Gait characteristics when walking with rounded soft sole shoes

NewsBot · Nov 15, 2011

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Gait characteristics when walking with rounded soft sole shoes.
Demura T, Demura SI, Yamaji S, Yamada T, Kitabayashi T.
Foot (Edinb). 2011 Nov 11

This study aimed to examine the effect of shoes with a rounded soft sole (Stretch Walker: SW) on gait. Fifteen healthy male (mean age: 23.2) walked under three conditions (SW, Flat-bottomed Shoe: FS, Barefoot: BF). Including walking speed, stance time, step length were selected as temporal-spatial parameters. The angle of hip, knee, and ankle joints during particular phases were selected as kinematic parameters. Walking speed, stance time, step length and flexion angle of the ankle joint at initial contact were greater when wearing either shoe than walking BF; cadence was faster walking BF than wearing either shoe; double support time increased (FS>SW>BF); step width was greater (FS>SW>BF); walking angle was greater wearing the SW than wearing the FS and walking BF; and range of motion and maximum flexion angle of the hip and knee joints were greater wearing the FS than walking BF. In conclusion, wearing the SW with a heel-to-toe rocker and soft sole changes the double support time, step width, and walking angle and increases step length and walking speed compared to walking BF. The difference of the range of motion in hip and knee joints was larger between walking BF and wearing the FS than between walking BF and wearing the SW.
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NewsBot · Mar 20, 2012

The effects of shoes with a rounded soft sole in the anterior-posterior direction on leg joint angle and muscle activity.
Demura T, Demura SI.
Foot (Edinb). 2012 Mar 17.

This study examines the effect of these shoes on the leg joint angle and muscle activity during walking. Ten healthy young male adults (mean age: 24.1±4.3years) walked on a walkway while wearing one of three kinds of shoes with a rounded soft sole in the anterior-posterior direction (Stretch Walker: SW, mass: 440g), MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology; similar to the SW in form and material, mass: 600g), and flat-bottomed shoes (FS, mass: 420g)). After familiarizing themselves with the shoes, subjects walked twenty laps on the walkway, which was about 40m long (mean speed: 4.1km/h). After a sufficient rest, they repeated this with the other shoes. During walking, the volume of muscle discharge was measured once every 2 laps. The mean value of the 10 measurements was used as the evaluation variable for integral values and joint angle, while the right foot touched the ground twice. In conclusion, the range of leg movement during walking was smaller when wearing shoes with a rounded soft sole in the anterior-posterior direction (SW and MBT) than when wearing normal shoes (FS). However, the effects of the SW and MBT on leg muscle activity during walking differ little from wearing the normal shoes during a leisurely 10-min walk.
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NewsBot · Mar 21, 2012

Effect of a rocker non-heeled shoe on EMG and ground reaction forces during gait without previous training.
Sacco IC, Sartor CD, Cacciari LP, Onodera AN, Dinato RC, Pantaleão E Jr, Matias AB, Cezário FG, Tonicelli LM, Martins MC, Yokota M, Marques PE, Costa PH.
Gait Posture. 2012 Mar 17

Unstable shoes have been designed to promote "natural instability" and during walking they should simulate barefoot gait, enhancing muscle activity and, thus, attributing an advantage over regular tennis shoes. Recent studies showed that, after special training on the appropriate walking pattern, the use of the Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) shoe increases muscle activation during walking. Our study presents a comparison of muscle activity as well as horizontal and vertical forces during gait with the MBT, a standard tennis shoe and barefoot walking of healthy individuals without previous training. These variables were compared in 25 female subjects and gait conditions were compared using ANOVA repeated measures (effect size:0.25). Walking with the MBT shoe in this non-instructed condition produced higher vertical forces (first vertical peak and weight acceptance rate) than walking with a standard shoe or walking barefoot, which suggests an increase in the loads received by the musculoskeletal system, especially at heel strike. Walking with the MBT shoe did not increase muscle activity when compared to walking with the standard shoe. The barefoot condition was more effective than the MBT shoe at enhancing muscle activation. Therefore, in healthy individuals, no advantage was found in using the MBT over a standard tennis shoe without a special training period. Further studies using the MBT without any instruction over a longer period are needed to evaluate if the higher loads observed in the present study would return to their baseline values after a period of adaptation, and if the muscle activity would increase over time.
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