Effects of Navicular Drop on Kinematics of Lower Extremity during Running: A Systematic Review

Ali Esmaaeeli¹ Amirali Jafarnezhadgero²

1) MSc in Sport Biomechanics, Department of sports biomechanics and motor behavior, Faculty of sport Science, University of Mazandaran, babolsar, Iran. Email:
2) Associate Professor of Sports Biomechanics, Department of Sports Biomechanics, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran. Email:

Publication : Four international conferences and six national innovation conferences in sports science(umasport2022.ir)
Abstract :
Introduction and Objectives Foot postural alignment has been associated with altered gait pattern. The navicular drop test is a measure to evaluate the function of the medial longitudinal arch, which is important for examination of patients with overuse injuries. There is evidence to suggest that ND measures are associated with running kinematics. So, the objective of this systematic review is to appraise the studies in order to determine if participants with different values of ND have a difference in running kinematical parameters. Materials and methods Electronic databases (Science Direct, Scholar Google) were searched from 2005 to 2023. Only studies that evaluated the effects of ND on running biomechanical were included. Findings A total of 450 articles were retrieved. After the title and abstract review, 29 articles underwent fulltext review and risk of bias assessment. Following a complementary search and assessment of full manuscripts, 10 articles fulfilled all inclusion criteria and methodological requirements. Conclusions The results indicated relationship between ND and running kinematics, especially for subtalar joint. The impact on this condition on locomotion kinematical aspects is clinically essential, and kinematical 3D gait analysis use could be advantageous in the early detection of health impairments related to foot posture.
Keywords : medial longitudinal arch navicular drop running kinematics