The evaluation of cleated shoes with the adolescent athlete in soccer

Abstract

Thirty-six children between the ages of eight and eleven were tested to determine if soccer cleats placed their feet in a dorsiflexed or ‘negative heel’ position at midstance while running. A comparison was made between non-cleated shoes and cleated shoes using both the F-scan in-shoe sensor system (Tekscan INC., Boston MA), and videotape analysis. Negative heel position is a foot that is in a dorsiflexed position throughout the stance phase of running in cleated shoes. In negative heel position the lateral aspect of the heel and forefoot is less than ninety degrees relative to the leg. This dorsiflexed foot position increases the amount of pressure placed upon the secondary growth center of the calcaneus (calcaneal apophysis). Increased pressures placed on the calcaneal apophysis from a dorsiflexed foot position throughout most of stance phase increases the amount of pull from soft tissue attachments such as the tendo achilles and plantar fascia. This study attempts to link the use of cleated shoes to an increase in negative heel position, thus leading to the high incidence of inflammation of the calcaneal growth center, or calcaneal apophysitis commonly found in the youth soccer population. Treatment options for calcaneal apophysitis as well as ways to counteract the negative heel position caused by cleated shoes are also discussed.