Background:No prior work has compared the biomechanical workload of stair ascent (SA) using shoes of different heel heights and heel types. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of high-heeled shoe (HHS) parameters on pelvis position, lower extremities kinematics, ground reaction force, and intern stress in young women during SA motion. Methods:The participants were instructed to ascend a 3-step staircase, wearing HHSs of different heel heights and heel types, and the control group used a pair of flat shoes. By using finite element methodology, we investigated the influence of shoe parameters on metatarsal stress and metatarsal head loading during SA.Results: As the heel height increased, increased ranges of ankle dorsiflexion-plantarflexion and pelvic rotation were observed. A thinner heel type displayed a larger pelvic forward tilt movement and 1st peak vertical force, as well as a smaller 2nd peak vertical force. With higher heels, increased external rotation of the knee, inversion and plantar flexion, and flexion values of the knee were observed. Meanwhile, there was decreased external rotation of the pelvis, ankle eversion, varus, and dorsiflexion. Three major stance phases namely heel strike, midstance, and push off were simulated to investigate the biomechanical response of high-heeled walking. It was found that the contact pressure at plantar pressure and 1st metatarsal pressure intensified with flat shoes and reached their maximum at push off phase during locomotion. Conclusion:To stabilize body posture during SA when wearing HHSs with a small heel base area, compensatory changes to drive an effective motor response include increasing pelvic range of motion in the transverse plane and sagittal plane, changing the joint angles of the lower extremities, and increasing metatarsal intern stress, may lead to clinical symptoms.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the influences of high-heeled shoe (HHS) parameters on gait cycle, center of pressure (COP) trajectory, and plantar pressure in young females. Methods: Twenty healthy adult females were recruited to participate in this study. Subjects walked on a treadmill at a fixed speed (1 m/s). Overall, six pairs of HHSs were evaluated, presenting two heel types (thin and thick) and three different heel heights (low: 3 cm, medium: 6 cm, and high: 8.2 cm). Subjects also wore flat shoes (heel height: 0.2 cm) as the control group. Results: The gait cycle, COP parameters, peak pressure (PP), maximum force, contact area (CA), and force–time integral (impulse) were measured. The comparison between these parameters when the volunteers wore thick heel and flat shoes at different walking conditions indicated that thin heels caused a significant increase in the pre-swing parameter, CA, and PP of the first toe and first metatarsus. Increased heel heights yielded smaller gait line lengths, single support lines, and smaller hindfoot areas. By contrast, increased anterior–posterior positions and plantar pressure parameter values were noted for the forefoot. Conclusions: Data analyses showed significant differences in the plantar pressure distribution associated with heel height and heel type at increased pressure in the first metatarsal and central forefoot region and decreased pressure in the midfoot and heel sections, thus increasing anterior shift. The results presented herein may allow for the design of HHSs with reduced adverse health effects on the wearer.

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