Muscle Strength and Foot Pressure Vary Depending on the Type of Foot Pain

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot; Hindfoot Introduction/Purpose: Foot pain is highly prevalent at various ages and is especially common in middle-aged and older females. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no studies directly comparing muscle strength, foot pressure, and foot posture between metatarsalgia, plantar fasciitis, and normal controls, and the available study data in metatarsalgia is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to compare muscle strength, foot pressure, and foot posture between patients with metatarsalgia, plantar fasciitis, and normal controls. We hypothesized that metatarsalgia and plantar fasciitis would have decreased muscle strength, increased foot pressure, and different foot postures compared to normal controls. Methods: To compare the muscle strength and foot pressure between patients with metatarsalgia and plantar fasciitis and healthy controls. 31 patients with foot pain (n=14 for metatarsalgia and n=17 for plantar fasciitis) and 29 healthy controls participated. The muscle strengths of the plantar flexor and hip muscles were measured using an isokinetic dynamometer and handheld dynamometer, respectively. Foot pressure parameters, including the pressure-time integral (PTI) and foot arch index (AI), were assessed using pedobarography. Results: Compared with the normal control group, plantar flexor strength was significantly reduced in the affected feet of the metatarsalgia and plantar fasciitis groups (F: 0.083, all p< 0.001), but hip strength was significantly decreased only in the affected feet of the metatarsalgia group (F: 20.900, p< 0.001). In particular, plantar flexor strength (p< 0.001) and hip strength (p=0.004) were significantly lower in the metatarsalgia group than in the plantar fasciitis group. PTI was lower in the forefoot of the affected feet in metatarsalgia (p< 0.001) and plantar fasciitis (p=0.004). Foot AI (p< 0.001) was significantly reduced only in he metatarsalgia group. Conclusion: The study results suggest that the evaluation of muscle strength and foot pressure should be considered in both feet for the diagnosis and treatment of foot pain.