Orthotics are used to treat a number of foot and ankle pathologies, but require the
use of supportive footwear. Alternatively, the barefoot condition enhances sensation
from the plantar foot leading to gait adaptations that may influence injury prognosis
and incidence. Recently, a barefoot orthotic (Hozhoni Balance Rail®) was designed
to adhere to the plantar surface rather than being secured inside footwear; thus,
potentially allowing for the benefits of the barefoot gait, while also providing the
stability of an orthotic. PURPOSE: To determine if the commonly observed barefoot
gait adaptations were found when walking and running with the barefoot orthotic.
METHODS: 12 healthy habitually shod runners (7 men and 5 women, age: 25 ±
3.8 yr; height: 1.58 ± 0.15 m; mass: 68.1 ± 8.9 kg) participated in this study. Gait
kinematics and kinetics were analyzed as participants performed 10 over-ground
trials of running and walking in running shoes (SHOD), barefoot (BF), and while
wearing the barefoot orthotics (BF ORTHO). Kinematic data was obtained via 3D
motion analysis and ground reaction force (GRF) data were captured as subjects ran
across a runway with an embedded force plate. Kinematic and kinetic differences
between the SHOD, BF and BF ORTHO conditions for both walking and running
were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA tests. RESULTS: There were no
significant differences between the BF and BF ORTHO conditions in terms of gait
kinematics or kinetics in either walking or running, indicating that the barefoot orthotic
does not interfere with the natural barefoot gait. Consistent with previous research,
subjects exhibited decreased stride lengths in the BF and BF ORTHO conditions
when walking (BF: 1.38+0.20 m, BF ORTHO: 1.43+0.19 m, SHOD: 1.54+0.17 m,
p<0.05 compared to SHOD) and running (BF: 1.98+0.27 m, BF ORTHO: 2.06+0.30
m, SHOD: 2.16+0.31 m, p<0.05 compared to SHOD). Additionally, the BF and BF
ORTHO conditions were associated with reduced peak vertical GRFs in walking (BF:
1.16+0.10 m, BF ORTHO: 1.19+0.12 m, SHOD: 1.29+0.11 m, p<0.05 compared to
SHOD) and running (BF: 2.29+0.26 m, BF ORTHO: 2.27+0.21 m, SHOD: 2.48+0.22
m, p<0.05 compared to SHOD). CONCLUSION: The barefoot orthotic does not
interfere with the natural barefoot gait, indicating the potential for clinical use while
barefoot or without supportive footwear.
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