Short CommunicationA method to investigate the effect of shoe-hole size on surface marker movement when describing in-shoe joint kinematics using a multi-segment foot model
Introduction
The measurement of foot kinematics inside footwear typically relies on holes cut in the shoe upper to allow placement of markers directly on the foot [1], [2], [3]. Although surface-mounted marker techniques are susceptible to soft tissue artefacts (STA), they remain the most commonly used technique, and most practical based on current methods, to quantify foot and ankle motion [4], [5], [6]. Based on the preliminary work of Stacoff et al. [7], one critical consideration in describing in-shoe foot movement is the diameter of holes cut in the upper. Although an oval-hole shape of up to 2.7 cm × 2.3 cm has been said to not affect a shoe's structural integrity [8], the effect of hole size on individual marker movement has not been fully investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to expand on this preliminary work and demonstrate a method to investigate the effect of shoe-hole size on individual marker movement and segment motion during walking in a systematic manner.
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Participants
Eighteen adults participated in this study (10F:8M, mean age 22.7 ± 3.7 years, height 1.74 m ± 0.08 m, mass 71.2 ± 8.5 kg, median Euro shoe size 42 [range = 37.5–46]). Exclusion criteria were any medical history that could adversely affect gait. Institutional ethics approval was granted for this study.
Data collection
All participants underwent three-dimensional (3D) gait analysis walking barefoot and wearing three pairs of single-density shoes (Gel Pulse 3, ASICS, Japan). Shoes were fitted by a podiatrist with 10 years’
Results
There were no statistically significant differences in walking speed between footwear conditions (15 mm = 1.52 ± 0.09 ms−1, 20 mm = 1.53 ± 0.09 ms−1, 25 mm = 1.54 ± 0.07 ms−1, p > 0.05). In the 15 mm condition, the marker trajectory exceeded the radius at all anatomical locations at least once. In the 20 mm condition, the marker trajectory exceeded the radius at all sites except the navicular tuberosity. No marker exceeded the radius at any location in the 25 mm condition (Fig. 2). The 25 mm condition resulted in
Discussion
Where previous studies have either considered the effects of shoe-hole size on joint angles [7] or shoe structural integrity [8], this study considered both individual marker trajectories and segment rotations. Holes with a diameter of 25 mm were sufficiently large to prevent perturbed motion of surface-mounted markers. Although this finding is consistent with previous research [7], [8], we suggest the use of marker-wands (which have a 4 mm diameter compared to standard 9 mm markers) increases the
Funding
ASICS Oceania provided the footwear used in this study.
Acknowledgment
ASICS Oceania provided the footwear used in this study.
Conflict of interest statement
Nil.
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