The Effect of Separated-Arms Foot Orthoses on the Lower Body and Trunk Kinematics During Level Walking

Abstract

In Brief The authors investigated how normal subjects respond, in terms of the motion of their lower limbs, pelvis, and trunk, during level walking when fitted with mass-produced separated medial and lateral arms insoles. Three-dimensional gait analysis was performed on eight healthy male adults, fitted bilaterally with the tested orthosis. Eighteen spherical retroreflective skin-mounted markers were placed at specific anatomical points. Each participant performed six consecutive gait cycles at self-selected speed under three experimental conditions: barefoot, shod, and shod with insoles. Kinematic variables were then calculated and one-way analysis of variance and Tukey-Kramer multiple comparisons tests were performed to characterize the differences observed among the test conditions. When the separated-arms insoles were used, the kinematics of the lower limb joints, pelvis, and trunk at the sagittal plane were not significantly affected, with the exception of the ankle joint. At the frontal plane, significant differences were found for both the hip joint and trunk, whereas at the transverse plane, significant differences were found for the ankle-foot complex only. The ankle-foot motion at the frontal plane and the hip joint motion at the transverse plane were not analyzed because of a high level of noise. All subjects but one exhibited consistently lower gait cycle and stance phase duration and increased stride length, walking speed, and cadence when changing from the shod to the insole condition. Our results indicate that there are immediate effects of the separated-arms foot orthoses to the walking pattern of the examined group. However, the way these insoles affect the lower limbs, pelvis, and trunk regarding relief of pain and fatigue remains unclear. The authors investigated how normal subjects respond, in terms of the motion of their lower limbs, pelvis, and trunk, during level walking when fitted with mass-produced separated medial and lateral arms insoles. Three-dimensional gait analysis was performed on eight participants, fitted bilaterally with the tested orthosis. Results indicate that there are immediate effects of the separated-arms foot orthoses to the walking pattern of the examined group. However, the way these insoles affect the lower limbs, pelvis, and trunk regarding relief of pain and fatigue remains unclear.