Biomechanical implications of walking with indigenous footwear

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study investigates biomechanical implications of walking with indigenous “Kolhapuri” footwear compared to barefoot walking among a population of South Indians.Materials and methodsTen healthy adults from South India walked barefoot and indigenously shod at voluntary speed on an artificial substrate. The experiment was repeated outside, on a natural substrate. Data were collected from (1) a heel‐mounted 3D‐accelerometer recording peak impact at heel contact, (2) an ankle‐mounted 3D‐goniometer (plantar/dorsiflexion and inversion/eversion), and (3) sEMG electrodes at the m. tibialis anterior and the m. gastrocnemius medialis.ResultsData show that the effect of indigenous footwear on the measured variables, compared to barefoot walking, is relatively small and consistent between substrates (even though subjects walked faster on the natural substrate). Walking barefoot, compared to shod walking yields higher impact accelerations, but the differences are small and only significant for the artificial substrate. The main rotations of the ankle joint are mostly similar between conditions. Only the shod condition shows a faster ankle rotation over the rapid eversion motion on the natural substrate. Maximal dorsiflexion in late stance differs between the footwear conditions on an artificial substrate, with the shod condition involving a less dorsiflexed ankle, and the plantar flexion at toe‐off is more extreme when shod. Overall the activity pattern of the external foot muscles is similar.DiscussionThe indigenous footwear studied (Kolhapuri) seems to alter foot biomechanics only in a subtle way. While offering some degree of protection, walking in this type of footwear resembles barefoot gait and this type of indigenous footwear might be considered “minimal”.

Heel impact forces during barefoot versus minimally shod walking among Tarahumara subsistence farmers and urban Americans

“…Third, an inherent limitation to all studies in which ground reaction forces are measured, either with a pedography platform or force plate, is that the material properties of the substrate colliding with the foot differ from the surface properties that humans typically walk and run on, especially the natural surfaces of rural environments. Future studies should consider how natural surfaces affect impact forces when walking barefoot and in minimal footwear [ 31 ].…”

Walking on your sensitive sole

“…Barefoot walking with thick calluses is our biologically normal condition, and people who usually walk barefoot experience few problems doing so 9,10 , as I have also observed in my research in India 11,12 . Walkers who are habitually barefoot report no pain when walking on most terrains that shod walkers would find painful to walk on barefoot.…”

On Footwear and Disability: A Dance of Animacy?

“…It is also unclear whether it was a shoe worn by a man or a woman. In a contemporary context, research has pointed to the restrictive nature of footwear, even pointing to its pathological impact on the feet, which has recently led to interest in indigenous footwear such as the Kolhapuri sandal [14]. Moreover, in certain cases, such as in long distance running, there are arguments for going barefoot because of the different styles of running adopted; namely, landing on the forefoot rather than the heel, which causes less impact on the body and is, thus, considered to be healthier [15].…”