Association of Arch Stiffness with Plantar Impulse Distribution during Walking, Running, and Gait Termination.

Yaodong Gu,Julien S Baker,Datao Xu,Xuanzhen Cen

doi:10.3390/ijerph17062090

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine relationships between arch stiffness and relative regional impulse during walking, running, and stopping. A total of 61 asymptomatic male subjects volunteered to participate in the study. All were classified by calculating the arch stiffness index using 3-dimensional foot morphological scanning. Plantar pressure distribution data were collected from participants using a Footscan pressure platform during gait tests that included walking, running, and gait termination. The stiff arches group (n = 19) and flexible arches group (n = 17) were included in the following data analysis. The results suggested that subjects with stiffer arches had a larger and smaller percentage of plantar impulse in the forefoot and rearfoot, respectively, than subjects with more flexible arches during walking and running. However, during gait termination, which included planned and unplanned gait stopping, the plantar impulse distribution pattern was found to be reversed. The current findings demonstrate that the distributional changes of plantar loading follow unidirectional transfer between the forefoot and the rearfoot on the plantar longitudinal axis. Moreover, the patterns of impulse distribution are also different based on different gait task mechanisms.

Highlights

The human foot arch is the elastic and constrictive cambered structure comprising of tarsal bones, metatarsal bones, and surrounding ligaments and tendons
The plantar pressure data included relative regional impulse (RIR) distributed in the forefoot, midfoot, and rearfoot during walking, running, planned,data andcollection, unplanneda gait termination
Table presents detailed information of impulse distribution value recorded as a result was 0.8

Summary

Introduction

The human foot arch is the elastic and constrictive cambered structure comprising of tarsal bones, metatarsal bones, and surrounding ligaments and tendons. The medial longitudinal arch is considered as a significant feature that is different from other primates in the process of evolution [1,2]. The windlass mechanism of the human foot illustrates well the positive effects of the longitudinal arch in the push-off phase during gait [2,5]. The active elastic subsystem composed of the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles on the foot plays an important role in maintaining arch stability and foot motion [6]. The extrinsic muscles provide both absorption and propulsion abilities to the longitudinal arch during gait [6]. The difference in arch type is a contributory factor in sports injuries, which could affect and influence physical performance [3,8]

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