The effect of different insole stiffness on ankle joint moment during walking

Abstract

The foot ankle system is an important component of human locomotion. The footwear mechanical properties such as insole stiffness was reported to influence foot ankle biomechanical patterns and locomotion performance (Ray & Takahashi, 2020; Stefanyshyn & Fusco, 2004). The foot segment can be regarded as the triceps surae muscles’ lever arm during locomotion (Ortega et al., 2021). Increasing footwear bending stiffness was reported to move the centre of pressure (COP) more anterior (Takahashi et al., 2016), and the ground reaction force gear ratio would tend to increase as well (Ortega et al., 2021). While most of the studies were focusing on running gait analysis. Additionally, the findings of changing footwear insole stiffness on ankle joint moment were mixed so far.