Foot orthotics affect lower extremity kinematics and kinetics during running

Objective. To quantify the effects of posting and custom-molding of foot orthotics on lower extremity kinematics and kinetics during running. Design. Repeated measures. Background. Several kinematic and kinetic factors have been suggested to increase a runner’s risk for injuries. It has been speculated that foot orthotics can be used to reduce injury related complaints or even prevent running injuries by affecting these factors. Methods. Twenty one volunteers participated in this study. Kinematic and kinetic variables obtained during overground running for medial posting, custom-molding, and the combination of medial posting and custom-molding of foot orthotics were compared to a control condition. Repeated measures anova and student t-tests were used to detect significant differences ( α=0.05). Results. Posting of foot orthotics reduced maximum foot eversion and ankle inversion moment and increased vertical loading rate and maximum knee external rotation moment ( P