Plantar pressure assessments of football players in terms of their positions

This study examines the differences in plantar pressure profiles of professional football players during static stance and dynamic walk in terms of position using a pressure analysis system. 38 professional football players voluntarily participated to study. Pressure differences applied during static stance and dynamic walk were measured by using the PEDAR® shoe insole system. During the analysis, 12 sections of feet were masked. For dominant and non-dominant feet. Peak and Average Pressure (N/cm2) and Maximum Force (N) were analyzed. SPSS 22 program was used for data analysis. Normality tests were examined through Shapiro-Wilk, the dependent t-test was applied for normally distributed measurements, and Wilcoxon test for non-normality values. Factorial variance analyses were performed to analyze the significant degree of the effect of stance, foot, and position factors and interactions on foot pressure and forces of the football players participating study. Tukey and Bonferroni, the most frequently used, and LSD, the most powerful posthoc multiple comparison tests were used among the factors in which significant differences were determined. Research findings indicated that there was no pressure difference for the positions of players, but between the right-left foot and some parts of feet in terms of positions during dynamic walking and static stance. Results suggest that it is highly relevant to apply position-customized training in football, and it is expected to prevent injuries and increase performance in sports by taking into account the selection of customized insoles specific to player and preference of insoles suitable for foot structure and production of footwear.