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Yawar A, Lieberman DE. Effects of shoe heel height on ankle dynamics in running. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17959. [PMID: 39095422 PMCID: PMC11297298 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68519-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Shoes affect the evolved biomechanics of the foot, potentially affecting running kinematics and kinetics that can in turn influence injury and performance. An important feature of conventional running shoes is heel height, whose effects on foot and ankle biomechanics remain understudied. Here, we investigate the effects of 6-26 mm increases in heel height on ankle dynamics in 8 rearfoot strike runners who ran barefoot and in minimal shoes with added heels. We predicted higher heels would lead to greater frontal plane ankle torques due to the increased vertical moment arm of the mediolateral ground reaction force. Surprisingly, the torque increased in minimal shoes with no heel elevation, but then decreased with further increases in heel height due to changes in foot posture. We also found that increasing heel height caused a large increase in the ankle plantarflexion velocity at heel strike, which we explain using a passive collision model. Our results highlight how running in minimal shoes may be significantly different from barefoot running due to complex interactions between proprioception and biomechanics that also permit runners to compensate for modifications to shoe design, more in the frontal than sagittal planes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Yawar
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Daniel E Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Mai P, Robertz L, Robbin J, Bill K, Weir G, Kurz M, Trudeau MB, Hollander K, Hamill J, Willwacher S. Towards functionally individualised designed footwear recommendation for overuse injury prevention: a scoping review. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 2023; 15:152. [PMID: 37951935 PMCID: PMC10638717 DOI: 10.1186/s13102-023-00760-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Injury prevention is essential in running due to the risk of overuse injury development. Tailoring running shoes to individual needs may be a promising strategy to reduce this risk. Novel manufacturing processes allow the production of individualised running shoes that incorporate features that meet individual biomechanical and experiential needs. However, specific ways to individualise footwear to reduce injury risk are poorly understood. Therefore, this scoping review provides an overview of (1) footwear design features that have the potential for individualisation; and (2) the literature on the differential responses to footwear design features between selected groups of individuals. These purposes focus exclusively on reducing the risk of overuse injuries. We included studies in the English language on adults that analysed: (1) potential interaction effects between footwear design features and subgroups of runners or covariates (e.g., age, sex) for running-related biomechanical risk factors or injury incidences; (2) footwear comfort perception for a systematically modified footwear design feature. Most of the included articles (n = 107) analysed male runners. Female runners may be more susceptible to footwear-induced changes and overuse injury development; future research should target more heterogonous sampling. Several footwear design features (e.g., midsole characteristics, upper, outsole profile) show potential for individualisation. However, the literature addressing individualised footwear solutions and the potential to reduce biomechanical risk factors is limited. Future studies should leverage more extensive data collections considering relevant covariates and subgroups while systematically modifying isolated footwear design features to inform footwear individualisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Mai
- Institute of Biomechanics and Orthopaedics, German Sport University Cologne, Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6, 50933, Cologne, Germany.
- Institute for Advanced Biomechanics and Motion Studies, Offenburg University, Offenburg, Germany.
- Department of Physical Performance, Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Leon Robertz
- Institute of Biomechanics and Orthopaedics, German Sport University Cologne, Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6, 50933, Cologne, Germany
| | - Johanna Robbin
- Institute for Advanced Biomechanics and Motion Studies, Offenburg University, Offenburg, Germany
| | - Kevin Bill
- Institute of Biomechanics and Orthopaedics, German Sport University Cologne, Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6, 50933, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gillian Weir
- Biomechanics Laboratory, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Markus Kurz
- Sports Tech Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden
| | | | - Karsten Hollander
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joseph Hamill
- Biomechanics Laboratory, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Steffen Willwacher
- Institute of Biomechanics and Orthopaedics, German Sport University Cologne, Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6, 50933, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Biomechanics and Motion Studies, Offenburg University, Offenburg, Germany
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Yawar A, Lieberman DE. Biomechanical Tradeoffs in Foot Function From Variations in Shoe Design. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2023; 51:128-139. [PMID: 37220782 DOI: 10.1249/jes.0000000000000322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
There is debate and confusion over how to evaluate the biomechanical effects of running shoe design. Here, we use an evolutionary perspective to analyze how key design features of running shoes alter the evolved biomechanics of the foot, creating a range of tradeoffs in force production and transmission that may affect performance and vulnerability to injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Yawar
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
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Sánchez-Ramírez C, Ramsey C, Palma-Oyarce V, Herrera-Hernández E, Aedo-Muñoz E. Heel-to-toe drop of running shoes: a systematic review of its biomechanical effects. FOOTWEAR SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/19424280.2023.2180542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Celso Sánchez-Ramírez
- Sciences of Physical Activity, Sports and Health School, University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
| | - Codi Ramsey
- Institute of Sport, Exercise, and Health, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Valentina Palma-Oyarce
- Sciences of Physical Activity, Sports and Health School, University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
| | - Eduardo Herrera-Hernández
- Sciences of Physical Activity, Sports and Health School, University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
| | - Esteban Aedo-Muñoz
- Sciences of Physical Activity, Sports and Health School, University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
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Lasshofer M, Seifert J, Wörndle AM, Stöggl T. Heel riser height and slope gradient influence the kinematics and kinetics of ski mountaineering—A laboratory study. Front Sports Act Living 2022; 4:886025. [PMID: 36060627 PMCID: PMC9433713 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2022.886025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In ski mountaineering, equipment and its interaction with the exercising human plays an important role. The binding, as the crucial connection between boot and ski, must ensure safe fixation during downhill skiing and a free moving heel when walking uphill. Uphill, the binding offers the possibility to adopt the height of the heel (riser height) to personal preferences and the steepness of the ascent. This possible adjustment and its influence on various biomechanical parameters are the focus of this work. For this study, 19 male leisure ski mountaineers were tested on a treadmill, ascending at a fixed submaximal speed (3.9 ± 0.4 km·h−1) at 8, 16, and 24% gradient and with three heel riser heights, low (0 cm), medium (3.0 cm) and high (5.3 cm). The applied biomechanical measurement systems included a 3D motion capture system in sagittal plane, pressure insoles, a with strain gauges instrumented pole, spirometry and a comfort scale. Step length and step frequency were influenced by the riser height and the gradient (p ≤ 0.001). The high riser height decreased the step length by 5% compared to the low riser height over all tested gradients, while steps were 9.2% longer at the 24% gradient compared to the 8% gradient over all three riser heights. The high riser height revealed a force impulse of the pole 13% lower than using the low riser height (p < 0.001). Additionally, the high riser height reduced the range of motion of the knee joint and the ankle joint compared to the low riser height (p < 0.001). Therefore, advantageous settings can be derived, with the low riser height creating proper range of motion for ankle, knee and hip joint and higher propulsion via the pole at 8%, while higher riser heights like the medium setting do so at steeper gradients. These findings are in line with the conducted comfort scale. We would not recommend the highest riser height for the analyzed gradients in this study, but it might be an appropriate choice for higher gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lasshofer
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Salzburg, Hallein, Austria
- *Correspondence: Michael Lasshofer
| | - John Seifert
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Salzburg, Hallein, Austria
- Department of Health & Human Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States
| | - Anna-Maria Wörndle
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Salzburg, Hallein, Austria
| | - Thomas Stöggl
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Salzburg, Hallein, Austria
- Red Bull Athlete Performance Center, Salzburg, Austria
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The Influence of a Shoe's Heel-Toe Drop on Gait Parameters during the Third Trimester of Pregnancy. Bioengineering (Basel) 2022; 9:bioengineering9060241. [PMID: 35735484 PMCID: PMC9220068 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9060241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Changes in physical shape and body mass during pregnancy may increase the risk of walking falls. Shoes can protect and enhance the inherent function of the foot, helping to maintain dynamic and static stability. Methods: Sixteen women during the third trimester of pregnancy participated in this study to investigate the effect of negative heel shoes (NHS), positive heel shoes (PHS), and normal shoes (NS) on spatiotemporal parameters, ground reaction force (GRF), and stability. Differences in spatiotemporal parameter, GRF, and center of pressure (COP) between footwear conditions were examined using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) and repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA). Results: The walking speed and step length increased with the increase in heel-toe drop. The anterior-posterior (AP)-COP in NHS decreased significantly (p < 0.001). When wearing NHS, peak posterior angles were significantly lower than NS and PHS (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results show that changing the heel-toe drop can significantly affect the gait pattern of pregnant women. Understanding the gait patterns of pregnant women wearing shoes with different heel-toe drops is very important for reducing the risk of injury and equipment design.
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Yu P, He Y, Gu Y, Liu Y, Xuan R, Fernandez J. Acute Effects of Heel-to-Toe Drop and Speed on Running Biomechanics and Strike Pattern in Male Recreational Runners: Application of Statistical Nonparametric Mapping in Lower Limb Biomechanics. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 9:821530. [PMID: 35155415 PMCID: PMC8833076 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.821530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
With the increased popularity of running, many studies have been conducted into footwears that are highly related to running performance and running-related injuries. Previous studies investigated different shoe types and running shoes with different heel-to-toe drops (HTDs). However, no research was found in investigating shoes with negative values with HTD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the acute effect of HTD and running speed on lower limb biomechanics and strike pattern in recreational runners. Thirteen male recreational runners wearing shoes with two different HTDs (−8 and 8 mm) performed running at three different speeds (preferred speed [PS], 90% of PS, 110% of PS). Lower extremity kinematics and ground reaction forces were synchronously captured via Vicon motion analysis system and AMTI force platform. Strike index (SI), vertical average loading rate (VALR), vertical instantaneous loading rate (VILR), excursion, eversion duration, joint angles, and range of motion (ROM) of metatarsophalangeal (MTP), ankle, knee, and hip joints were calculated. Joint angles during the entire stance phase were analyzed applying the statistical nonparametric mapping (SnPM) method. SI and VILR in shoes with −8 mm HTD significantly increased by 18.99% and 31.836 BW/s compared to those with 8 mm HTD (SI: p = 0.002; VILR: p < 0.001). Significant alterations of ROM occurred in the MTP, ankle, and knee joints (p < 0.05), and HTD factor primarily accounted for these changes. Joint angles (MTP, knee, and hip) during the entire stance phase altered due to HTD and speed factors. Running speed primarily influenced the kinematics parameters of knee and hip joints, increasing knee angles in the frontal plane and hip angle in the horizontal plane at PS (p > 0.05). Compared to shoes with 8 mm HTD, shoes with −8 mm HTD may be useful to storage and return energy because of the increased ROM of MTP in the sagittal plane. Besides, forefoot strike gait retraining was recommended before transition from normal running shoes to running shoes with −8 mm HTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peimin Yu
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Research Academy of Grand Health, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Yuhuan He
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Yaodong Gu
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Research Academy of Grand Health, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- *Correspondence: Yaodong Gu, ; Rongrong Xuan,
| | - Yuwei Liu
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Research Academy of Grand Health, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Rongrong Xuan
- Obsterical Department, The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- *Correspondence: Yaodong Gu, ; Rongrong Xuan,
| | - Justin Fernandez
- Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Research Academy of Grand Health, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Engineering Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Menz HB, Bonanno DR. Footwear comfort: a systematic search and narrative synthesis of the literature. J Foot Ankle Res 2021; 14:63. [PMID: 34876192 PMCID: PMC8650278 DOI: 10.1186/s13047-021-00500-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To provide a narrative synthesis of the research literature pertaining to footwear comfort, including definitions, measurement scales, footwear design features, and physiological and psychological factors. METHODS A systematic search was conducted which yielded 101 manuscripts. The most relevant manuscripts were selected based on the predetermined subheadings of the review (definitions, measurement scales, footwear design features, and physiological and psychological factors). A narrative synthesis of the findings of the included studies was undertaken. RESULTS The available evidence is highly fragmented and incorporates a wide range of study designs, participants, and assessment approaches, making it challenging to draw strong conclusions or implications for clinical practice. However, it can be broadly concluded that (i) simple visual analog scales may provide a reliable overall assessment of comfort, (ii) well-fitted, lightweight shoes with soft midsoles and curved rocker-soles are generally perceived to be most comfortable, and (iii) the influence of sole flexibility, shoe microclimate and insoles is less clear and likely to be more specific to the population, setting and task being performed. CONCLUSION Footwear comfort is a complex and multifaceted concept that is influenced not only by structural and functional aspects of shoe design, but also task requirements and anatomical and physiological differences between individuals. Further research is required to delineate the contribution of specific shoe features more clearly, and to better understand the interaction between footwear features and individual physiological attributes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hylton B Menz
- Discipline of Podiatry, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia.
| | - Daniel R Bonanno
- Discipline of Podiatry, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
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Matthias EC, Banwell HA, Arnold JB. Methods for assessing footwear comfort: a systematic review. FOOTWEAR SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/19424280.2021.1961879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elsa C. Matthias
- Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Helen A. Banwell
- Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - John B. Arnold
- Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
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Frederick EC, Slavtcheff N, Sterzing T, Isherwood J. A method for reliable measurement of heel-to-toe offset in sports footwear. FOOTWEAR SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/19424280.2021.1916620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Thorsten Sterzing
- Descente Innovation Studio Complex (Footwear), Busan, Republic of South Korea
| | - Joshua Isherwood
- Descente Innovation Studio Complex (Footwear), Busan, Republic of South Korea
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