quasi-Experimental Study Methods: 24 participants with flexible flat foot were recruited and were randomly divided into Visual feedback Short Foot Exercise (VSFE) group and Short Foot Exercise (SFE) group. To compare changes of foot pressure about pre and post intervention, the contact pressure measurement was conducted. Results: In the VSFE, significant differences were observed for the foot pressure of the 1^st toe, 1^st, 3^rd and 4-5^th metatarsal, midfoot, medial and lateral heel (p<.05). The foot pressure of the 3^rd and 4-5^th metatarsal, midfoot showed significant differences in the SFE (p<.05). The contact pressure of the 1^st toe, 3^rd metatarsal showed significant differences between the groups. Conclusions: Visual feedback short foot exercise can be useful for moving the pressure from medial to lateral part, and can prevent possible pathological problems.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.133-139
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• 2018

PURPOSE: Despite the abundant literature available regarding the activity of intrinsic muscles, few studies have investigated the muscle activity of extrinsic muscles. Therefore, the present study compared the muscle activity of the peroneus longus, tibialis anterior, and abductor hallucis during short foot exercise in subjects with and without flat feet. METHODS: Twelve subjects with and without pes planus participated in this study. During the short foot exercises, muscular activity of the tibialis anterior, fibularis longus, and abductor hallucis longus were measured in both groups. To identify the effects of short foot exercises, navicular drop height was also investigated in pre and post short foot exercises. RESULTS: In a symptomatic group, the navicular drop height was significantly reduced at post measurement compared with pre-measurement. During the short foot exercise, the pes planus group showed significantly lower activities of the fibularis longus than the control group (p<.05). CONCLUSION: Similar to previous studies and clinical literature, short foot exercise was effective for alleviating navicular drop for a population with pes planus. In addition, subjects with pes planus showed decreased muscular activities of the fibularis longus, which suggests that considering extrinsic muscles such as fibularis longus is also important for rehabilitation of pes planus patients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.139-151
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• 2021

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of wall-squat with short-foot exercise on pain, dysfunction, and pelvic alignment in chronic low back pain patients. METHODS: Thirty outpatients diagnosed with chronic low back pain and pronated foot were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided randomly into a wall-squat with short-foot exercise group (WS; n = 15) and a normal wall-squat exercise group (NW; n = 15). These groups performed their respective exercises 15 times, for three sets, three times a week over six weeks. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to measure the subjects' pain, and the Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ) was used to measure the subjects' dysfunction. A navicular drop test (NDT) was used to measure the subjects' arch height. To assess the patients' pelvic alignment, their lordosis, sacral tilt, lumbar width, sacral width, ilium length, and ilium width were measured by X-ray imaging. RESULTS: Both the WS and NW groups exhibited significant decreases in their VAS and RMDQ scores after exercise (p < .05). The WS group exhibited significant increases in their arch height (p < .05). Significant differences in the VAS, sacral tilt, sacral width, and ilium length were observed between the WS and NW groups (p < .05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that wall-squat exercise is effective in decreasing the level of pain and dysfunction in chronic low back pain patients. In addition, the wall-squat with short-foot exercise is considered more effective in improving the pelvic alignment than without short-foot exercise. This can be an effective method for the non-pharmacological and non-surgical treatment of chronic low back pain

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.19-25
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• 2011

The aims of this study were to investigate the correlation between the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the abductor hallucis (AbdH) and the amount of pressure measured by a pinch gauge (PG), and to compare the EMG activity of AbdH and the pressure measured by the PG during short foot (SF) exercise in subjects with pes planus and in subjects with a neutral foot alignment. Fourteen subjects were recruited for this study (pes planus group=7; neutral foot alignment group=7). A surface EMG was used to collect AbdH activity, and a PG was positioned under the first metatarsophalangeal joint to measure the pressure produced by the first metatarsal head during the SF exercise. The AbdH activity and the pressure measured by the PG showed a positive good correlation (r=.80, p<.05). The EMG activity of the AbdH and the pressure measured by the PG were significantly lower for subjects with pes planus than for subjects with a neutral foot alignment (p<.05). Based on these findings, the PG can be recommended as an effective instrument for evaluating the performance of the AbdH. It may also be beneficial for monitoring how well the SF exercise is performed, and for providing visual feedback to patients with pes planus during SF exercise in a clinical setting.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.75-81
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• 2017

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the activity of the abductor hallucis (AbdH) muscle during short foot exercise (SFE) using foot orthosis (SFE-FO) and the windlass effect (SFO-WE) while sitting and in a one-leg standing position. METHODS: We recruited fourteen subjects with normal feet for this study. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to measure the muscle activity of the AbdH muscle during SFE, SFE-FO, and SFE-WE while sitting and in a one-leg standing position. Three trials consisting of a 5 s hold for each of the three exercises were performed to measure the EMG activity of the AbdH muscle. Exercise type and position were randomly assigned. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze the effects of exercise type (SFE vs. SFE-FO vs. SFE-WE) and position (sitting vs. one-leg standing position) on AbdH muscle activity. A statistical significance was set at ${\alpha}=.05$. RESULTS: The EMG activity of AbdH muscle in the SFE-WE exercise was significantly greater than that during SFE and SFE-FO in both exercise positions (p<.001). In addition, the EMG activity of the AbdH muscle in the one-leg standing position was significantly higher than that while sitting (p<.001) during all three exercises. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that SFE-WE is a more effective strengthening exercise than SFE or SFE-FO for activating the AbdH muscle.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.78-83
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• 2016

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the intrinsic foot muscle training method can improve the medial longitudinal arch in patients with chronic ankle injury and with pronated feet, as well as to investigate for the most effective exercise method for these patients. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Thirty men and women with pronated feet had participated in this study and were allocated to either the short foot exercise group (SFEG) or the towel curl exercise group (TCEG) randomly. SFEG and TCEG underwent exercises three times a week for 8 weeks, with three sets per day, totalling up to 5 minutes per day. The navicular drop test (NDT) was used in order to assess for changes in the medial longitudinal arch and the Cumberland ankle instability tool (CAIT) was used to assess for ankle instability of the chronic ankle sprain patients. Results: There was a significant increase in CAIT scores in the SFEG (p<0.05) and a significant difference between groups was presented (p<0.05). The NDT scores were significantly decreased in both groups (p<0.05). In the SFEG, the NDT scores were more decreased than in the TCEG (p<0.05). Conclusions: These results suggest that short foot exercises are more effective in providing intrinsic foot muscle training for patients with pronated feet among chronic ankle sprain patients. Furthermore, short foot exercises may be used to provide ankle stability.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2021

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the effects of altering foot position on quadriceps femoris including vastus medialis obliques (VMO), vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) activation during wall squat exercises. METHODS: All subjects (n = 15) were selected and randomly performed three kinds of wall squats: 1) GWS (General Wall Squat), 2) WSS1/4 (Wall Squat Short 1/4), and 3) WSS1/2 (Wall Squat Short 1/2). Each subject completed all three kinds of wall squatting exercises at three different times and recorded the muscle activity data of vastus medialis obliques, vastus lateralis and rectus femoris. RESULTS: Compared with GWS exercise, VMO and RF muscle activity significantly increased under WSS1/2 exercise (p < .05), while only RF muscle activity significantly increased under WSS1/4 exercise (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that moving the foot toward the wall during wall squats has a positive effect on quadriceps activation. The exercise of wall squat short can not only be used as the lower limb muscle strengthening training for normal people, but also as the recovery training for patellofemoral pain syndrome patients in the rehabilitation stage. Besides, Anterior cruciate ligament patients can also try this exercise according to the advice of doctors and therapists.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.367-373
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• 2021

Objective: Short foot exercise(SFE) is frequently used to increase the medial longitudinal arch of the foot, as well as the intrinsic foot muscles. This studyinvestigated the effects of SFE onmuscular activity and the onset of contraction of the quadriceps femoris muscle during squats in healthypeople. It also aimed to compare and analyze the results with those of the general squat method and propose a more efficient squat method. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: This study compared 20 adults (male=10, female=10) who statisfied the inclusion criteria for the muscle activity and onset of the muscle contraction of the quadriceps femoris using surface EMG under two conditions: general squats and SFE squats. Results: Separate analyses and comparisons of the outcomes of the SFE squat and the general squat, showed a significant increase in the muscle activities of the rectus femoris and vastus medial muscles in both males and females (p<0.05). The onset of muscle contraction was significantly delayed for the vastus lateralis relative to that for the vastus medialis (p<0.05). However, it delayed significantly in females, but not in males. Conclusions: The SFE squats induced selective muscular activities of the rectus femoris and vastus medialis muscels and affected the onset of contraction of the vastus medialis and lateralis muscles.