L’étude des forces de réaction au sol peut-elle être un indicateur de la stabilité de la chaussure lors de la locomotion ?

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the influence of ground reaction forces on the footwear stability. Material and methods Twelve healthy men have walked on a treadmill ergometer ADAL with five different shoe models and in a barefoot condition. Here, the shoe called “shoe 1” is known for its capacity to stabilize the foot. Ground reaction forces ( F x, F y, F z) were recorded at constant speed (2, 4 and 6 km h −1), and during transition phases (0 to 2, 0 to 4, 0 to 6 km h −1). Two running conditions (8 km h −1 at constant speed and 0 to 8 km h −1 in transition) have completed this protocol. Then, each subject filled in a questionnaire to evaluate, for each shoe, different sensations: stability during walking and running, foot support, heightening of the rearfoot, width of shoe at the heel, general comfort, cushioning. At last, different geometrical parameters of each shoe were measured. Results and discussion The results show that, in all tested conditions (constant speed and transition phases, walking and running), medial force peaks are significantly more important in barefoot condition than all shod conditions, except for the shoe 1. As the barefoot condition is, according to the literature, the best condition of stability and as the shoe 1 is known for its capacity to stabilize the foot, these results could suggest that a better stability could be associated with more important medial force peaks.