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BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation
Published in:

Open Access 01-12-2024 | Research

The arch myth: investigating the impact of flat foot on vertical jump height: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Authors: Haibin Yu, Wenjian Wu, Weihsun Tai, Jing Li, Rui Zhang

Published in: BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation | Issue 1/2024

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Abstract

Objective

The necessity to exclude flat foot when selecting athletes is a controversial issue. This study aimed to investigate whether flat foot affects vertical jump.

Methods

The quality of the literature was assessed using the observational study quality assessment tool provided by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Centre for Evidence-Based Health Care in Australia. Meta-analysis, heterogeneity testing, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, and forest plot were conducted using Review Manager 5.4.

Results

In the end, 9 articles met the meta-analysis criteria. Due to the heterogeneity of the studies, only vertical jump height was used as an indicator for meta-analysis. Meta-analysis results showed low heterogeneity among studies (I2 = 6%, P = 0.39), and the combined effect size showed no significant difference in jumping height between flat foot and normal foot (P = 0.73, ES = 0.13, 95%CI [-0.58, 0.83]). Subgroup analyses showed no significant differences in jump heights between flat and normal foot in either the adolescent subgroup (ES = 0.07, 95% CI [-1.04, 1.18]) or the adult subgroup (ES = 0.16, 95% CI [-0.76, 1.08]). Subgroups were divided according to training background, and jump height was unaffected by flat foot in both athletes (ES = -0.08, 95%CI [-1.07, 0.90]) and amateur (ES = 0.34, 95%CI [-0.67, 1.35]).

Conclusion

Overall, flat foot do not affect vertical jump height, although flat foot have different vertical jump biomechanics. This study breaks the bias that flat foot have poorer athletic performance. The meta-analysis has been registered with PROSPERO under registration number CRD42023481326.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
The arch myth: investigating the impact of flat foot on vertical jump height: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors
Haibin Yu
Wenjian Wu
Weihsun Tai
Jing Li
Rui Zhang
Publication date
01-12-2024
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation / Issue 1/2024
Electronic ISSN: 2052-1847
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-024-01018-w

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