{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,17]],"date-time":"2025-11-17T08:59:03Z","timestamp":1763369943532,"version":"3.45.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"PeerJ","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,17]],"date-time":"2025-11-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763337600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Trail runners face uneven terrains requiring optimal foot stability and postural control. The short foot exercise (SFE) may acutely enhance dynamic balance and foot arch height, potentially mitigating injury risk. This study aimed to evaluate the acute effects of the SFE on postural control and kinematics during a dynamic balance test in trail runners, considering the variations in the weekly training volumes of the participants.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Sixteen adult trail runners (mean age 36\u00a0\u00b1\u00a08.4 years; 50% male) with at least one year of trail running experience were evaluated. Dynamic balance was assessed using the Y-Balance Test (YBT), and kinematics of the foot arch were measured via the Arch Height Index (AHI) using a 3D motion capture system. Baseline measurements were taken, followed by an SFE protocol: the participants had to perform 12 repetitions of 5-second contractions, which they did in three sets with 2 minutes of rest between sets. Immediately afterward, YBT and AHI were reassessed.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      YBT showed significant improvements in all reach directions after the application of the SFE (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0&lt;\u00a00.05). In contrast, no significant changes were observed in the AHI across reach directions (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0&gt;\u00a00.05). Yet, subgroup analysis by weekly training volume revealed that participants with higher weekly volumes experienced a significant increase in anterior AHI (mean difference = \u22120.54 mm; 95% CI [\u22121.09 to 0.01];\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0=\u00a00.027; effect size = 0.13). The SFE may acutely improve foot kinematics and dynamic balance in trail runners; however, these effects are influenced by the weekly training volume of the participants.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study suggests that a single session of the SFE may induce acute improvements in arch height and dynamic balance in trail runners, with differential responses depending on training volume. These preliminary results highlight the potential of the SFE as an acute activation strategy for the intrinsic foot muscles, but caution should be exercised when extrapolating the results.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.20364","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,17]],"date-time":"2025-11-17T08:54:51Z","timestamp":1763369691000},"page":"e20364","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Acute effect of short foot exercise on dynamic stability and foot kinematic in trail runners: a proof-of-concept study"],"prefix":"10.7717","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Claudio","family":"Aguilar-Risco","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Master in Health and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Finis Terrae University, Santiago, Chile"},{"name":"Escuela de Kinesiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Odontolog\u00eda y Ciencias de la Rehabilitaci\u00f3n, Universidad San Sebasti\u00e1n, Valdivia, Chile"},{"name":"Escuela de Kinesiolog\u00eda, Instituto de Aparato Locomotor y Rehabilitaci\u00f3n, Universidad Austral de Chile,  Valdivia, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mauricio","family":"San Mart\u00edn-Correa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Kinesiolog\u00eda, Instituto de Aparato Locomotor y Rehabilitaci\u00f3n, Universidad Austral de Chile,  Valdivia, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Felipe","family":"Araya-Quintanilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Kinesiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Odontolog\u00eda y Ciencias de la Rehabilitaci\u00f3n, Universidad San Sebasti\u00e1n, Santiago, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Joaqu\u00edn","family":"Calatayud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Exercise Intervention for Health Research Group (EXINH-RG), Department of Physiotherapy, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guillermo","family":"Mendez-Rebolledo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Master in Health and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Finis Terrae University, Santiago, Chile"},{"name":"Laboratorio de Investigaci\u00f3n Somatosensorial y Motora, Escuela de Kinesiolog\u00eda, Faculta de Salud, Universidad Santo Tom\u00e1s, Talca, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"4443","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.20364\/ref-1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0200389","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0200389","article-title":"SeRUN\u00ae study: development of running profiles using a mixed methods analysis","volume":"13","author":"Besomi","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLOS ONE"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.20364\/ref-2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1299","DOI":"10.1016\/S0021-9290(01)00101-4","article-title":"Kinematic analysis of a multi-segment foot model for research and clinical applications: a repeatability analysis","volume":"34","author":"Carson","year":"2001","journal-title":"Journal of Biomechanics"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.20364\/ref-3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"368","DOI":"10.1123\/jsr.2019-0310","article-title":"Effect of isometric hip abduction on foot and ankle muscle activity and medial longitudinal arch during short-foot exercise in individuals with pes planus","volume":"30","author":"Choi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Journal of Sport Rehabilitation"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.20364\/ref-4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"861","DOI":"10.1007\/s40279-015-0459-8","article-title":"The relationship between training load and injury, illness and soreness: a systematic and literature review","volume":"46","author":"Drew","year":"2016","journal-title":"Sports Medicine"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.20364\/ref-5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1037\/a0024338","article-title":"Effect size estimates: current use, calculations, and interpretation","volume":"141","author":"Fritz","year":"2012","journal-title":"Journal of Experimental Psychology. 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