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    Jin H, Xu R, Wang J: The effects of short-term wearing of customized 3D printed single-sided lateral wedge insoles on lower limbs in healthy males: a randomized controlled trial. Med Sci Monit 25: 7720, 2019.

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  • 1

    Kakihana W, Torii S, Akai M, Nakazawa K, Fukano M, Naito K: Effect of a lateral wedge on joint moments during gait in subjects with recurrent ankle sprain. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 84: 11, 2005

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 2

    Kakihana W, Akai M, Nakazawa K, Takashima T, Naito K, Torii S: Effects of laterally wedged insoles on knee and subtalar joint moments. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 86: 7, 2005

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 3

    Telfer S, Abbott M, Steultjens M, Rafferty D, Woodburn J: Dose-response effects of customised foot orthoses on lower limb muscle activity and plantar pressures in pronated foot type. Gait Posture 38: 3, 2013

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 4

    Tse CTF, Ryan MB, Hunt MA: Influence of foot posture on immediate biomechanical responses during walking to variable-stiffness supported lateral wedge insole designs. Gait Posture 81, 2020

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 5

    Fukuchi CA, Lewinson RT, Worobets JT, Stefanyshyn DJ: Effects of lateral and medial wedged insoles on knee and ankle internal joint moments during walking in healthy men. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 106: 6, 2016

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
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  • 6

    Kluge F, Krinner S, Lochmann M, Eskofier BM: Speed dependent effects of laterally wedged insoles on gait biomechanics in healthy subjects. Gait Posture 55, 2017

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 7

    Lewinson RT, Fukuchi CA, Worobets JT, Stefanyshyn DJ: The effects of wedged footwear on lower limb frontal plane biomechanics during running. Clin J Sport Med 23: 3, 2013

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 8

    Lilley K, Stiles V, Dixon S: The influence of design variations in footwear medial-lateral support on the running biomechanics of older female runners. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, 2021

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 9

    Møller Mølgaard C, Kersting UG: The effect of shoe design and lateral wedges on knee load and neuromuscular control in healthy subjects during walking. Footwear Science 6: 1, 2014

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 10

    Kakihana W, Akai M, Yamasaki N, Takashima T, Nakazawa K: Changes of joint moments in the gait of normal subjects wearing laterally wedged insoles. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 83: 4, 2004

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 11

    Forghany S, Jones R, Preece S, Nester C, Tyson S: Early observations of the effects of lateral wedge orthoses on lower limb muscle length and potential for exacerbating spasticity. Prosthet Orthot Int 34: 3, 2010

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 12

    Sawada T, Tokuda K, Tanimoto K, Iwamoto Y, Ogata Y, Anan M et al..: Foot alignments influence the effect of knee adduction moment with lateral wedge insoles during gait. Gait Posture 49, 2016.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 13

    Nester CJ, van der Linden ML, Bowker P: Effect of foot orthoses on the kinematics and kinetics of normal walking gait. Gait Posture 17: 2, 2003

  • 14

    Weinhandl JT, Sudheimer SE, Van Lunen BL, Stewart K, Hoch MC: Immediate and 1 week effects of laterally wedge insoles on gait biomechanics in healthy females. Gait Posture 45, 2016

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 15

    Pascual Huerta J, Ropa Moreno JM, Kirby KA, Garcia Carmona FJ, OREJANA Garcia AM: Effect of 7-degree rearfoot varus and valgus wedging on rearfoot kinematics and kinetics during the stance phase of walking. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 99: 5, 2009

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 16

    Van Gheluwe B, Dananberg HJ: Changes in plantar foot pressure with in-shoe varus or valgus wedging. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 94: 1, 2004

  • 17

    Erhart JC, Mündermann A, Mündermann L, Andriacchi TP: Predicting changes in knee adduction moment due to load-altering interventions from pressure distribution at the foot in healthy subjects. J Biomech 41: 14,S 2008

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 18

    Jin H, Xu R, Wang J: The Effects of Short-Term Wearing of Customized 3D Printed Single-Sided Lateral Wedge Insoles on Lower Limbs in Healthy Males: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Medical science monitor: international medical journal of experimental and clinical research 25, 2019

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 19

    Jones RK, Zhang M, Laxton P, Findlow AH, Liu A: The biomechanical effects of a new design of lateral wedge insole on the knee and ankle during walking. Human movement science 32: 4, 2013

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 20

    Rabiei M, Eslami M, Movaghar AF: The assessment of three-dimensional foot pronation using a principal component analysis method in the stance phase of running. Foot (Edinburgh, Scotland) 29, 2016

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 21

    Schmalz T, Blumentritt S, Drewitz H, Freslier M: The influence of sole wedges on frontal plane knee kinetics, in isolation and in combination with representative rigid and semi-rigid ankle–foot-orthoses. Clinical Biomechanics 21: 6, 2006

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

Lateral Wedging of the Foot: A Scoping Review

Aaron Jackson Department of Podiatry, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.

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Kelly Sheerin Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ), Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.

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Duncan Reid Department of Physiotherapy, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.

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Prue Molyneux Department of Podiatry, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.

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Matthew R. Carroll Department of Podiatry, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.

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Lateral wedges are a common intervention used to alter biomechanical function of the lower limb. Although there is evidence investigating the use and impact of lateral wedges in individuals with medial knee osteoarthritis, knowledge of how these wedges affect foot function in healthy adults is limited. Therefore, this study intends to investigate how lateral wedging affects foot function in healthy adults and, furthermore, how wedge design influences the outcome. The framework outlined by Arksey and O’Malley was used for this scoping review. To ensure methodologic quality and transparent reporting, the study adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews preferred reporting guidelines. A systematic search was conducted using MEDLINE by means of EBSCO; SPORT Discuss; CINAHL; AMED by means of OVID; and Scopus. The initial search yielded 252 articles in total; 21 studies were included in the final analysis. Significant incongruence exists in descriptions of wedge length among the 21 included studies. Thirteen studies (61%) reported using full-length wedges, five studies did not report wedge length, and only one study analyzed more than one wedge length. Ethylene vinyl acetate was the most common material, and reporting of hardness was inconsistent. A broad range of inclination angles were used, with limited explanation for why these values were selected. All but one study that analyzed ankle/subtalar joint frontal plane moments reported an increase in the external eversion moment. The review identified significant variation in the design of wedges used within this body of work and a lack of investigation into the influence of wedge design. Wedge design appears to be a secondary consideration, with very few studies examining multiple material types or wedge placements. All but one of the included studies reported a significant change in ankle/subtalar joint moments with lateral wedging. Unfortunately, further generalization was not possible because of the inconsistency and variation.

Corresponding author: Aaron Jackson, MHPrac, Department of Podiatry, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. (E-mail: aaron.jackson@aut.ac.nz)
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