Impact of body mass index and gender on medial longitudinal arch drop in young healthy population

Abstract

Abstract. Aim and scop. The aim of this study was to compare the level of medial longitudinal arch drop, ankle joint range of motion and extension of the hallux in males and females and to correlate these values with body mass index. Material and Method. One hundred sixty-three medical faculty students, 74 female and 89 male, aged between 18 and 26 (20.37±1.432), were included in the study. Level of medial longitudinal arch drop, dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the ankle and extension of the hallux were measured. Body mass index was assessed on the basis of World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Results. The difference between males and females in terms of plantar flexion of the ankle (PFA), dorsiflexion of the ankle (DFA), extension of the hallux (EH) and level of navicular drop (ND), was statistically significant (pPFA=0.000, pDFA=0.003, pEH:0.043, pND=0.000). Medial arch drop was greater in individuals with a higher than normal weight in males and in total subjects (pmale ND= 0.007, ptotal ND= 0.001). Conclusion. Our determination of statistically significant differences between the sexes is important in revealing anatomical differences in terms of ankle, hallux and medial arch structures. Our conclusions show that body weight has a direct impact on the medial arch.