TY - JOUR
T1 - The Influence of Medial and Lateral Forefoot Height Discrepancy on Lower Limb Biomechanical Characteristics during the Stance Phase of Running
AU - Cai, Jiachao
AU - Sun, Dong
AU - Xu, Yining
AU - Chen, Hairong
AU - Zhang, Qiaolin
AU - Baker, Julien S.
AU - Gu, Yaodong
N1 - This study was sponsored by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China for Distinguished Young Scholars (LR22A020002), Zhejiang Provincial Key Research and Development Program of China (2021C03130), Ningbo Key R&D Program (2022Z196), Research Academy of Medicine Combining Sports, Ningbo (No. 2023001), the Project of Ningbo Leading Medical & Health Discipline (No. 2022-F15, No. 2022-F22), Ningbo Natural Science Foundation (2022J065, 2022J120), Ningbo Clinical Research Center for Medical Imaging (2021S003), and Zhejiang Rehabilitation Medical Association Scientific Research Special Fund (ZKKY2023001).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/7/3
Y1 - 2024/7/3
N2 - Previous research has predominantly focused on the biomechanical effects of anterior–posterior foot motion during running, with comparatively less attention given to medial–lateral foot motion and its impact on lower limb biomechanical characteristics. We recruited 18 healthy runners who wore five different types of running shoes: regular shoes (NS), those with a 6 mm and 9 mm medial–lateral height difference in the forefoot (M6, M9), and those with a 6 mm and 9 mm lateral–medial height difference (L6, L9). Biomechanical parameters of lower limb joints during the stance phase of running, including range of motion, peak angular velocity, peak moment, power, and work, were analyzed. We used paired-sample t-tests and one-dimensional statistical parametric mapping (SPM1D) to compare joint biomechanics between shoes with varying height differences and NS. Under the L6 condition, notable differences occurred in the hip and knee flexion–extension moments during landing and push-off, accompanied by a significant increase in ankle dorsiflexion work and a significant decrease in inversion–eversion work. In contrast, the M9 condition resulted in decreased hip flexion–extension peak moment, power, and work in the sagittal plane. These findings indicate that varying forefoot medial–lateral height differences in running shoes significantly impact lower limb joint dynamics during the stance phase, particularly the L6 condition, potentially reducing knee injury risk and aiding gait improvement for overpronators. The findings offer valuable insights for sports injury prevention and athletic footwear design. However, further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and practical implications for sports injury prevention and performance enhancement.
AB - Previous research has predominantly focused on the biomechanical effects of anterior–posterior foot motion during running, with comparatively less attention given to medial–lateral foot motion and its impact on lower limb biomechanical characteristics. We recruited 18 healthy runners who wore five different types of running shoes: regular shoes (NS), those with a 6 mm and 9 mm medial–lateral height difference in the forefoot (M6, M9), and those with a 6 mm and 9 mm lateral–medial height difference (L6, L9). Biomechanical parameters of lower limb joints during the stance phase of running, including range of motion, peak angular velocity, peak moment, power, and work, were analyzed. We used paired-sample t-tests and one-dimensional statistical parametric mapping (SPM1D) to compare joint biomechanics between shoes with varying height differences and NS. Under the L6 condition, notable differences occurred in the hip and knee flexion–extension moments during landing and push-off, accompanied by a significant increase in ankle dorsiflexion work and a significant decrease in inversion–eversion work. In contrast, the M9 condition resulted in decreased hip flexion–extension peak moment, power, and work in the sagittal plane. These findings indicate that varying forefoot medial–lateral height differences in running shoes significantly impact lower limb joint dynamics during the stance phase, particularly the L6 condition, potentially reducing knee injury risk and aiding gait improvement for overpronators. The findings offer valuable insights for sports injury prevention and athletic footwear design. However, further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and practical implications for sports injury prevention and performance enhancement.
KW - biomechanics
KW - forefoot height discrepancy
KW - lower limbs
KW - running injuries
KW - running shoes
KW - shoe design
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85198471389&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/13/5807
U2 - 10.3390/app14135807
DO - 10.3390/app14135807
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85198471389
SN - 2076-3417
VL - 14
JO - Applied Sciences (Switzerland)
JF - Applied Sciences (Switzerland)
IS - 13
M1 - 5807
ER -