Position of the pelvis, lower extremities load and the arch of the feet in young adults who are physically active

Introduction: Body posture is an individual motion habit. It is variable and depends on the gender, age, structure of the body but also on mental and physical state. Although it is difficult to formulate a universal definition of correct body posture, the opinion that its elementary feature is symmetry is beyond any doubt. Such symmetry is related to the position of particular anatomical points and effects of static and dynamic forces.

Aim of the research: To assess the relations between the pelvis position in the frontal plane, the static load on the lower limbs and architecture of the feet. The following features were analysed in a group of young, healthy and particularly physically active women and men: the frequency of asymmetry related to pelvis position, the load on the lower limbs related to body weight and foot architecture.

Material and methods: The study group consisted of 100 students of physical education. To assess the position of the pelvis a palpable-visual method was used. Clarke’s method was applied to characterize the foot architecture determined by the position of standing with one leg on the CQ Elektronik podoscope. The static load on the lower limbs was assessed using the stabilographic platform EMILDUE from Technomex.

Results: Collected data and observations show frequent asymmetric changes of pelvis position in the frontal plane and incorrect balance of the body in the standing position. The change of static load on the lower limbs influences the longitudinal architecture of the feet and this influence is statistically significant. Increased asymmetry of the pelvis in the frontal plane is related to profound disorder of body balance.

Conclusions: Asymmetric position of the pelvis is associated with asymmetric arching of the feet and asymmetric body weight distribution. Full symmetric position of the pelvis is rare even among young people who are physically active.