Comparison of Foot Posture, Joint Position Sense, Dynamic Balance, and Plantar Pressure between Young Adults with and without Obesity

Background Obesity has been suggested as a social issue, but problems in the foot and ankle have not been clearly identified in people with obesity. Purpose To compare foot posture, joint position sense, dynamic balance ability, and plantar pressure in obesity group (OG) and normal weight group (NWG) Study design Cross-sectional study Methods This study included 52 adults (26 for OG and 26 for NWG). All subjects had their foot posture index-6 and joint position sense (20° of inversion, 20° of plantar flexion, 10° of eversion, and 10° of dorsiflexion) measured, as well as their dynamic balance ability using a dynamic balance test and plantar pressure of the medial forefoot during the dynamic balance test. These variables were compared between OG and NWG. Results OG showed significantly larger joint position sense error for eversion and increased plantar pressure of the medial forefoot during the dynamic balance test in the posteromedial direction. Significant differences were unobserved in other variables between the two groups. Conclusions Adults with obesity have deficits in joint position sense and increased plantar pressure of the medial forefoot.