Effects Of Low-dye Taping And Shoe Inserts On Ligament Strains In Healthy Flat-footed Individuals

Low-Dye taping and over the counter shoe inserts are both designed to increase arch stability by reducing flattening of the arch. Shoe inserts have been found to reduce flattening of the arch, which results in reduced strain of the plantar fascia. However, there are several other passive tissues that provide secondary arch support, including the spring, deltoid, and plantar ligaments. Currently, it is unknown whether tape or inserts have an effect on the ligaments that provide secondary arch support. PURPOSE: To determine the effects of low-Dye tape and shoe inserts on spring, deltoid, and plantar ligament strains in healthy individuals with flexible flat feet during walking. METHODS: To date, data from 9 healthy adults have been analyzed. After confirming that individuals demonstrated flat feet using the navicular drop test (ND: 10.8 ± 2.1 mm), each participant walked at a self-selected speed during three different footwear conditions: baseline, tape, and insert. Participants wore the same footwear for all conditions. A six-segment musculoskeletal model of the foot was used to provide estimates of spring, deltoid, and plantar ligament strains. One-way repeated measures ANOVAs were used to compare foot ligament strains at a significance level of α = 0.05. RESULTS: No statistical differences between the conditions were found for the spring, deltoid, long plantar, or short plantar ligament (Table 1). CONCLUSION: While preliminary results indicate no significant effect of tape or insert on ligament strains during walking, several ligaments demonstrated a statistically insignificant reduction in strain during the insert condition when compared to the baseline. This study is ongoing, and it is anticipated that additional statistical power will further elucidate the effects of inserts and low-Dye taping on ligament strains during walking. - Peak ligament strains (mean(SD)) while walking during three conditions: baseline, insert, and tape. Ligament Baseline Insert Tape p-value Spring - Superomedial Slip 3.3(2.1) -0.3(6.8) 1.2(6.5) 0.241 Spring - Inferior Slip 1.4(2.4) -2.2(6.5) 1.4(6.9) 0.158 Deltoid - Navicular Slip 8.0(3.9) 8.9(2.7) 8.6(4.9) 0.850 Deltoid - Calcaneal Slip 1.6(1.7) 2.2(2.6) 3.8(3.4) 0.101 Deltoid - Talar Slip 2.0(2.1) 1.7(2.5) 2.5(3.1) 0.745 Long Plantar - 1st Slip 3.3(6.4) 2.4(3.6) 4.8(3.6) 0.330 Long Plantar - 2nd Slip 1.0(3.5) 0.2(2.0) 2.2(2.0) 0.115 Long Plantar - 3rd Slip 1.2(4.0) 0.4(2.3) 2.4(2.1) 0.168 Long Plantar - 4th Slip 1.6(4.7) 0.8(2.7) 2.7(2.4) 0.265 Short Plantar 8.7(12.2) 8.1(8.9) 11.5(7.0) 0.435