Efficacy of a Foot Strengthening Protocol on Sport Performance Kinetics

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Healthy Athletes; Healthy Volonteers
• Interventions: Other: Progressive foot strengthening protocol; Other: Control group

• Registration Number: NCT05574322
• Lead Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

Brief Summary

This randomized controlled trial aims to explore the effect of a foot strengthening protocol on toe flexion strength, foot deformation and morphology as well as kinetics during sprinting, cutting and jumping in healthy athletes (18-40 completed years). The study consists of a 4 weeks control period, followed by 8 weeks intervention period and 4 weeks follow up

Detailed Description

During the first period participants are unaware of their allocation, while in the intervention period they will be allocated to a train intervention or a control group (habits maintenance). The primary outcome is the toes maximal voluntary isometric plantarflexion. The treatment effectiveness estimand is the same as in a pretest-posttest case control study, considering the end of the control period as pre-point. An estimation of the individual variability in response to the treatment will be provided.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-10-03
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-10-06
• Study First Posted: 2022-10-10
• Study Start: 2023-02-03
• Status Verified: 2024-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-02-29
• Last Update Posted: 2024-03-01
• Primary Completion: 2025-12
• Study Completion: 2026-05

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 72

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Training group (PRP)	Progressive foot strengthening protocol	Participants benefiting from an 8-week muscle strengthening program (PRP)
Control group	Control group	Participants in the control group will be asked to maintain their habits and lifestyle (without training program) for the duration of the study.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
maximal isometric joint flexion muscle strength MTP (in N)	Change from baseline to Week 18	It will be measured using an ergometer composed of a 3-dimensional force sensor (Nano 25, ATI Industrial Automation, Garner, NC) during the 3 periods of the randomized controlled trial (control, intervention and follow-up) and repeatedly each week during the intervention protocol.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Foot posture	Change from baseline to Week 18	Foot posture will be measured using the Foot Posture Index (FPI-6).
propulsion impulse during jumps	Change from baseline to Week 18	The propulsion impulse during jumps will be evaluated using 2 force platforms embedded in the ground under each foot (Kistler, Winterhur, Switzerland) to collect kinetic force parameters in all 3 spatial dimensions during vertical and horizontal jumps at a sampling frequency of 2000 Hz.
Morphology of the foot muscles	Change from baseline to Week 18	The morphology of the foot muscles will be evaluated by measuring with the AixPlorer Ultrasonic scanner, version 6.1.1; Supersonic Imagine, Aix-en-Provence, France.
general stiffness of the foot-ankle complex	Change from baseline to Week 18	The general stiffness of the foot-ankle complex will be evaluated using an optical measurement system (Optojump Next, Microgate, Bolzano, 113 Italy) during 6 maximal jumps with knees stretched.
propulsion impulse during direction changes	Change from baseline to Week 18	The propulsion impulse during direction changes will be evaluated using a ground embedded force platform (Kistler, Winterhur, Switzerland) to collect force kinetic parameters in all 3 spatial dimensions during 90° direction changes at a sampling rate of 2000 Hz.
Foot deformity	Change from baseline to Week 18	It's a composite outcome : Foot deformity will be assessed with the help of the system (Arch Height Index Measurement System, JAKTOOL Corporation, Cranberry, NJ) measuring the following variables (in cm): height of the navicular, total length of the foot, truncated length of the foot, width of the medial foot and height of the dorsal arch when the participant is sitting and then when standing on one foot.
propulsion impulse during sprinting	Change from baseline to Week 18	The propulsion impulse during sprinting will be evaluated using 6 force platforms embedded in the ground (Kistler, Winterhur, Switzerland) allowing to collect kinetic parameters of forces in the 3 dimensions of space at a sampling frequency of 2000 Hz.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

CHU de Saint-Etienne; 🇫🇷 Saint-Étienne, France