Foot Motion Character During Forward and Backward Walking With Shoes and Barefoot |
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Authors: | Dong Sun Gusztáv Fekete Julien S. Baker |
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Affiliation: | 1. Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.;2. Savaria Institute of Technology, E?tv?s Loránd University, Szombathely, Hungary.;3. Faculty of Engineering, University of Pannonia, Veszprem, Hungary.;4. Institute for Clinical Exercise and Health Science, University of the West of Scotland, Lanarkshire, United Kingdom. |
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Abstract: | AbstractBackward walking (BW) has been extensively used in athletic training and orthopedic rehabilitation as it may have value for enhancing balance. This study identified the differences in foot intersegment kinematics (forward walking (FW) vs. time-reversed BW) and plantar pressure parameters of 16 healthy habitually shod individuals walking FW and BW using flexible shoes (SH) and under barefoot conditions (BF). BW was found to have shorter stride length (SL) and higher stride frequency (SF) under BF conditions compared with SH, which indicates a better BW gait stability under BF conditions. Decreased HX/FF dorsiflexion at HO in BW induces less plantar aponeurosis tension which may inhibit the windlass mechanism compared to FW walking. Increased forefoot relative to hindfoot (FF/HF) pronation and sequentially hindfoot relative to tibia (HF/TB) eversion combined with medially distributed plantar pressure and a higher plantar contact area in the medial side in BW–BF maybe beneficial in maintaining balance. These results indicate that BW training may be more reliable under BF conditions compared to the SH conditions based on greater sensory information feedback from the plantar area resulting in better biomechanical behavior. |
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Keywords: | Foot kinematics backward walking shoes barefoot |
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