Effects of turf and cleat footwear on plantar load distributions in adolescent American football players during resisted pushing

Metatarsal and midfoot injuries are common in American football. Footwear design may influence injury rates by altering plantar foot loading patterns in these regions. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of cleat design on in-shoe plantar foot loading during a football-specific, resisted pushing task. Twenty competitive football players (age 14.7 +/- 1.8years, height 1.72 +/- 0.10m, and mass 71.8 +/- 26.9kg) completed three trials of pushing a weighted sled at maximal effort in a standard shoe (CLEAT) and artificial turf-specific shoe (TURF), with flexible in-shoe force measuring insoles. Repeated measures ANOVAs identified mean differences in maximum force and relative load under all regions of the foot. Results showed higher forces in the CLEAT under the medial (p<0.001) and lateral (p=0.004) midfoot, central (p=0.007) and lateral (p<0.001) forefoot, and lesser toes (p=0.01), but lower forces in the hallux (p=0.02) compared to the TURF shoe. Additionally, relative loading was higher in the CLEAT under the medial (p<0.001) and lateral (p=0.002) midfoot and lateral (p<0.001) forefoot, but lower in the medial forefoot (p=0.006) and hallux (p<0.001) compared to the TURF shoe. The two shoes elicited distinct plantar loading profiles and may influence shoe selection decisions during injury prevention or rehabilitation practices.