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Vector coding (VC) is a nonlinear data analysis technique that provides a quantitative measure of coordination and coordination variability. The outcome measure derived from the VC technique is ref...

In the sport of weightlifting, performance is normally assessed by the amount of mass an individual athlete can lift (Kipp, Redden, Sabick, & Harris, 2012). Within this sport, the execution of the ...

Netball is associated with a high frequency of chronic injuries. There is currently a trend towards the utilisation of minimalist footwear in netball players in lieu of traditional netball trainers. The aim of the current investigation was to examine the influence of netball-specific and minimalist footwear on the kinetics and three-dimensional (3-D) kinematics of three sport specific movements. Twelve female netballers performed three movements, run, cut and vertical jump, whilst wearing a conventional netball trainer and also a minimalist trainer. 3-D kinematics of the lower extremities were measured using an eight-camera motion analysis system alongside kinetic information which was obtained using a force platform. Kinetic/3-D kinematic differences between movements wearing different footwear were examined using paired t-tests. The kinetic analysis revealed that impact parameters were significantly greater in the minimalist footwear in comparison to the netball shoe for all three movements. In addition...

Background: Recent evidence suggests that runners who habitually rearfoot strike suffer higher rates of chronic injuries compared to those who adopt a mid/forefoot strike pattern. Based on this information new experimental heelless footwear was developed with the aim of mediating a mid/forefoot strike pattern.Objectives: The aim of the current investigation was to examine the three-dimensional (3D) kinematics and ground reaction forces (GRFs) of running in conventional footwear in comparison to the heelless shoes.Methods: Twelve male participants ran at 4.0 m.s−1±5% in each footwear condition. Angular joint kinematics from the hip, knee and ankle in the sagittal, coronal and transverse planes were measured using an eight-camera optoelectric motion capture system. Synchronous ground reaction forces were also obtained allowing impact load parameters and estimates of Achilles tendon force to be quantified. Differences in GRFs and 3D kinematics between footwear were assessed using paired t-tests.Results: The ...

Field hockey is a physically demanding sport, exposing participants to potential overuse injuries linked to high levels of impact shock. This study evaluated the influence of footwear, surface and running velocity on impact shock in field hockey participants. Nine elite university male field hockey participants (age 21 ± 1.69 years, height 175.75 ± 6.56 cm and mass 78.13 ± 12.11 kg) volunteered for this study. A skin-mounted accelerometer was used to measure tibial impact shock during forward running at 3.3 and 5.0 m s−1 on concrete and a field hockey-specific synthetic sports surface (SSS), in a range of shoes (n = 5) typically worn by field hockey participants. A significant effect was found for surface and velocity. No significant differences were found between footwear conditions. The study concluded that reducing running velocity and participating in all field hockey activities on a suitable SSS may reduce the occurrence of injuries linked to impact shock in a field hockey population.

Footwear orthoses have been used by clinicians for many years to treat lower limb pathologies. Materials traditionally used included wood, leather and fabric with recent advances in material sciences leading to the addition of many materials which have suitable properties and characteristics. Clinicians need an understanding of the properties and characteristics of orthosis materials to make informed decisions on the most appropriate material to meet their patients’ needs. The objective of this study was to complete a literature review into materials used for footwear orthoses. Studies were grouped into three categories based on methodology: (1) bench testing, (2) simulated in-shoe conditions testing, and (3) testing of materials when placed in footwear while walking or running. Research to date has used a broad range of testing methodologies to examine an extensive range of materials. The lack of information provided by some researchers on the specifications of the materials they tested compromises the a...

Peak and average pressure correlations and their ratio at different plantar regions of the foot Roozbeh Naemi a , Aoife Healy a , Dave Dunning a , Robert Leslie Ashford b , Panagiotis Chatzistergos a & Nachiappan Chockalingam a a Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent , ST4 2DF , United Kingdom b Birmingham City University, Faculty of Health, City North Campus , Perry Barr , Birmingham , B42 2SU , United Kingdom

It has been shown that mechanical properties of the insole materials affect plantar pressures during walking (Healy et al. 2010). The mechanical properties of foam materials used as insoles are dep...

Recent advances in running shoe design have primarily focused on materials and the composition of the outsole, little work has been undertaken in relation to the aerodynamic properties of the shoe ...

According to the NHS National Diabetes Support Team (2008) 4.67% (2,440,000 people) of the population in England have diabetes and they expect this figure to rise to 6.48% (3,605,000 people) by 202...

This study aims to develop a numerical method that can be used to investigate the cushioning properties of different insole materials on a subject-specific basis. Diabetic footwear and orthotic insoles play an important role for the reduction of plantar pressure in people with diabetes (type-2). Despite that, little information exists about their optimum cushioning properties. A new in-vivo measurement based computational procedure was developed which entails the generation of 2D subject-specific finite element models of the heel pad based on ultrasound indentation. These models are used to inverse engineer the material properties of the heel pad and simulate the contact between plantar soft tissue and a flat insole. After its validation this modelling procedure was utilised to investigate the importance of plantar soft tissue stiffness, thickness and loading for the correct selection of insole material. The results indicated that heel pad stiffness and thickness influence plantar pressure but not the optimum insole properties. On the other hand loading appears to significantly influence the optimum insole material properties. These results indicate that parameters that affect the loading of the plantar soft tissues such as body mass or a person's level of physical activity should be carefully considered during insole material selection.

Pressure-related skin lesions on the digits are a significant cause for patient discomfort and complaint. Most foot pain related to ill-fitting shoes is in the forefoot and digit areas (Paiva de Ca...

Correct fitting footwear is essential for good foot health. Ill-fitting footwear can lead to pain, foot pathology, reduced foot function, inefficient gait and a risk of falls (Menz & Lord, 1999). I...

INTRODUCTION Field Hockey is a popular sport played predominantly on artificial sports surfaces requiring sustained periods of locomotion at various velocities. During human locomotion the body is exposed musculoskeletal transient shocks that have been linked to various injuries (Aguinaldo and Mahar 2003). The magnitude of the impact shocks have been reported as being affected by the velocity of locomotion, movement strategies, the surface and the footwear worn (Clarke et al 1983). Therefore choosing appropriate conditions should reduce the levels of impact shock experienced reducing the risk of injury. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The Purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of footwear, surface and speed on the magnitude of tibial shock. METHODS Nine male participants, (Age 21 + 1.69, Height 175.75 + 6.56 and Mass 78.13 + 12.11) volunteered to take part in this study. All participants were injury free at the time of data collection and completed an informed consent form. A tri-axial accelerometer (Biometrics ACL300) sampling at 1000Hz was mounted to a lightweight carbon-fibre plate via a securely glued lightweight bolt and thread. The accelerometer signal was recorded by a Biometrics DataLog system (Biometrics Ltd, Gwent, UK). The accelerometer signal was filtered at 60Hz using a Butterworth 4th order zero-lag low-pass filter. The concrete surface at the side of the pitch was typical of the sort of surface on which field hockey participants would warm up prior to matches. Participants were required to run in each of the footwear at 5m.s-1 (running) and 3.3m.s-1 (jogging). RESULTS Significant differences were observed between running and jogging for the different surfaces. Significant differences in the tibial axial peak were also reported when comparing the effects of surface during running, however during jogging significant differences were not found. Significant differences between mean tibial acceleration values in the Saucony Running, Umbro Soccer Astroturf, and Gryphon Venom, when compared to Umbro Soccer Moulded during running on synthetic surfaces. No other significant differences were found across the population of participants between the shoes for the 3 other surface and velocity conditions (running on synthetic surface, jogging on concrete, running on concrete). DISCUSSION It appears that footwear only has a measureable effect across the population of participants, during running at a higher speed (5m.s-1). The significant differences recorded were all cases where the Umbro Moulded shoes exposed the athlete to higher tibial axial accelerations than the other shoe conditions. This occurred only in the running group on the synthetic sports surface This may have been replicated on the concrete but it was considered not safe for participants to run in Umbro Moulded shoes on a concrete surface. Furthermore, the same footwear (Umbro Moulded) as in the previous chapter was highlighted as exposing the population to a significant increase in detrimental kinetic factors. The results of this research suggest that participating in high velocity activities on hard concrete surfaces, exposes the musculoskeletal to significantly larger impact shocks. This information can be used by coaches to select suitable activities with the surfaces available to them. This investigation also identified that during running on synthetic sports surfaces, moulded soccer shoes with hard deep cleats expose the body to larger impact shocks than shoes designed for running and synthetic sports surfaces. Therefore these types of shoes should not be used in field hockey participation on such surfaces. Significant differences in the magnitude of tibial shock between similar footwear designs used by field hockey participants were also identified using the methodologies in this study. The evidence from individual participant provides some assistance for footwear selection. However, the findings of this study demonstrated that shoes can reduce impact shock for one individual while increasing it for another. Therefore, for a participant to be confident of making the correct choice of footwear in relation to exposure to tibial shock, the footwear needs to be tested on an individual basis.

Orthoses are routinely prescribed to people with diabetes to offload pressure in areas of the foot that may cause ulceration however research supporting their use is limited. Systematic reviews whi...

Running, for the vast majority of healthy active people, is considered a simple task, consisting of natural movements which generally require minimum cognisant effort (Helle et al. 2006). Running s...

Inappropriate footwear may cause painful problems in the healthy population (Frey et al. 2000), and more serious problems, including foot ulceration possibly leading to amputation, in those with he...

Foot pressure measurement systems are commonly used in clinical settings, providing information that will help patient assessment, intervention and to evaluate treatment outcomes (Bus 2004). While ...

Since Wait Webster applied rubber to the sole of his shoe in 1832 and developed the first running shoe, the trainer or the running shoe industry has gone through various phases of development to he...