In-shoe pressure distribution analysis of soccer specific movements

Eils E, Streyl M, Linnenbecker S, Thorwesten L, Völker K, Rosenbaum D

Abstract in digital collection (conference)

Abstract

Overload injuries are a common problem in soccer. Although several investigations have described frequency nd types of injuries there is no quantitative information available concerning the foot loading characteristics in soccer specific movements. The aim of the present study was to characterize and compare in-shoe pressure measurements during different soccer specific movements. 21 experienced male soccer players participated in the study. Their mean age, mass and height was 25.5±1.8 years, 78.7±5.4 kg and 182.9±5.7 cm, respectively. The Pedar Mobile system was used to collect plantar pressure information. All subjects were fitted with new soccer shoes (with a typical 12-stud FG plate) and tested on anathletic field on a red cinder surface. Four soccer specific movements were performed: normal run at 4.1 m/s, sprinting, cutting manoeuvre and goal shot. Peak pressures (PP) and force-time integrals (FTI) were extracted for ten areas (PRC-mask) from the data. A repeated measures Anova with the alpha-level set to 5% and the Scheffe test for post-hoc comparisons were used for statistical analysis. Compared to the normal run, the cutting movement led to significantly increased FTI under the heel, midfoot, first metatarsal head and hallux. In sprinting, FTI increased under the medial and central forefoot and the toes.Under the supporting leg in goal shot, significantly increased values on the lateral part of the heel and midfoot were found (Fig.1.). Cutting and kicking caused mean PP under the heel twice as high (60 and 70 N/qcm) than in normal run. For sprinting and cutting, mean PP of 60 N/qcm were found under the first metatarsal head and hallux. In kicking, higher pressures were found on the lateral mid- and forefoot than in running. A significant increase for PP was found for the same areas than for FTI in cutting and sprinting and a more pronounced increase for the heel, the midfoot and the lateral forefoot in goal shot. The peak pressures for the normal run are higher compared to the values reported in the literature for running with similar speed, clearly indicating the strong influence of a typical soccer shoe design on pressure distribution. The different soccer movements show very specific loading characteristics. In cutting, the medial part of the foot, in sprinting, the first and second ray and in kicking, the lateral part of the foot are highly loaded. Despite the fact that the goal shot leads to higher loading of the lateral anatomical structures of the foot, it should not be a main factor in developing overuse injuries because of the low frequency of occurrence during a soccer game. Instead, attention should be paid to the more frequent movements of sprinting and cutting in terms of overuse injuries and shoe or insole design.

Details zur Publikation

Publisher: Mester, J, King G, Strüder H, Tsolakidis E, Osterburg A
Book title: Perspectives and Profiles
Release year: 2001
Publishing company: Sport und Buch Strauss GmbH
ISBN: 3-89001-235-3
Language in which the publication is written: English
Event: Cologne
Link to the full text: http://www.ecss.de/ASP/EDSS/C06/06-1071.pdf