Evaluation of foot support in rugby players : a baropodometric analysis

Intense sports practice has effects on normal locomotion which may predispose athletes to certain injuries. The aim of the study was to evaluate weather playing rugby can change the distribution of forces on the surface of the foot plantar region and if these possible changes are caused by the high loading and the postural stances that this sport involves. The evaluation was performed using a baropodometer in static and dynamic conditions. We studied a group of 23 professional rugby players (scrums and three-quarters) who regularly trained 4-times per week. A control group consisted of 17 non-athletic healthy subjects. Baropodometric analysis revealed significantly higher rear-foot surface area and pressure for both feet in static conditions in rugby players compared to controls. In dynamic conditions, rugby players exerted a significantly higher ground pressure with respect to controls. Within the group of rugby players, scrums had significantly higher pressure than three-quarters, as well as a pressure increase in the lateral foot area. We conclude that rugby players tend to adopt an unbalanced posture posteriorly. The higher ground pressure together with the prevalent load on the lateral foot area may be associated with a difficult control of foot stability, possibly due to the higher body weight and to the increased tone and trophism of the triceps surae subsequent to the various athletic gestures that the game demands. In agreement with the literature, the variations of foot support observed in rugby players may be associated with adaptations induced by this sport, thus favoring an increased risk of bone, joint and muscle traumas and pathologies.