Abstract
It is unclear whether military shoes (combat boots and sports shoes) attenuate loading rate or affect force transfer during walking. Therefore, this study compared ground reaction forces (GRF) related to impact and force transfer between combat boots, military sports shoes, and running shoes. Ten army recruits walked over a walkway with two force plates embedded. GRF were measured when walking barefoot (for data normalisation) and with combat boots, military sports shoes, and running shoes. Loading rate, first and second peak forces, and push-off rate of force were computed along with temporal analysis of waveforms. Reduced loading rate was observed for the running shoe compared to the combat boot (p = 0.02; d = 0.98) and to the military sports shoe (p = 0.04; d = 0.92). The running shoe elicited a smaller second peak force than the combat boot (p < 0.01; d = 0.83). Walking with military shoes and combat boots led to larger force transfer than running shoes, potentially due to harder material used in midsole composition (i.e., styrene-butadiene rubber). Combat boots did not optimise load transmission and may lead, in a long-term perspective, to greater injury risk.
Highlights
Physical training is a key part of the job requirements of defence personnel, involving marching, jumping, and walking with large external loads
Among the variables assessed from ground reaction forces, loading rate has been a key variable because it relates positively to the velocity at which ground reaction forces are absorbed by the musculoskeletal system [12,13]
There was a reduced loading rate for the running shoe compared to the combat boot (p = 0.02 and d = 0.98) and compared to the military sports shoe (p = 0.04 and d = 0.92)
Summary
Physical training is a key part of the job requirements of defence personnel, involving marching, jumping, and walking with large external loads. Aerobic and strength training are prescribed to improve general fitness [1] During these activities, recruits use various types of shoes, from military boots to regular sports shoes [2]. It has been observed that the type of footwear used by military personnel could increase injury risk, including acute (e.g., foot blisters [3]) and overuse (e.g., stress fractures [4]), when walking with combat boots [5,6]. Large rate of force decrement could lead to overuse injuries given the increased force transferred through the metatarsal heads [15]. Shoe design could play a role in alleviating force transfer through the foot by improving the cushioning characteristics of shoe midsole
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