Development of medial longitudinal arch in school-age children in taiwan: effects of gender and normalization

The height of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) is a main parameter to classify foot normality and an indicator of potential injuries of the foot and ankle. The current study aimed to quantify the development of MLA under the influence of gender and normalization in school-age children in Taiwan via 3D foot sole measurements. The arch height was found to be affected by age but not when normalized to truncated foot length. This suggests that the normalized arch height considers the foot length and is a better parameter for foot classification. The current 3D foot sole shape database of school-age children will be useful for further studies on foot assessment and relevant applications.