Faculty Collaboration Database

Effects of the toe-only rocker on gait kinematics and kinetics in able-bodied persons. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2005 Dec;13(4):542-50

Date

01/24/2006

Pubmed ID

16425836

DOI

10.1109/TNSRE.2005.858460

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-29544441107 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   33 Citations

Abstract

Rocker sole shoes are commonly prescribed to diabetic patients with insensate feet. Recent passage of the therapeutic shoe bill has drawn an increased focus on prescription of rehabilitative footwear. The purpose of this work is to investigate the dynamics of lower extremity joints (hip, knee, and ankle) with the application of a toe-only rocker sole shoe under controlled laboratory conditions. Forty (40) normal adults volunteered for gait analysis using controlled baseline and prescription toe-only rocker sole shoes. Three-dimensional motion analysis techniques were used to acquire kinematic and kinetic data using a six camera Vicon 370 motion system and two AMTI force plates. While significant changes from baseline to toe-only rocker were noted in cadence (increased) and stride length (decreased), no significant change in walking speed was observed. The most significant kinematic changes with the application of the toe-only shoe occurred at the ankle and knee in the sagittal plane during stance. The most significant kinetic effects were observed in the hip and knee during swing phase. Changes in power were noted at all joints, mostly in terminal stance. These kinematic and kinetic changes, along with previously studied effects of pressure relief at the metatarsal heads, should aid medical professionals in prescribing prophylactic footwear.

Author List

Van Bogart JJ, Long JT, Klein JP, Wertsch JJ, Janisse DJ, Harris GF

Author

Gerald Harris PhD Director in the Orthopaedic Research Engineering Center (OREC) department at Marquette University

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Ankle Joint
Biomechanical Phenomena
Equipment Design
Equipment Failure Analysis
Female
Gait
Hip Joint
Humans
Kinetics
Knee Joint
Locomotion
Male
Middle Aged
Range of Motion, Articular
Shoes
Torque