The Effect of Insole Height on Lumbosacral Angle and Body Function in Male University Students

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of insole height change in the lumbosacral angle and physical functions in healthy males. Background: In order to release male"s dissatisfaction with his height and to increase satisfaction with his body, using insole is generalized. There have been researches on female"s body change in accordance with function of insole and heel height, whereas there are few researches on males. Method: Participants were divided into three groups. A control group had 10 participants who wore 0cm insole. Experimental group I had 10 participants who wore 2cm insole. Experimental group II had 10 participants who wore 4cm insole. All participants wore insoles during their daily lives for a trial period of 8 weeks. The results were evaluated before and after comparison, and we measured lumbosacral angle, balance (dynamic balance, agility, quickness) and lumbar pain (LBP). Results: This study showed that insole height affected lumbosacral angle and dynamic balance and pain. In particular, there were significant differences in the 4cm group among the three groups (p<.05). The 2cm group did show a significant difference in lumbosacral angle and pain (p<.05). Furthermore, no significant difference was observed within the control group. Conclusion: The 4cm insole height suggests that the increase of lumbosacral angle contributes to some changes in LBP, balance, pain and physical functions, probably leading to negative effects on variety of activities of daily life. Application: The results of wearing insoles with proper height will help to prevent musculoskeletal disorders.