Association of flat foot with obesity in middle-aged individuals

Abstract

Flat foot can be classified as a foot with collapsed or minimally developed longitudinal arches. Another term used for flat foot is pes planus in which the medial longitudinal arch of the foot has collapsed. The frequency of flat foot is not explained properly as there is a lack of comprehensive definition, better method to classify and proper radiographic criteria for defining a flat foot. Due to obesity, there is an increase in forces at weight-bearing areas of the lower limb and feet. Long term continuous loading effect, specifically related to the feet region due to obesity, has not been extensively evaluated. To find the association of flat foot with obesity in middle-aged Individuals. A total of 120 subjects in the age range of 30 to 50 years were recruited with 60 subjects in each two groups formed on the basis of BMI indexes as Group A (Normal with BMI score 17.5 – 22.99) and Group B (Obese with BMI score >28). Navicular Drop Test and Waist/Hip ratio were measured using Brody’s method and inch tape method, respectively and the correlation between Navicular drop and W/H ratio was evaluated thereafter in both the groups. The result of the study demonstrated that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between navicular drop test and W/H ratio in both the groups, with a stronger association in the obese group (r=0.7 at p=0.05). This study concluded that there is a strong correlation between flat foot and body weight in middle-aged individuals. Hence individuals should be physically active to maintain their body weight in order to avoid any biomechanical alteration in feet structures.