ASSOCIATION OF FOOT POSTURE AND STATIC BALANCE AMONG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BALI, INDONESIA AS PREDICTOR OF INJURY:A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Foot posture abnormalities cause body structure abnormalities; the center of gravity (COG) follows and directly results in the balance disorders.  Variations in weight-bearing foot posture are associated with an increased risk of tibial stress syndrome and excessive foot injuries such as pes cavus (high arch) and pes planus (low arch).  In Indonesia, studies focusing on foot posture and static balance are still exceptionally few.  By performing research on foot posture, particularly when children are involved, we will become aware of balance abnormalities and be able to engage in initiatives promoting health, education, and prevention.  This cross-sectional study included students from Senior High School 7 Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia, and about 70 students aged 15 to 17, currently involved in an athletic club and had no history of foot deformity or surgery were recruited.  The Foot Posture Index-6 was used to assess foot posture.  We used the single leg stance (SLS) test to evaluate static posture and balance control.  Shapiro-Wilk test was used to test the normality, and the association was accessed by spearmen-rank test. A significant relationship exists between foot posture and static balance within p-value<0.001 and the correlation between foot posture and static balance has a strong correlation level in a negative direction (r) value of -0.559.  Male students are more likely to have higher score of pes cavus compared to female students.  These results give more insight especially on the clinical assessment and should be a new information for the further specific exercise for the young students or athletes.