The Footballer’s Inlay Sole: An Individualised Approach

Abstract

Football is one of the most popular sports and one in which the lower extremities are most exposed to injury. Statistics show that between 2 and 9.4 players per 1,000 h of exposure suffer injury to their lower limbs. Of these injuries, we most commonly find sprains, fractures, tear ligaments as well as various blows and bruises. The type of foot is considered to be an intrinsic factor when taking injury into consideration while at the same time the football boot is considered an extrinsic factor.The inlay sole or insole (foot orthotic, FO) has been used for many years as a tool for health professionals in the treatment and prevention of injury to the feet and lower limbs among football players. The principal objectives are improvement in sports performance, optimisation of biomechanics and the reduction of pain.The materials used in FO – and at the same time the making of the moulds and the techniques employed in their manufacturing – have evolved at a rapid pace over the last few years. It’s not so long ago that metal inlays were beaten into shape with a hammer. Compare that to the carbon fibre ones (or the composites formed under high temperatures) we have nowadays and you know what an evolution football inlay soles have gone through over the last decennia.The advances in technology and the materials used in the fabrication have enabled more and better results thanks to the wide range of options now available. Furthermore, weight and size are now no longer a problem for the adaptation of the football boot.The importance of the foot in the mechanics of the lower extremities is an undeniable reality, and custom-made foot orthoses (FOs) are possibly the best option for the treatment and prevention of injuries, through the optimisation of the biomechanics of the football player.