The influence of high heels and foot orthotics on ground ...



Title: Effects of shoe heel height and total-contact insert on muscle loading and foot stability while walking

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Women wearing high-heeled shoes often complain of foot instability and lower back pain. Previous studies demonstrated that using total-contact inserts (TCIs) in running shoes reduces impact on leg muscles and alters rearfoot motion. This study investigates how shoe heel height and use of TCIs in high-heeled shoes affect the wearer’s rearfoot complex, muscle loadings, and subjective comfort. METHODS: The participants were fifteen inexperienced high heel wearers with no history of long-term use of high-heel shoes. Each participant walked under six test conditions with and without TCIs while wearing shoes with varying heel height (flat shoes, low heel, and high heel) at a speed of 1.3 m/s. Rearfoot kinematics, muscle activities by electromyography (EMG) of the tibialis anterior (TA), medial gastrocnemius (MG), quadriceps (QUA), hamstrings (HAM), and erector spinae (ES), and subjective comfort rating by visual analogue scale were measured for each test condition. RESULTS: The statistical results show that elevated heel height significantly increases plantarflexion (p ................
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