Game-based exercises show mixed results for childhood flatfoot
The review reported improvement on one foot-posture test and balance scores, while another foot-posture measure showed no statistically significant difference.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review reported reduced navicular drop and better balance scores after exercises incorporating game elements, compared with no intervention. The Staheli index did not show a statistically significant difference. These results describe specific test outcomes in children and adolescents with flatfoot; they do not establish broader symptom relief or a consistent change across foot-posture measures.
Only a few studies were included, with substantial variation in navicular-drop results and no analysis by age or sex. The abstract also leaves the effect-size scales unclear.
Measures did not agree
Navicular drop and the Staheli index were the named foot-posture measures. Their different results matter: a statistically significant finding on one test does not guarantee a corresponding change on another.
Uncertainty remains
The nonsignificant Staheli result does not prove that the exercises have no effect. The abstract reports no treatment duration, and its numerical reporting does not provide enough clarity to present interpretable benefit sizes.
The original publication
The effect of gamification-based exercises on foot posture in children and adolescents with flatfoot: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Ebrahimi E, Sheikhhoseini R, Kozinc Ž et al.
J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong) · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41269803
- Record checked
AI-assisted research and writing. This explains one selected publication; it is not a complete review of everything known. Our approach.
One more question, understood.
Keep track of the research you’ve explored.