Article

The effects of current athletic footwear on lower extremity biomechanics are
unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the changes, if any, that occur in
peak lower extremity net joint moments while walking in industry recommended
athletic footwear. Sixty-eight healthy young adults underwent kinetic evaluation
of lower extremity extrinsic joint moments while walking barefoot and while
walking in current standard athletic footwear matched to the foot mechanics of
each subject while controlling for speed. A secondary analysis was performed
comparing peak knee joint extrinsic moments during barefoot walking to those
while walking in three different standard footwear types: stability, motion
control, and cushion. 3-D motion capture data were collected in synchrony with
ground reaction force data collected from an instrumented treadmill. The shod
condition was associated with a 9.7% increase in the first peak knee varus
moment, and increases in the hip flexion and extension moments. These increases
may be largely related to a 6.5% increase in stride length with shoes associated
with increases in the ground reaction forces in all three axes. The changes from
barefoot walking observed in the peak knee joint moments were similar when
subjects walked in all three footwear types. It is unclear to what extent these
increased joint moments may be clinically relevant, or potentially adverse.
Nonetheless, these differences should be considered in the recommendation as well
as the design of footwear in the future.
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Langue : ANGLAIS