The effects of short foot exercises to treat flat foot deformity: A systematic review.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 35871320 · doi:10.3233/BMR-210374
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials evaluating short foot exercises (SFEs) for flat foot deformity. One researcher screened 211 titles and abstracts, and two independent researchers assessed 21 full-text articles. Nine studies met inclusion criteria. Extracted variables included outcomes, intervention duration, frequency, and total number of interventions.
What was found
Nine randomized controlled trials were included. Six studies examined medial longitudinal arch (MLA) outcomes, with four reporting MLA improvement. Improvements were observed specifically in participants undergoing interventions lasting 5 weeks or longer. No consensus existed regarding optimal exercise dosage or frequency, and the underlying mechanism was unclear. The abstract reports no numerical values, pooled effect sizes, or participant counts.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes trial evidence on conservative flatfoot management, suggesting that short foot exercise protocols require an intervention duration of at least 5 weeks to produce detectable improvements in the medial longitudinal arch.
Limits
The abstract provides no numerical data, effect estimates, confidence intervals, or total participant sample size, and no meta-analysis was performed. Initial title and abstract screening was conducted by only one researcher. Exercise frequency and dosing protocols varied widely across included trials.