Effect of prefabricated thermoformable foot orthoses on plantar surface temperature after running: A gender comparison

There is a lack of evidence about the effect of different type of foot orthoses on plantar surface temperature. Moreover, that effect could be different depending on gender due to anatomical and physiological differences between men and women. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of a pref...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of thermal biology 2020-07, Vol.91, p.102612-9, Article 102612
Main Authors: Jimenez-Perez, Irene, Gil-Calvo, Marina, Priego-Quesada, Jose Ignacio, Aparicio, Inmaculada, Pérez-Soriano, Pedro, Ortiz de Anda, Rosa Ma Cibrián
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Feet
Foot sole
Gender
Gender differences
Infrared thermography
Insoles
Running
Sex differences
Temperature
Women
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:There is a lack of evidence about the effect of different type of foot orthoses on plantar surface temperature. Moreover, that effect could be different depending on gender due to anatomical and physiological differences between men and women. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of a prefabricated thermoformable foot orthosis on plantar surface temperature after running and taking gender differences into account. Thirty recreational runners (15 males, mean (standard deviation): 28 (7) years, 69.7 (6.5) kg, 1.74 (0.05) cm and 22.9 (1.7) kg/m2; and 15 females: 35 (7) years, 55.2 (6.9) kg, 1.63 (0.06) cm and 20.6 (1.9) kg/m2) carried out a maximum incremental test as pre-test, and two running tests on a treadmill at the laboratory wearing previously randomized different foot orthoses (thermoformable and prefabricated generic). The plantar surface temperature of the dominant foot sole in ten regions of interest was assessed before and immediately after 30-min running at 75% of VO2max. The use of thermoformable foot orthoses produced lower temperatures only in men after the run in medial heel (P = 0.033, ES = 0.7), which then disappeared in temperature variation (after – before) (P = 0.910). Regarding gender, women showed lower temperatures before the run in both orthosis conditions (P  0.8), but no differences in temperatures after the run (P = 0.910) in comparison with men. Moreover, absolute temperatures after running were always greater than before the run (P  5.0). In conclusion, the thermoformable foot orthoses do not modify plantar surface temperature after running in healthy runners of either gender, compared to prefabricated generic foot orthoses. Although women present lower baseline plantar temperatures than men, these differences disappear after exercise. •A new prefabricated foot orthosis with thermoformable materials and foot fit is studied.•Prefabricated foot orthoses of different design and materials do not influence plantar temperature.•The differences in plantar thermoregulation between genders disappear with exercise.•The exercise increases the foot sole temperature by approximately 10 °C.
ISSN:0306-4565
1879-0992
DOI:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102612