Biomechanical Effects of Different Footwear on Steady State walking

The objective of this work is to evaluate the biomechanical effects of footwear on steady state walking of a user. An initial subjective preference of the footwear was identified which was validated biomechanically in relation to the kinetic parameters of gait. The subject underwent 3D gait analysis (using VICON Motion Capture System, UK) under four conditions: barefoot, with formal shoes, with casual shoes and with sandals. ANOVA and Paired t-test of Temporal Spatial Parameters (TSP), joint powers and joint moments (a = 0.05), for the four conditions in sagittal plane showed that there were significant differences found in TSP's, joint moments and work done, but not in joint powers. The behaviour of formal shoes was significantly different in the frontal and transverse plane moments and had the most profound effect on the joints. Although several hypotheses on the implications of footwear on the gait parameters are proposed, these require further investigation, supplemented with electromyography (EMG) and metabolic energy measurements for a larger population.