Question

1. If you measured someone and they had an extremely large navicular drop what muscles could help support their arch? What exercises could you give them to help strengthen those particular muscles? (Please answer both parts)

Answer 1

Navicular drop is a pronated foot in which the navicular bone drops and cause a less support to the medial arch of foot. The medial arch of the foot is supported by the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of foot. In locomotion, muscles like abductor hallucis, flexor hallucis and interosseous support the medial arch of foot. When the drop is large, abductor hallucis longus is the major muscle that support the arch with large effort. Because this muscle is attached to the medial arch of foot.

Because of this muscles producing a large effort to support the arch these muscles get fatigue easily. So the exercises like short foot exercise, taping, strengthening of tibilais posterior should be given.

Short foot exercises is done by pulling the toes in the downward and inward direction. Then contract the arch of foot without the foot touching the ground. Hold the contraction for 3 seconds and repeat the same. It strengthen the arch muscles, intrinsic foot muscles.

Taping the medial arch of foot helps to relieve the navicular drop.

Tibialis posterior is the stability of the navicular bone so the tibialis posterior is strengthened to maintain the stability of navicular bone. With a thera band on the foot covering the medial side of arch , invert and evert the foot will strengthen the posterior tibialis.