THE EFFECT OF MOTION CONTROL SHOES ON LOWER LIMB MECHANICS IN FEMALE RUNNERS WITH PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN

Abstract

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is the most common complaint affecting runners and is understood to be a multifactorial condition. Excessive pronation of the subtalar joint has been associated with almost all maladies of the lower limb throughout the sports medicine literature however biomechanical research linking excessive subtalar joint pronation and patellofemoral pain is scarce. This study set out to ascertain the role of foot eversion on skeletal alignment and PFPS. Secondary to this, the effechveness of Motion Control shoes to carry out their primary function was also investigated. A second type of neutral running shoe, ASICS Nimbus, was used as the control comparison. The results of this study found that Motion Control running shoes reduced leg adduction and thigh external rotation (p>O.01), thereby resulting in the adoption of a more neutral lower limb skeletal alignment. The neutral shoe (Nimbus) induced no change to leg or thigh mechanics over the adaptation period.