OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare various methods of supporting the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) during exercise. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized, repeated measures design in a sample of convenience. PARTICIPANTS: Eight subjects (ages 18 to 26 years) with navicular drop (ND) greater than 10 mm volunteered for this study. METHODS: All subjects ran on a treadmill for 30 min with each of four conditions: control, arch tape, medial wedge, and combination of arch tape and wedges. Subjects were measured for navicular height (NH) and ND prior to application, following application, at 15 min of exercise and after 30 min of exercise. RESULTS: All interventions increased NH immediately post-application, and were able to maintain this increase beyond 15 min of exercise (p < 0.001). A combination of tape and wedges provided superior support of the MLA, maintaining NH over 30 min of exercise (p < 0.0002). Also, with tape and the combination of tape and wedge there was a decrease in ND after application (p < 0.045) but this effect was lost after 15 min of exercise. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of tape and medial wedges provided the best support to the MLA during exercise. In addition, these data indicate that different conclusions may be drawn about the efficacy of an intervention, depending on the outcome measure that is used.

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