title: Can toe-ground footwear margin alter swing-foot ground clearance?
abstract: Falls are an important healthcare concern in the older population and tripping is the primary cause. Greater swing foot-ground clearance is functional for tripping prevention. Trips frequently occur due to the lowest part of the shoe contacting the walking surface. Shoe design effects on swing foot-ground clearance are, therefore, important considerations. When a shoe is placed on a flat surface, there usually is small vertical margin (VM) between the walking surface and the minimum toe point (MTP). The current study examined the effects of VM on swing foot-ground clearance at a critical gait cycle event, minimum foot clearance (MFC). 3D coordinates of the swing foot (i.e. MTP and heel) were obtained during the swing phase. MTP represented the swing foot-ground clearance and various MTPs were modelled based on a range of VMs. The sagittal orientation of the toe and heel relative to the walking surface was also considered to evaluate effects of VM and swing foot angle on foot-ground clearance. Greater VM increased the swing foot-ground clearance. At MFC, for example, 0.09 cm increase was estimated for every 0.1cm VM. Foot angle throughout the swing phase was typically -30° and 70°. Increasing swing ankle dorsiflexion can maximise VM, which is effective for tripping prevention. Further research will be needed to determine the maximum thresholds of VM to be safely incorporated into a shoe.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL), Victoria University, Ballarat Rd, Footscray, Victoria 3011, Australia. Electronic address: hanatsu.nagano@vu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Hanatsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagano
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL), Victoria University, Ballarat Rd, Footscray, Victoria 3011, Australia.
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Sparrow
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL), Victoria University, Ballarat Rd, Footscray, Victoria 3011, Australia.
authors.forename: Rezaul K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Begg
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012775:Shoes; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Foot-ground clearance; Gait; Simulation; Tripping