Abstract
Nearly one-third of older people experience at least one fall a year (Todd & Skelton, 2004) impacting their quality of life. Increasing intrinsic foot muscle strength can influence balance and stab...
Highlights
The human foot is uniquely adapted to bipedal locomotion and has a deformable arch of variable stiffness
The human foot has evolved a set of unique anatomical adaptations to support effective bipedal locomotion
Studies have shown that intrinsic foot muscles actively influence longitudinal arch stiffness and elastic recoil[12,14,15,16,17,18], in addition to passive contributions by the plantar aponeurosis
Summary
The human foot is uniquely adapted to bipedal locomotion and has a deformable arch of variable stiffness. Well-defined longitudinal arches had evolved by around 2 million years ago, found in early Homo erectus[2] These adaptations help reduce midfoot motion, the latter shown as a pronounced “midtarsal break” in a pes[3,4] but present to some degree in humans[5]. The springy plantar aponeurosis present in modern day humans (Homo sapiens) reduces the cost of transport by cyclically storing and releasing energy during locomotion[6,7] It is considered a key component of the windlass mechanism[8] which contributes to the foot’s ability to regulate stiffness[9,10] but muscle action contributes especially during push-off[11]. Another potential method of foot strengthening might be the use of minimal footwear, defined as “Footwear providing minimal interference with the natural movement of the foot due to its high flexibility, low heel to toe drop, weight and stack height, and the absence of motion control and stability devices”[30]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
