The effects of calcaneal posture on thoracolumbar alignment in a standing position.
Seon-Chil Kim, Jae-Hoon Yi, Sang-Woo Jung and 1 others
PMID 29200642WHAT IT FOUND
A 5° or 10° medial wedge in standing changed pelvic and trunk alignment in 10 healthy men.
Anterior pelvic tilt increased, but not with wedge angle; single-foot wedges produced larger pelvic medial tilt changes than bilateral wedges.
Key findings
01With a 5° or 10° medial wedge, anterior pelvic tilt increased, but the difference between wedge angles was not statistically significant.
02Pelvic medial tilt decreased with bilateral wedges and increased with unilateral wedges, with statistically significant differences.
03Wedge use produced significant posterior trunk tilt and medial trunk tilt, and the one-foot 10° wedge differed significantly from the two-foot 10° wedge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 10 healthy males were studied, so results may not apply to women, older adults, or people with foot, hip, or back problems. The wedges were artificial 5° or 10° medial supports held for 6 seconds, so the study does not show what happens with real long-term calcaneal misalignment or treatment. No pain, function, or clinical outcome was measured; back pain links are discussed, not tested. Randomization and blinding were not reported, and the order of postures is not described. Anterior pelvic tilt did not differ significantly between wedge angles, so a dose-response relationship is not established.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that correcting calcaneal inversion reduces back pain. This study measured immediate posture in 10 healthy men, not pain, function, or long-term outcomes.