20.500.12556/RUP-22858 Effects of foot strengthening exercises with or without a toe spacer on hallux alignment, foot mobility, and balance a randomized controlled trial Učinki vaj za krepitev stopala z ali brez ločilca prstov na poravnavo palca, gibljivost stopala in ravnotežje: randomizirana kontrolirana raziskava Background: Intrinsic foot muscle strengthening and orthotic devices such as toe spacers are commonly used to improve foot alignment and function. However, evidence regarding the combined effects of strengthening exercises and interdigital spacers remains limited. Objective: To examine whether adding a silicone toe spacer to a foot strengthening exercise program provides additional benefits compared with exercise alone. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: University biomechanics laboratory. Participants: Twenty-five healthy adults (mean age 23.8 ± 1.3 years) without lower limb injury or neurological disorders were randomly allocated to one of two intervention groups. Interventions: Participants performed a six-week foot strengthening program (22 sessions). One group performed exercises alone, while the second group performed the same exercises while wearing a silicone interdigital toe spacer. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was hallux valgus angle. Secondary outcomes included active and passive hallux range of motion (ROM), ankle dorsiflexion ROM (weight-bearing lunge test), navicular drop, and postural stability during single-leg stance assessed using center-of-pressure (CoP) measures. Results: Both groups demonstrated improvements over time in hallux valgus angle (p = 0.001, η2 = 0.361), active hallux range of motion (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.545), and ankle dorsiflexion (p < 0.001). However, no significant between-group differences were observed for the primary outcome or most secondary outcomes. A significant time × group interaction was observed only for passive hallux range of motion (p = 0.040, η2 = 0.170), indicating greater improvement in the exercise-only group. Navicular drop and postural stability variables did not change significantly. Conclusions: A six-week foot strengthening program improved hallux alignment, hallux mobility, and ankle dorsiflexion in healthy adults. The addition of a silicone toe spacer did not provide additional short-term benefits compared with exercise alone. foot orthosis thumb stopalo ortoze palec true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-03-26 22:33:50 2026-03-26 22:33:51 2026-03-27 03:05:06 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 1-16 iss. 7, [article no.] 3163 Vol. 16 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-03-25 796.02/ 2076-3417 10.3390/app16073163 273262595 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/16/7/3163 1 747e5cff-295b-11f1-9e8d-005056ac49c0 https://repozitorij.upr.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=33363 https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073163 1 7500988a-295b-11f1-9e8d-005056ac49c0 https://repozitorij.upr.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=33364 RAZ_Meh_Sara_Gloria_2026.pdf RAZ_Meh_Sara_Gloria_2026.pdf 1 3AB88E1597F78B5B6F64B755B10C3946 4922198a1f98a08c2a22b8e8ca56067362186845d99f4d92f615893e101d683a 92b04be4-295b-11f1-9e8d-005056ac49c0 https://repozitorij.upr.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=33365 Fakulteta za vede o zdravju 0 0 0