Effect of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Foot Muscles Exercise in School Children with Flat Feet: Implications for Foot Function, Development of planter arch and Balance

Title : Effect of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Foot Muscles Exercise in School Children with Flat Feet: Implications for Foot Function, Development of planter arch and Balance

Introduction: 30 % of children have been reported of foot problem where the most common deformities seen are flat feet out of which 13.4%-27.6% of school children have flatfeet. Normal foot function is provided by foot core which includes active, passive and neutral subsystem. Activation of foot muscles play critical role to maintain balance. Foot has a smaller base of support and it is the most distal segment of lower limb and helps to maintain balance in closed kinematic chain. Complete kinematic chain is altered by flatfeet and it is combined with altered proximal joint proprioception and it will be resulted in impaired balance. If flatfeet is left untreated, low back pain, patello-femoral pain, joint degeneration and instability and functional limitation, altered gait, abnormal balance and motor dysfunction and can continue to the adulthood.

Need of the study: In recent times, therapists are giving more importance to extrinsic foot muscles to treat flatfeet. While intrinsic foot muscles also have contributory factor for the management of flatfeet specially the role of abductor hallucis in maintaining the navicular height. There is a need of the study is to check the combined effect of strengthening exercise of intrinsic foot muscle and extrinsic foot muscle on function, development of arches and balance in school children with flatfeet.

AIM: To check the effect of intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscle exercise in school children with flatfeet.

OBJECTIVES: 1. To check the combined effect of intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscle exercise on the navicular height in school children. 2.To check the combined effect of intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscle exercise on static and dynamic balance in school children. 3.To check the combined effect of intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscle exercise on foot posture in school children.

Methodology: The population will be school children. Subjects will be screened on the basis of convenient sampling and included in the study on the basis of inclusion criteria from schools of rajkot area and written consent will be taken from parents of subjects. intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscle exercises will be prescribed to the students for 6 weeks. The intervention will be given for 6 weeks according to the protocol and post intervention assessment will be taken after 6 weeks. Pre and post data will be assessed with navicular drop test, foot posture index and sensamove balance system.