Evaluation of a Shoe Cushioning System Using Shock Absorber by Biomechanics

Abstract

This study developed and evaluated a shoe cushioning system to reduce impact force exerted during running. Load-displacement curves for the shoe cushioning system were obtained from an instrumented testing machine and the results were compared with various pockets with air, water or nano-particles. The ground reaction force, force and contact pressure between the shoe and foot were collected from five young male participants, who are trained and untrained person. This study used the three cushioning systems such as ordinary shoe, with pocket containing 5 g nano-particles, with pocket containing 7 g nano-particles. For the trained participant, there was no significant difference in the cushioning performance among Shoes at a low running speed. But at the normal speed, shoes with cushion system were better in the cushioning performance. These results showed that shoes constructed with a shock cushioning system using nano-particles have a better performance for shock absorption. The significant difference was observed at a high running speed according to the composition ratio of water and nano-particles inside the pocket of shoe.