THE EFFECT OF FOOTWEAR TO THE POSTURE

The aim of this study is to assess the effect of footwear on postural status of a group of volunteers representing the general population of female students. Based on the assumption that the elegant shoe with tapered toe and high heel does not provide adequate foot support, the study was designed to assess its direct link and impact to body segment alignment and resulting negative effect on posture. Repetition of this misalignment ensures the individual circumstances of posture. Due to the heel elevation, the weight is transferred to the distal part, resulting in a postural response of the entire musculoskeletal system to maintain balance. The group consisted of 30 women of the age 18–28 years with an average age of 22.7 years, height 167±0.3 cm and weight 57±0.9 kg. Anamnesis and aspection were performed to assess of the occurrence of shortened and weakened muscles and subsequently the patient's standing was examined. Two static methods were chosen for evaluation of the posture. The first one was the Silhouette Posture Analysis and the evaluation method by Jaros and Lomnicka. The result was the identification of typical muscle imbalance as the most common presumption of faulty posture, and it was confirmed that footwear affects a person's natural posture. Differences in the sensitivity of the two methods were also identified and studies are not only appropriate that but also evaluate differences in impact among subjects.