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THE E-SHOE In a practical setting
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In walking and running the foot is subjected to high loads. Ideally, minimising these loads should maximise the protection to the foot and body, from these loads. Shock absorbing materials are used to achieve this in footwear. A problem with conventional shock absorbing materials is that most of the energy from the gait cycle applied during loading, is lost from the cycle. Elastic strain energy footwear (e-shoe) that aims to absorb and return the correct amount of energy, has been designed and built at REHABTech. However, studies covering the effects of an energy returning sole are divided on the benefits. It is believed that a runner’s kinematics are altered to compensate for changes in footwear. This alteration in kinematics may also occur during normal walking. |
Data was taken from 11 subjects for both walking with a conventional shoe and walking with the e-shoe. Vertical force, anterior/posterior force, moment and power were calculated from the obtained data and a comparison between both shoes was made with the use of a paired sample t-test.
The data showed no significant differences between a conventional shoe and the e-shoe. However the subjects reported more comfortable walking with the e-shoe. Therefore a subjective effect of the e-shoe must be accounted for. A more homogenous group and more trials per subject might give a clearer view on the effect of the e-shoe on walking kinematics.
