Objectives: Considering that feet are the lowermost body part and provide a relatively small balancing area within the reliance surfac (especially while standing on one foot), it seems that minor biomechanical changes within the reliance surface could affect posture control strategy, which can be exacerbated in fatigue conditions. Objective: The aim of this research was to investigate effect of general fatigue on balance of athletes with flat foot. Materials & Methods: To implement the research, 20 people with flat feet disorder (mean age of 24.14 ± 3.05 years, mean height of 1.69±8.05 cm and mean weight of 65.07 ±1.10 kg) were selected. The participants' navicular drop rate was evaluated using the method described by Brady. A 7-station protocol, one-leg standing balance test and star excursion balance test (SEBT) were used for inducing general fatigue and evaluating static and dynamic balance, respectively. To analyze the research findings, descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (independent and paired t-tests) statistical methods were applied. Results: Mean of access distance in SEBT and one-leg standing balance test after being fatigued was less in athletes with flat feet however, this difference was not statistically significant (p≤0.05). Conclusions: Since sports and physical activities strengthen neuro-muscular system, it is possible for human body to unconsciously attempt to remove structural abnormalities such as flat feet disorder and neural system has a compensatory role in this case. It seems that anatomical structure of feet is not the only effective factor for posture control and some other factors may fade role of feet's anatomical structure in posture control. Additionally, in terms of the sample size, the present work should be repeated with a larger sample size in future works.

Keywords: athlete, flat foot, postural control, fatigue

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