Effect of Taping Therapy and Inner Arch Support on Plantar Lower Body Alignment and Gait

Abstract

The feet not only support the human body when standing but also absorb and distribute the impact from weight during walking (Seoul National University Hospital, 2003). For this main role, the foot has a unique structure called the arch (Kang, 2012). The foot has four arches, including the medial and lateral arches, and the anterior transverse arches of the forefoot and midfoot. Loss of the foot arch is associated with loss of dorsiflexion and plantarflexion abilities of the ankle joint, which is important for shock absorption, and may lead to various disabilities (SNUH, 2003). The pes planus, with the medial foot arch lowered and the entire sole of the foot touching the floor, leads to inadequate gait due to decreased impact absorption of the foot and excessive pronation movement (Song, 2008) and may accompany not only spasticity and heel pain, but also the hallux valgus or plantar fasciitis (Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2016). The results of the footprint analysis performed for women in their 20~50s by the Korea Foot Health Association indicated that 84.8% of the women showed arch deformities such as pes planus and pes cavus, and 54.5% had hallux valgus (Lee, 2006). Thus, a taping technique and foot support to relieve or treat the symptoms of arch-foot deformity are needed (Lee et al., 2006). Taping is used for the prevention of injuries and any recurrence on the injured areas, and has a positive effect on the range of motion of the joints, joint fixation and muscle compression, and joint strength and muscle fatigue (Kang, Kim, & Lee, 2010; Park, 2008). Moreover, taping therapy applied to the ankle area reduces inversion and eversion of the ankle and affects the range of motion (Choi, 2007). In particular, foot taping therapy improves exercise performance by alleviating the pain during walking and induces a positive structural change to the foot arch (Jang et al., 2008; Lee, Kim, & Choi, 2009). The force loaded on the feet daily is approximately 700 tons, while the feet takes more than 3,000,000 steps per year for a 70-kg person walking 10,000 steps per day (Lee, 2001). According to previous studies Korean Journal of Sport Biomechanics 2017; 27(3): 229-238 http://dx.doi.org/10.5103/KJSB.2017.27.3.229 http://e-kjsb.org eISSN 2093-9752 ORIGINAL