Cluffy insoles have tested their insoles on various athletes to determine the effects on balance, strength, and knee stability. These are important physical skills that benefit all athletes. Cluffy insoles have a patented design that restores normal movement to the foot by applying the right elevations in the correct areas of the foot. The overall effect is to improve foot stability and strength. These qualities are also transmitted to the entire body as well. This paper presents our test results on athletes engaging in different sports. Our goal is to help your athletes reduce their injury risk and improve their performance by adding the Cluffy insole to athletic shoes on a regular basis.
Athletic shoes have not been shown to have a significant impact on athletic performance. Shoes can provide a sports specific application but are limited in improving the actual mechanics of the foot. Athletes that are serious about their sport will often search for insoles for sports online to improve their performance, as well as reduce their injury risk.
Traditional shoe insoles, up to this time, have not shown any demonstrable benefit at improving balance, stability, or strength. Newer carbon fiber insoles claim to improve propulsive strength as the carbon fiber returns the energy applied to it with movement of the body forward or upward. However, they have not shown any improvement in strength of the body in general, or better balance.
Many traditional insoles for sports online have been difficult to fit in some athletic shoes, particularly cleats and smaller shoes used in wrestling and cheerleading. We found right away that the Cluffy insole fit well in all athletic shoes.
Cluffy started evaluating balance, strength, and knee stability in collegiate athletes in 2023 after finding anecdotal advantages in local athletes. We did ‘Y’ balance testing with the Cluffy insole to determine if there would be a benefit for the athlete for injury risk reduction.
Testing involved using the regular athletic shoe as a control. The tests were done on a solid surface. OTC insoles or custom orthotics were used for baseline testing in some of the athletic shoes. The Cluffy insole was placed in the same shoes, and the same tests were repeated, multiple times and in reverse order. Regardless of the order of application of the Cluffy insoles, the results showed consistent improvement with the Cluffy insoles.
The purpose of these tests was to see if there was a difference in reach. An increase or decrease in the reach would imply that the injury risk would change accordingly. The tests were conducted according to standards published on this test and all measurements are recorded in centimeters.
The numbers recorded are the average numbers obtained from three attempts by each athlete. ‘Y’ balance test results (right and left side) with the Cluffy insole: Right Anterior Average gains +2.1 cm. high +6.7cm., low -1.8cm. Left Anterior Average gains +3.4 cm. high +14.9cm., low-2.7cm. Right Post Lateral Average gains +4.6cm., high +14.7cm., low -3.9cm. Left Posterior Lateral Average gains +1.0 cm., high +17.6 cm., low -10.3cm. Right Posterior Medial Average gains +2.4 cm., high +8.1cm., low -8.4 cm. Left Posterior Medial Average gains +2.0 cm., high +9.0cm., low -8.1 cm. To summarize the overall Y test results, the total average gain was 15.5 cm when the athlete had the Cluffy insoles in their athletic shoes. This is over six inches! Average gain in any one test was 2.6 cm, over one inch. Seven out of eight athletes showed a net gain in overall distance with the Cluffy insoles in their shoes.
Forward pull test results
Athletes who did not wear the Cluffy insoles were pulled off balance on average at 43 pounds of force for the males, and 25 pounds of force for the females. However, when the athlete wore the Cluffy insoles, all eight athletes, male and female could not be pulled off balance when approximately twice as much force was applied.
Backward pull
Cheer athletes who did not wear the Cluffy insoles were pulled off balance on average at 39 pounds of force for the males, and 16 pounds of force for the females. When the athlete wore the Cluffy insoles, six out of eight athletes could not be pulled off balance when twice as much force was applied.
The two athletes that were pulled off balance required nearly two times the amount of force required without the insoles.
Single Limb test results (right and left side)
Athletes who did not wear the Cluffy insoles were pulled off balance on average of 31 pounds of force right side, and 36 pounds of force for the left side for the males, and 19 pounds of force right side and 21 pounds of force for the left side for the females. When the athletes wore the Cluffy insoles, all eight athletes, male and female could not be pulled out of balance with approximately twice as much force. Four athletes were able to be pulled out of balance with nearly two and a half times more force required without the insoles.
A single limb hop test was conducted on the female athletes, and in three-fourths of the athletes, there was significant improvement in the pelvic tilt, knee position, foot posture and accuracy of foot placement with the Cluffy Insole.
In conclusion, there is a significant improvement in balance and stability with the Cluffy insoles in the athletes that were assessed. In addition to the (8)cheerleaders, balance testing has been conducted on other athletes,(18) wrestlers, (11) strength and conditioning (SC) athletes, (14) skiers, and (7) golfers, putting them into their normal sports posture for their sport and testing balance in these positions to give us a better sense of the real-world advantages that may be imparted. In the skiers and wrestlers, we did assess side-to-side balance. An average of 64% more force in 14 skiers and 31% more force in 7 wrestlers was required to pull the athlete out of balance. In all these various sports-specific positions, the athletes have seen improvements in forward, backward, and side-to-side balance.
We assessed knee stability in wrestling, strength and conditioning, and skiing athletes.
When testing knee stability, we placed the athletes in a lunge position and tried to displace the knee outward (lateral) and inward (medial), noting for the force required for lateral displacement (+28% n=7wrestlers and +23% n=11 strength and conditioning) more force required to displace the knee. Medial displacement required more force to displace the knee (+29% n=7 wrestlers and +24% n=11) strength and conditioning athletes.
In strength and conditioning athletes, we have seen balance improvements with the Cluffy insoles in various lifting positions with +39% more force required to push the athlete off balance on average of all tests. These tests were done with and without the Cluffy insole in the same shoes.
Upper body Isometric strength was improved with the use of the Cluffy insoles when testing strength and conditioning (SC) athletes as well as skiers. Strength in the biceps (+14% n=7 SC and +41% n=10 skiers), shoulder abductors (+38%n=10 SC and +35% n=12 skiers) and anterior shoulder muscles (+14% n=11 SC). Average upper limb improvement +32%.
Leg muscles assessed were the hip abductors (+29%n=5 SC), hamstrings (+35%n=7 SC) and hip flexors (+25%n=6 SC and +41% n=3 skiers). Average lower limb improvement +32%.
The Cluffy insole improves forward, back, and side-to-side balance in double or single limb stance and improves isometric strength in the upper and lower extremities. These numbers predict a reduced injury potential in all athletes, in both the upper and lower extremities.
It should be noted that the testing we did was done internally by Cluffy. The data shows dramatic benefits with Cluffy insoles. Testing done with other insole brands was the baseline number in over half the athletes. None of the other branded custom orthotics or over the counter insoles made any difference on performance metrics, including balance, strength, or knee stability.
The Cluffy insole is being used by many athletes and currently recommended by coaches and parents to improve the athletes’ competitive advantage and reduce injury potential. Based on the observations from athletic directors, coaches, and athletes, the Cluffy insole is out-performing other insoles for sports online and being worn with successful outcomes.
Share: