In-shoe plantar pressure profiles in amateur basketball players: Implications for footwear recommendation and orthoses use

Background: Biomechanical analysis of foot loading characteristics may provide insights into the injury mechanisms and guide orthotic prescription for basketball players. This study aimed to quantify in-shoe plantar pressure profiles in amateur players when executing typical basketball movements.

Methods: Twenty male university basketball players performed four basketball-specific movement tasks-running, maximal forward sprinting, maximal 45° cutting, and layup in a pair of standardized basketball shoes fitted with an in-shoe plantar pressure measurement system. Peak pressure (PP) and pressure-time integral (PTI) data were extracted from ten plantar regions. One-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was performed across the tasks, with significance set at P < .05.

Results: Distinct plantar pressure distribution patterns were observed among the four movements. Compared with running, significantly higher (P < .05) PP and PTI of up to approximately 55% were found in sprinting and layup, particularly at the forefoot region. Similarly, significantly higher (P < .05) PPs and PTls, ranging from approximately 23% to 90%, were observed in 45° cutting compared with running at most foot regions.

Conclusions: Compared with running, sprinting and layup demonstrated higher plantar loading in the forefoot region, and 45° cutting yielded increased plantar loading in most regions of the foot. Understanding the plantar pressure characteristics of different movements may be useful in optimizing footwear designs, orthosis use, or training strategies to minimize regional plantar loading during amateur basketball play. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 108(3): 215-224, 2018)