Toe Flexor Muscle Strength and Morphological Characteristics of the Foot in Judo Athletes

Abstract

Whether practicing in judo influences the muscle strength and morphological characteristics of the foot is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the toe flexor muscle strength and morphological characteristics of the foot in judo athletes. Judo athletes (JUDO, men=24) and age-, gender- and body mass-matched physically active healthy subjects (CON, men=24) were recruited, and their toe flexor strength and morphological characteristics of the foot were compared. The maximum isometric toe flexor strength and foot intrinsic muscle thicknesses were measured using a toe grip dynamometer and a B-mode ultrasound, respectively. Foot arch height was assessed as the distance between the navicular tuberosity of the foot and the floor in the sitting and standing positions. JUDO showed a significantly lower foot arch height and smaller foot arch index than CON, whereas foot length and muscle thickness did not significantly differ between groups. The toe flexor strength relative to total muscle thickness was significantly larger in JUDO than CON. The foot arch dynamics was significantly larger in JUDO than CON. This study suggests that exercise training specific to judo may affect the force-generating capacity, morphological structure and arch function of the foot.

Key words

foot intrinsic muscles - maximum isometric strength - foot arch height - muscle size - ultrasonography

^* Equal contributors

• References

• 1 Aibast H, Okutoyi P, Sigei T, Adero W, Chemjor D, Ongaro N, Fuku N, Konstabel K, Clark C, Lieberman DE, Pitsiladis Y. Foot structure and function in habitually barefoot and shod adolescents in Kenya. Curr Sports Med Rep 2017; 16: 448-458
• 2 Ali PN, Hanachi P, Nejad NR. The relation of body fats, anthropometric factor and physiological functions of Iranian female national judo team. Mod Appl Sci 2010; 4: 25-29
• 3 Bojsen-Møller F. Calcaneocuboid joint and stability of the longitudinal arch of the foot at high and low gear push off. J Anat 1979; 129: 165-176
• 4 Butler RJ, Hillstrom H, Song J, Richards CJ, Davis IS. Arch height index measurement system: Establishment of reliability and normative values. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 2008; 98: 102-106
• 5 Cowan DN, Jones BH, Robinson JR. Foot morphologic characteristics and risk of exercise-related injury. Arch Fam Med 1993; 2: 773-777
• 6 Crofts G, Angin S, Mickle KJ, Hill S, Nester CJ. Reliability of ultrasound for measurement of selected foot structures. Gait Posture 2014; 39: 35-39
• 7 Cureton TK. The validity of footprints as a measure of vertical height of the arch and functional efficiency of the foot. Res Q 1935; 6: 70-80
• 8 Erdemir A, Hamel AJ, Fauth AR, Piazza SJ, Sharkey NA. Dynamic loading of the plantar aponeurosis in walking. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2004; 86-A: 546-552
• 9 Franchini E, Del Vecchio FB, Matsushigue KA, Artioli GG. Physiological profiles of elite judo athletes. Sports Med 2011; 41: 147-166
• 10 Franettovich MM, McPoil TG, Russell T, Skardoon G, Vicenzino B. The ability to predict dynamic foot posture from static measurements. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 2007; 97: 115-120
• 11 Gilmour JC, Burns Y. The measurement of the medial longitudinal arch in children. Foot Ankle Int 2001; 22: 493-498
• 12 Häkkinen K, Keskinen KL. Muscle cross-sectional area and voluntary force production characteristics in elite strength- and endurance-trained athletes and sprinters. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1989; 59: 215-220
• 13 Harriss DJ, Atkinson G. Ethical Standards in Sport and Exercise Science Research: 2017 Update. Int J Sports Med 2017; 38: 1126-1131
• 14 Hollander K, de Villiers JE, Sehner S, Wegscheider K, Braumann KM, Venter R, Zech A. Growing-up (habitually) barefoot influences the development of foot and arch morphology in children and adolescents. Sci Rep 2017; 7: 8079
• 15 Kaufman KR, Brodine SK, Shaffer RA, Johnson CW, Cullison TR. The effect of foot structure and range of motion on musculoskeletal overuse injuries. Am J Sports Med 1999; 27: 585-593
• 16 Kelly LA, Lichtwark G, Cresswell AG. Active regulation of longitudinal arch compression and recoil during walking and running. J R Soc Interface 2015; 12: 20141076
• 17 Ker RF, Bennett MB, Bibby SR, Kester RC, Alexander RM. The spring in the arch of the human foot. Nature 1987; 325: 147-149
• 18 Koyama K, Yamauchi J. Altered postural sway following fatiguing foot muscle exercises. PLoS One 2017; 12: e0189184
• 19 Koyama K, Yamauchi J. Comparison of lower limb kinetics, kinematics and muscle activation during drop jumping under shod and barefoot conditions. J Biomech 2018; 69: 47-53
• 20 Krawczyk B, Skład M, Jackiewicz A. Heath-carter somatotypes of athletes representing various sports. Biol Sport 1997; 4: 305-310
• 21 Kurihara T, Yamauchi J, Otsuka M, Tottori N, Hashimoto T, Isaka T. Maximum toe flexor muscle strength and quantitative analysis of human plantar intrinsic and extrinsic muscles by a magnetic resonance imaging technique. J Foot Ankle Res 2014; 7: 26
• 22 Kyröläinen H, Komi PV, Oksanen P, Häkkinen K, Cheng S, Kim DH. Mechanical efficiency of locomotion in females during different kinds of muscle action. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1990; 61: 446-452
• 23 Kyröläinen H, Komi PV. The function of neuromuscular system in maximal stretch-shortening cycle exercises: Comparison between power- and endurance-trained athletes. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 1995; 5: 15-25
• 24 Lieberman DE, Venkadesan M, Werbel WA, Daoud AI, D'Andrea S, Davis IS, Mang'eni RO, Pitsiladis Y. Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners. Nature 2010; 463: 531-535
• 25 Mala L, Maly T, Zahalka F. Influence of maximal anaerobic performance on body posture stability in elite senior and junior male judo athletes. Archives of Budo 2016; 12: 117-124
• 26 Markovic G, Jaric S. Movement performance and body size: The relationship for different groups of tests. Eur J Appl Physiol 2004; 92: 139-149
• 27 McPoil TG, Cornwall MW, Medoff L, Vicenzino B, Forsberg K, Hilz D. Arch height change during sit-to-stand: An alternative for the navicular drop test. J Foot Ankle Res 2008; 1: 3
• 28 Medved R. Body height and predisposition for certain sports. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 1966; 6: 89-91
• 29 Mickle KJ, Nester CJ, Crofts G, Steele JR. Reliability of ultrasound to measure morphology of the toe flexor muscles. J Foot Ankle Res 2013; 6: 12
• 30 Morita N, Yamauchi J, Kurihara T, Fukuoka R, Otsuka M, Okuda T, Ishizawa N, Nakajima T, Nakamichi R, Matsuno S, Kamiie S, Shide N, Kambayashi I, Shinkaiya H. Toe flexor strength and foot arch height in children. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2015; 47: 350-356
• 31 Otsuka M, Yamauchi J, Kurihara T, Morita N, Isaka T. Toe flexor strength and lower-limb physical performance in adolescent. Gazz Med Ital 2015; 174: 307-313
• 32 Scholz T, Zech A, Wegscheider K, Lezius S, Braumann KM, Sehner S, Hollander K. Reliability and correlation of static and dynamic foot arch measurement in a healthy pediatric population. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 2017; 107: 419-427
• 33 Sell KE, Verity TM, Worrell TW, Pease BJ, Wigglesworth J. Two measurement techniques for assessing subtalar joint position: A reliability study. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1994; 19: 162-167
• 34 Shibuya N, Jupiter DC, Ciliberti LJ, VanBuren V, La Fontaine J. Characteristics of adult flatfoot in the united states. J Foot Ankle Surg 2010; 49: 363-368
• 35 Tam N, Astephen Wilson JL, Noakes TD, Tucker R. Barefoot running: An evaluation of current hypothesis, future research and clinical applications. Br J Sports Med 2014; 48: 349-355
• 36 Vitale JA, Bassani T, Galbusera F, Bianchi A, Martinelli N. Injury rates in martial arts athletes and predictive risk factors for lower limb injuries. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2018; 58: 1296-1303
• 37 Williams DS, McClay IS. Measurements used to characterize the foot and the medial longitudinal arch: Reliability and validity. Phys Ther 2000; 80: 864-871
• 38 Williams 3rd DS, McClay IS, Hamill J. Arch structure and injury patterns in runners. Clin Biomech 2001; 16: 341-347
• 39 Yamauchi J, Koyama K. Influence of ankle braces on the maximum strength of plantar and toe flexor muscles. Int J Sports Med 2015; 36: 592-595
• 40 Yamauchi J, Koyama K. Force-generating capacity of the toe flexor muscles and dynamic function of the foot arch in upright standing. J Anat (in press)