The Characteristics of Walking with Different Types of Shoes as Viewed from the Ground Reaction Forces

Abstract

The characteristics of walking with different types of shoes were investigated from the viewpoint of ground reaction forces, as compared with those during walking barefoot. The shoes used in this experiment were three types for casual or business uses for men, which were on the market in Japan. The same shoes were worn by 4 male subjects of the same shoes sizes. It was concluded, from the analysis of variance and the mean difference test, that (1) the ground reaction forces during walking with shoes showed large differences between subjects, (2) the first peak value of the vertical ground rection force had the tendency to increase while the polar minimum value of the vertical force had the tendency to decrease during walking with shoes, (3) the effect of shoes on the ground reaction forces appeared subject specific, and (4) the formal shoes with leather sole had less effect to enhance the acceleration.