Possible shod-hominin tracks on South Africa’s Cape coast

Helm, Charles W.; Lockley, Martin G.; Cawthra, Hayley C.; De Vynck, Jan C.; Dixon, Mark G.; Rust, Renée; Stear, Willo; Van Tonder, Monique; Zipfel, Bernhard

doi:10.1080/10420940.2023.2249585

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 77 publications

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“…Footwear can provide benefits-such as protection against cold and mechanical injury, which have been the primary physiological and biomechanical benefit since their invention-without impairing a healthy foot function. Examples of less invasive footwear or minimal footwear (as defined by Esculier et al, 2015) exist all over the world and include the Kolhapuri sandal from India (Willems et al, 2017), the Nuvttohat boot from Northern Scandinavia, the N!ang n|osi sandal from Namibia (Willems et al, 2021) and the Huarache in Mexico (Wallace et al, 2018) and there is evidence that such footwear is at least 8,300 years old and possibly more (Kuttruff et al, 1998;Helm et al, 2023;Martıńez-Sevilla et al, 2023). Even though these shoes originate in different environments and climates, they share an essential feature: they do not (or barely) constrain the foot (for instance, they have no raised heel, no arch support, and a thin, flexible sole).…”

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confidence: 99%

Walking with individualized 3D-printed minimal footwear increases foot strength and produces subtle changes in unroll pattern

Allen,

Pinheiro,

Schoenmaekers

et al. 2023

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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IntroductionThis 5-month follow-up study, involving 66 subjects (38 intervention, 28 control; 34 females, 32 males), evaluated the biomechanics of walking while wearing bespoke, 3D-printed footwear.MethodsA 3D scanner was used to obtain foot shape, which was subsequently modified to yield a suitable instep and additional room in the forefoot and toe areas, to allow for potential shape changes of the foot. Shoes were manufactured using TPU laser sintering. Pre (T0) and post (T1) the intervention, plantar pressures were collected using a plantar pressure plate (3 trials per foot) and toe flexor strength (5 trials per foot) was measured using a dynamometer, for control and intervention groups. Plantar pressure peak patterns and center-of-pressure (CoP) timing was analysed using 2D and 1D Statistical Parametric Mapping, respectively. Toe strength changes were expressed in percent and per individual as: 100 x ((strength@T1strength@T0) / strength@T0).ResultsPeak pressure distribution did not differ between control and intervention populations, or between T0 and T1. Center-of-pressure unroll differed between barefoot and shod conditions at T0 for the intervention group. When barefoot, the intervention group at T1 showed a more lateral CoP in early stance and a more anterior CoP in late stance compared to T0. In the intervention group, toe strength increased significantly by 48.5% between T0 and T1.DiscussionOverall, the results indicate that the bespoke, 3D-printed footwear did not significantly affect peak pressure distribution compared to barefoot walking. However, center-of-pressure patterns during gait were influenced, particularly in the intervention group, with analysis indicative of barefoot subjects' CoP moving faster in early and mid-stance than when shod. Additionally, the intervention led to a significant increase in toe strength. These findings contribute to our understanding of the biomechanical effects of customized 3D-printed footwear and highlight the potential benefits of such interventions in improving foot function and strength.

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