Kinetics of High-Heeled Gait

Abstract

A within-subject comparative study of walking while wearing low-heeled sports shoes versus high-heeled dress shoes was performed to identify and describe changes in lower-extremity joint kinetics associated with wearing high-heeled shoes during level overground walking. A volunteer sample of 15 unimpaired female subjects recruited from the local community underwent quantitative measurement of sagittal and frontal plane lower-extremity joint function, including angular motion, muscular moment, power, and work. When walking in high-heeled shoes, a significant reduction in ankle plantar flexor muscle moment, power, and work occurred during the stance phase, whereas increased work was performed by the hip flexor muscles during the transition from stance to swing. In the frontal plane, increased hip and knee varus moments were present. These differences demonstrate that walking in high-heeled shoes alters lower-extremity joint kinetic function. Reduced effectiveness of the ankle plantar flexors during late stance results in a compensatory enhanced hip flexor "pull-off" that assists in limb advancement during the stance-to-swing transition. Larger muscle moments and increased work occur at the hip and knee, which may predispose long-term wearers of high-heeled shoes to musculoskeletal pain.

The Influence of Walking Speed and Heel Height on Peak Plantar Pressure in the Forefoot of Healthy Adults: A Pilot Study

“…Higher peak plantar pressures are associated with increased pain and discomfort in the foot [10,15]. Therefore, there is a need to further evaluate and study such interactions of confounding variables that lead to increased forefoot loading.…”

“…It has been reported that high heeled shoes directly affect biomechanics of gait, including the peak plantar pressure distribution. There is an increase in peak plantar pressure under the forefoot as a result of realignment of body segment such that center of pressure shifts further anteriorly and medially [9,10,[15][16][17]. Speksnijder and colleagues report an increase of 30% in peak plantar pressure under the forefoot region in women wearing high heels [11].…”

Gait Efficiency and the Use of Insolia® Flex to Promote First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Dorsiflexion

“…28, [38][39][40] Following acclimatization, data were collected over a further 20 minutes at the same standardized speed. To minimize fatigue, each participant was allowed a 10 minute rest between each experimental condition and/or until their HR returned to its resting value.…”

Postura do pé e classificação do arco plantar de adolescentes usuárias e não usuárias de calçados de salto alto

“…This compensation may be carried out by means of postural changes developed over the time one wears these shoes 6,[9][10][11] . These changes were observed in some studies on trunk, knees, and ankles, and they do not follow a set of rules, i.e.…”

“…In this respect, the habit of wearing high-heeled shoes must be highlighted, as it has become increasingly more common among teenagers from an earlier age [6][7][8][9][10][11] . Although high-heeled shoes are important accessories in women's apparel, the main concern is the improper wear which compromises the health of feet, legs, and spine 12 .…”