Medial Arch-Support Wrestling Shoes and Foot Posture Preservation in Adolescent Wrestlers

This three-year randomized controlled trial investigated whether wrestling shoes with built-in medial arch support can preserve foot arch structure in adolescent male wrestlers compared to standard wrestling shoes without arch support. A total of 88 adolescent male wrestlers (age 11 at baseline) were randomly assigned to wear either modified wrestling shoes with integrated medial arch support (intervention group, n=44) or standard commercially available wrestling shoes (control group, n=44). Foot posture was assessed annually using the Staheli Arch Index via podoscopy. Plantar pressure distribution was recorded using the Tekscan F-Scan system. The study followed participants for three years. The primary aim was to determine whether medial arch-support wrestling shoes reduce the emergence of flat foot (pes planus) compared with standard wrestling shoes during a critical period of foot development in young athletes.

Inclusion Criteria: * Registered wrestlers at Regional Boarding Schools (YBO) * Training frequency of 3 or more days per week * No lower extremity injury within the preceding 6 months * No current orthopedic insole use * Normal foot posture at baseline Exclusion Criteria: * Prior lower extremity surgery * Neurological disorders * Rheumatological disorders * Severe congenital foot deformity * Current orthopedic insole use * Existing foot deformity at baseline