Relationship between the arches of feet and the Cole's index

Abstract

Introduction: The foot plays an important role as a static-dynamic foundation of the skeleton. The process of the most intensive formation of the foot during the posturogenesis falls on the preschool age and early school age. The aim of the study was to characterize the arch of the feet in children at the age of 5 and to look for the dependence of their arching condition on the Cole's index level. Material and methods: Forty-four preschool children took part in the research. The Cole's index showed an underweight, normal body weight, overweight and obesity. The plantography method was used to assess the arching of the feet. Results: Over half of the examined children had normal body weight. Underweight was more common in the boys group, while overweight and obesity in girls. Ninety percent of children had abnormal longitudinal and transverse arches in both feet. The varus of the big toe and the valgus of the small toe was observed in both groups. The position of the heel was set correctly in majority of the participants. Conclusions: No relationship was found between the Cole's index and longitudinal arches of the right and left foot in boys, as well as in girls. The results revealed that excessive body weight in girls was correlated with flattening of the transverse arch and incorrect position of the heel in the right foot. No signifcant correlation was found between the Cole's index and the assessed parameters of the foot in boys.