Effect of High-heeled Shoes and Culturally Habitual Posture on Calf Muscle Flexibility PDF

Keywords

Calf muscles, high heels. posture

Abstract

Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of both high-heeled shoes and specific habitual position of the feet and ankle joints on the flexibility of calf muscles. Design: Eighty health college female students voluntarily participated in the study. Forty of them were habitual low-heeled shoe wearers (group 1) . Their mean age was 21.7 ± 4.2 years, mean weight, 51.4 ±11.4 kg and mean height was 155 ± 8.8 cm. The remaining forty subjects (group 2) were habitual high-heeled shoe wearers. Their mean age was 20.4 ± 5.1 years, mean weight, 52. 7 ± 10.2 kg and mean height was 155 ± 6.7 cm. The index of calf muscle flexibility was the range of motions [dorsiflexion (DF) and plantar flexion (PF)] of the right and left ankle joints as measured with a standard goniometer and flexometer. The measurements taken with both devices were highly correlated (r = +0.99). The data were subjected to a one-tailed student t-test statistical analysis with p < 0.05 chosen as the level of significance. Results: Low-heeled shoe wearers (group 1) have significantly (p < 0.05) higher DF measurements (26.6 ± 4.54 degrees for the right; 26.0 ± 4.50 degrees for the left) at the ankle joints than the high-heeled shoe wearers (group 2) (15.4 ± 5.10 degrees for the right and 14.4 ± 4.42 degrees for the left), while there was no significant difference between the two groups in respect of PF measurements (47.8 ± 5.02 degrees for the right ankle and 47.07 ± 5.47 degrees for the left in group 1 and 48.05 ± 4.86 degrees for the right ankle and 47.7 ± 4.86 degrees for the left ankle in group 2). Conclusion: The conclusion to be made was that there existed some degree of tightness in the calf muscles of group 2 subjects.