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Kirk MM, Mattock JPM, Coltman CE, Steele JR. What do male netball players want in their footwear? Design recommendations for netball-specific shoes for men. APPLIED ERGONOMICS 2023; 113:104075. [PMID: 37392557 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2023.104075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
With the increasing professionalisation of men's netball and the high prevalence of foot-related problems and pain, manufacturers must develop shoes with the correct ergonomic design to meet the unique needs of male netball players. This study aimed to determine what factors men consider when selecting a netball-specific shoe and what design features they want in an ideal netball-specific shoe. 279 amateur, sub-elite and elite male netball players completed a 38-question online survey about their footwear habits and preferences. Support was the most influential factor when men selected a netball-specific shoe. A wider toe-box, more durable upper and outsole, and added cushioning and support in the midsole and insole were preferred fit, form and function features for an ideal netball-specific shoe. We recommend that manufacturers develop a range of netball-specific shoes based on the foot dimensions, playing demands and preferences of male netball players to meet men's fit and functionality requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maddison M Kirk
- Biomechanics Research Laboratory, School of Medical, Indigenous & Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, University of Wollongong, Australia.
| | - Joshua P M Mattock
- Biomechanics Research Laboratory, School of Medical, Indigenous & Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Celeste E Coltman
- University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Australia
| | - Julie R Steele
- Biomechanics Research Laboratory, School of Medical, Indigenous & Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, University of Wollongong, Australia
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Jiao Y, Džeroski S, Jurca A. Analysis of hallux valgus angles automatically extracted from 3D foot scans taken in North America, Europe, and Asia. ERGONOMICS 2022:1-12. [PMID: 36269073 DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2022.2139415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The forefoot is the foot part most affected by ill-fitting shoes. Footwear fitting considers the measurements of length, width, and arch length. Toe shape has not yet been used in sizing feet and fitting shoes. This study aims to investigate the variation in toe shape, as measured by the hallux valgus angle. An automatic and reproducible hallux valgus angle measuring method using 3D foot scans with no palpation markers is proposed and applied to about half a million samples collected across North America, Europe, and Asia. The measuring method is robust and can detect the medial contour along the proximal phalanx even in extreme cases. The hallux valgus angle has a normal distribution with long tails on both sides in the general population. Large dispersions of HVA values were observed for both genders and in all three geographical regions. Practitioner summary: The hallux valgus angle has a broad distribution in the general population. Females have larger hallux valgus angles than males, and people from Asia have larger hallux valgus angles than people from North America and Europe. Shoe toe boxes should be designed to fit the actual shapes of shoppers' toes. The proposed method for measuring HVA opens a new opportunity to study the causal relationship between shoe wearing habits and HVA on a large scale.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sašo Džeroski
- Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jozef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ales Jurca
- Volumental AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Jozef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Jo J, Sokolowski S, McQuerry M, Griffin L, Park H. Firefighters' feet: Differences by sex and weight-bearing. APPLIED ERGONOMICS 2022; 102:103753. [PMID: 35344794 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2022.103753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Firefighters have reported their protective boots to be bulky and ill-fitting, which they believe restrict the lower body movement on the unpredictable fireground. This study used 3D foot scanning to compare the shape of firefighters' feet to the general population, the shape of female firefighters' feet to males, and the impact of the heavy fire gear on foot shape. The results found the foot breadth of firefighters was larger than the general population and the feet of female firefighters were slimmer than males. Furthermore, it revealed that the feet of firefighters became longer, wider, and flatter when bearing the weight of fire gear. Protective boots should be designed based on the foot shape and dimensions of the actual population, with consideration of sex differences and the impact of weight-bearing for their safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeyeon Jo
- Cornell University, 255 Human Ecology Building, 37 Forest Home Dr, NY, 14853, Ithaca, USA.
| | | | - Meredith McQuerry
- Florida State University, 236 Shaw Building, 644 West Call Street, FL, 32306, Tallahassee, USA.
| | - Linsey Griffin
- University of Minnesota, 350 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Ave, MN, 55108, St. Paul, USA.
| | - Huiju Park
- Cornell University, 131 Human Ecology Building, 37 Forest Home Dr, NY, 14853, Ithaca, USA.
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Bagheri ZS, Li Y, Fekr AR, Dutta T. The effect of wear on slip-resistance of winter footwear with composite outsoles: A pilot study. APPLIED ERGONOMICS 2022; 99:103611. [PMID: 34768227 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Falls on icy surfaces are among the top causes of injuries for workers exposed to the outdoor environment. Our recent field study showed that a new generation of winter footwear incorporating composite outsoles was able to reduce slips and falls on icy surfaces by 68% and 78%, respectively. The widespread adoption of this type of footwear may lead to substantial reductions in pain, suffering and costs of fall-related injuries. However, these composite materials are sensitive to wear and abrasion, which makes it likely that their slip-resistance performance may degrade with use. The goal of this pilot study was to determine the extent to which the slip-resistance of two types of winter footwear with composite outsoles changed as they wore down with real-world use. Seven participants were recruited for this study and were asked to walk 100K steps with their assigned footwear. Tread depth and slip-resistance performance (using the Maximum Achievable Angle test) were measured at baseline and again after each 25K-step interval up to 100K. Our results showed that the slip-resistance performance of the test footwear dropped significantly after the 75K and 100K step intervals compared to baseline. In addition, significant changes in tread depth were found after only 25K steps. These findings indicate that the performance of this type of footwear degrades relatively quickly with real-world use. Therefore, larger scale study of the slip-resistance of winter footwear with composite outsoles is needed and members of the public should be made aware of the potential loss of slip-resistance of these products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Shaghayegh Bagheri
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA; KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network, 550 University Ave, Toronto, M5G2A2, Canada.
| | - Yue Li
- KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network, 550 University Ave, Toronto, M5G2A2, Canada
| | - Atena Roshan Fekr
- KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network, 550 University Ave, Toronto, M5G2A2, Canada; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College St., Toronto, M5S3G9, Canada
| | - Tilak Dutta
- KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network, 550 University Ave, Toronto, M5G2A2, Canada; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College St., Toronto, M5S3G9, Canada
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Assessing the Compressive and Impact Behavior of Plastic Safety Toe Caps through Computational Modelling. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:polym13244332. [PMID: 34960881 PMCID: PMC8703535 DOI: 10.3390/polym13244332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Toe caps are one of the most important components in safety footwear, but have a significant contribution to the weight of the shoe. Efforts have been made to replace steel toe caps by polymeric ones, since they are lighter, insulated and insensitive to magnetic fields. Nevertheless, polymeric solutions require larger volumes, which has a negative impact on the shoe’s aesthetics. Therefore, safety footwear manufacturers are pursuing the development of an easy, low-cost and reliable solution to optimize this component. In this work, a solid mechanics toolbox built in the open-source computational library, OpenFOAM®, was used to simulate two laboratory standard tests (15 kN compression and 200 J impact tests). To model the polymeric material behavior, a neo-Hookean hyper-elasto-plastic material law with J2 plastic criteria was employed. A commercially available plastic toe cap was characterized, and the collected data was used for assessment purposes. Close agreements, between experimental and simulated values, were achieved for both tests, with an approximate error of 5.4% and 6.8% for the displacement value in compression and impact test simulations, respectively. The results clearly demonstrate that the employed open-source finite volume computational models offer reliable results and can support the design of toe caps for the R&D footwear industry.
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Menz HB, Bonanno DR. Footwear comfort: a systematic search and narrative synthesis of the literature. J Foot Ankle Res 2021; 14:63. [PMID: 34876192 PMCID: PMC8650278 DOI: 10.1186/s13047-021-00500-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To provide a narrative synthesis of the research literature pertaining to footwear comfort, including definitions, measurement scales, footwear design features, and physiological and psychological factors. METHODS A systematic search was conducted which yielded 101 manuscripts. The most relevant manuscripts were selected based on the predetermined subheadings of the review (definitions, measurement scales, footwear design features, and physiological and psychological factors). A narrative synthesis of the findings of the included studies was undertaken. RESULTS The available evidence is highly fragmented and incorporates a wide range of study designs, participants, and assessment approaches, making it challenging to draw strong conclusions or implications for clinical practice. However, it can be broadly concluded that (i) simple visual analog scales may provide a reliable overall assessment of comfort, (ii) well-fitted, lightweight shoes with soft midsoles and curved rocker-soles are generally perceived to be most comfortable, and (iii) the influence of sole flexibility, shoe microclimate and insoles is less clear and likely to be more specific to the population, setting and task being performed. CONCLUSION Footwear comfort is a complex and multifaceted concept that is influenced not only by structural and functional aspects of shoe design, but also task requirements and anatomical and physiological differences between individuals. Further research is required to delineate the contribution of specific shoe features more clearly, and to better understand the interaction between footwear features and individual physiological attributes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hylton B Menz
- Discipline of Podiatry, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia.
| | - Daniel R Bonanno
- Discipline of Podiatry, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
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Matthias EC, Banwell HA, Arnold JB. Methods for assessing footwear comfort: a systematic review. FOOTWEAR SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/19424280.2021.1961879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elsa C. Matthias
- Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Helen A. Banwell
- Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - John B. Arnold
- Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
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