Despite the widespread use of laterally wedged insoles for patients with knee osteoarthritis and medially wedged insoles for controlling rearfoot pronation, an understanding of the effects of wedged insoles was limited and sometimes controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of wedged insoles on the kinematics and kinetics of normal gait. Ten male subjects without history of lower limb disorders were recruited. Each subject performed four gait cycles under each of seven conditions; shod with 5°, 8° and 15° medially wedged insoles, shod with neutral insole, and shod with 5°, 8° and 15° laterally wedged insoles. In order to determine statistical differences among seven conditions, the measured temporal spatial variables, angular displacements, joint moments, and ground reaction forces were compared with a one-way analysis of variance. Some significant changes induced by wedged insoles were apparent in joint moments and ground reaction forces. The medially wedged insole increased the laterally directed ground reaction force and varus moments at the ankle and the knee during the heel contact phase. The laterally wedged insole decreased the laterally directed ground reaction force and varus moments at the ankle and the knee.

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The objective of this study is to investigate a perceived discomfort and cause of Korean elderly in various activities such as work and leisure as well as in daily activities. 120 subjects (30 female and 30 male for each age: the young and elderly) participated in the interview type of questionnaire. Each participant answered to 41 items of activities of daily living. The examination of each item was progressed with 3 steps: whether to do the activity or not, degree of activity discomfort, and the reasons or causes of discomfort. Borg's CR10 scale is used to measure the degree of discomfort of daily activities. As a result, there are differences for the proportion of performers between two age groups, except for essential activities such as individual maintenance and housekeeping. The elderly complained about their daily activities more than the young did, and the degree of discomfort of women was significantly larger than that of men with aging. There are seven items, the mean degree of discomfort of which is over three points for the elderly, and they showed significant difference between two age groups. It was the important reason that physical capacities such as muscle strength and suppleness are declined. The results showed the characteristics of Korean elderly in the whole daily activities. These will be used to understand various life styles of them and to propose a field or direction of study related to the aging.