Article

AIM: To investigate the effect of rollover footwear on walking speed, metabolic
cost of gait, lower limb kinematics, kinetics, EMG muscle activity and plantar
pressure. METHODS: Twenty subjects (mean age-33.1 years, height-1.71 m, body
mass-68.9 kg, BMI 23.6, 12 male) walked in: a flat control footwear; a flat
control footwear weighted to match the mass of a rollover shoe; a rollover shoe;
MBT footwear. Data relating to metabolic energy and temporal aspects of gait were
collected during 6 min of continuous walking, all other data in a gait
laboratory. RESULTS: The rollover footwear moved the contact point under the shoe
anteriorly during early stance, increasing midfoot pressures. This changed
internal ankle dorsiflexion moments to plantarflexion moments earlier, reducing
ankle plantarflexion and tibialis anterior activity after initial contact, and
increasing calf EMG activity. In mid stance the rollover footwear resulted in a
more dorsiflexed ankle position but less ankle movement. During propulsion, the
rollover footwear reduced peak ankle dorsiflexion, peak internal plantarflexor
ankle moments and the range of ankle plantarflexion. Vertical ground reaction
loading rates were increased by the rollover footwear. There were no effects on
temporal or energy cost of gait and no effect of elevated shoe weight.
CONCLUSION: Investigating all proposed effects of this footwear concurrently has
enabled a more valid investigation of how the footwear effects are interrelated.
There were concurrent changes in several aspects of lower limb function, with
greatest effects at the foot and ankle, but no change in the metabolic cost of
walking.
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Langue : ANGLAIS