Effects of indoor slippers on plantar pressure and lower limb EMG activity in older women

Effect of slipper wearing and carrying positions of infant on dynamic stability and kinetic variable during level walking

Recently though various hip seats for carrying infant of women was designed and developed, then, wearing slipper may restrain the movement of bare foot. The study was undertaken to investigate the dynamic stability and kinetic variables according to between position of carrying infant and wearing slipper. Adult female (n=10) and under one year age of infant (n=10) participated in the study. Extrapolated center of mass, center of pressure, ground reaction force (GRF), and leg stiffness of gait characteristics using 3-dimensional cinematography and GRF were analyzed. Dynamic stability according to position of carrying infant and wearing slipper was not significant. While when carried an infant against normal gait showed significant difference in breaking force, leg stiffness and loading rate (P<0.001). Of which breaking force and vertical impulse were more increased when the back-carried against fore-carried of trunk. Thus it resulted in transformation on types of impulse transfer to leg and COG of women’s carrying infant, which may be strategy for securing a dynamic stability. Therefore experts related with exercise rehabilitation should understand sufficiently on gait characteristics of women with diseases on muscular-skeletal system and perform effective rehabilitation and treatment.

Effects of Slipper Features and Properties on Walking and Sit-to-Stand Tasks of Older Women

Indoor slippers with a strap across the dorsal forefoot are popular with older women. However, their influence on the foot motion has not been reported. This study evaluated the range of movement in the knee and ankle joints during walking and changes in trunk displacement during sit-to-stand when 10 healthy older women wore two types of slippers and were barefoot. Compared to barefeet, walking in slippers results in significant increases in the knee flexion angle in the swing phase. However, there is nonsignificant differences in the ankle angle in any phase across all conditions. During the sit-stand transition when slippers are worn, there is a significant reduction in the peak trunk tilt angle and range, as well as the duration of the weight shift when motion is initiated. The findings therefore provide a better understanding of slipper features and designs associated with changes in foot kinematics in older women.

How Arch Support Insoles Help Persons with Flatfoot on Uphill and Downhill Walking

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of arch support insoles on uphill and downhill walking of persons with flatfoot. Sixteen healthy college students with flatfoot were recruited in this study. Their heart rate, peak oxygen uptake (VO₂), and median frequency (MDF) of surface electromyogram were recorded and analyzed. Nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for statistical analysis. The main results were as follows: (a) peak VO₂ significantly decreased with arch support insoles compared with flat insoles during uphill and downhill walking (arch support insole versus flat insole: uphill walking, 20.7 ± 3.6 versus 31.6 ± 5.5; downhill walking, 10.9 ± 2.3 versus 16.9 ± 4.2); (b) arch support insoles could reduce the fatigue of the rectus femoris muscle during downhill walking (MDF slope of arch support insole: 0.03 ± 1.17, flat insole: −6.56 ± 23.07); (c) insole hardness would increase not only the physical sensory input but also the fatigue of lower-limb muscles particularly for the rectus femoris muscle (MDF slope of arch support insole: −1.90 ± 1.60, flat insole: −0.83 ± 1.10) in persons with flatfoot during uphill walking. The research results show that arch support insoles could effectively be applied to persons with flatfoot to aid them during uphill and downhill walking.