Foot Structure and Function in Habitually Barefoot and Shod Adolescents in Kenya

Aibast, Herje; Okutoyi, Paul; Sigei, Timothy K.; Adero, Walter; Chemjor, Danny; Ongaro, Neford; Fuku, Noriyuki; Konstabel, Kenn; Clark, Carol; Lieberman, Daniel E.; Pitsiladis, Yannis

doi:10.1249/jsr.0000000000000431

Cited by 24 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…In contrast, forefront striking, in which the ball of the foot contacts the ground before the heel, avoids the generation of impact peaks as the foot is in a more plantarflexed position upon landing and ankle compliance is increased (see Perl, Daoud, & Lieberman, ). Even on hard surfaces, shod rearfoot striking generates larger collision forces than barefoot forefront striking, potentially increasing the risk of injury (Aibast et al, ; Lieberman et al, ; Lieberman, ; Perl et al, ).…”

Section: Lower Limb Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human athletic paleobiology; using sport as a model to investigate human evolutionary adaptation

Longman

Wells²,

Stock

2020

American J Phys Anthropol

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The use of sport as a conceptual framework offers unprecedented opportunities to improve our understanding of what the body does, shedding new light on our evolutionary trajectory, our capacity for adaptation, and the underlying biological mechanisms. This approach has gained traction over recent years. To date, sport has facilitated exploration not only of the evolutionary history of our species as a whole, but also of human variation and adaptation at the interindividual and intraindividual levels. At the species level, analysis of lower and upper limb biomechanics and energetics with respect to walking, running and throwing have led to significant advances in the understanding of human adaptations relative to other hominins. From an interindividual perspective, investigation of physical activity patterns and endurance running performance is affording greater understanding of evolved constraints of energy expenditure, thermoregulatory energetics, signaling theory, and morphological variation. Furthermore, ultra-endurance challenges provoke functional trade-offs, allowing new ground to be broken in the study of life history trade-offs and human adaptability. Human athletic paleobiology-the recruitment of athletes as study participants and the use of contemporary sports as a model for studying evolutionary theory-has great potential. Here, we draw from examples in the literature to provide a review of how the use of athletes as a model system is enhancing understanding of human evolutionary adaptation. K E Y W O R D S adaptation, human athletic paleobiology, human evolution, plasticity, sport 1 | INTRODUCTION The fossil record provides evidence about the form and physical characteristics of the human or hominin body, and their changes over time. However, a central challenge of hominin paleobiology is the interpretation of the body's function from its form; how do we walk, run, use tools, and move within the landscape, and how did these functions themselves evolve? Stemming from this, what is the nature of the physiological mechanisms that underpin observed variation in form and function? The use of sport as a conceptual framework offers unprecedented opportunities to improve our understanding of what the body does, shedding new light on our evolutionary trajectory, our capacity for adaptation, and the underlying biological mechanisms.There has been increasing interest in the model system provided by athletes to enhance our understanding of human evolutionary theory. To date, studies of athletes have facilitated exploration of three key levels of variation and adaptation within the field of human evolution ( Figure 1).

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Section: Lower Limb Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human athletic paleobiology; using sport as a model to investigate human evolutionary adaptation

Longman

Wells²,

Stock

2020

American J Phys Anthropol

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show abstract

“…Although Vitale et al [36] reported that performing more hours of barefoot training in martial artists, including judo athletes, confers a higher risk of lower limb injury, the correlations between barefoot activities and injuries are unclear. Studies have been contradictory regarding the relationship between foot arch height and habitual barefootedness: higher foot arches are seen in habitually barefoot than habitually shod populations of children and adolescents [1,14]. On the other hand, Cureton [7] and our recent study [30] showed that foot arch height was not associated with physical performance or TFS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…After each eligible CON was selected by matching in age and gender to JUDO volunteers, JUDO and CON were matched in body mass because muscle strength is largely affected by body size [26]. Additionally, matching groups by body mass precludes any influence of a variable load on measures of foot structure and function [1]. According to these criteria, JUDO (men, 24; age, 19.8 ± 1.3 yr; height, 168.5 ± 4.9 cm; body mass, 72.4 ± 6.4 kg; BMI, 25.5 ± 2.1 kg/m 2 ; mean ± S.D.)…”

Section: Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toe Flexor Muscle Strength and Morphological Characteristics of the Foot in Judo Athletes

et al. 2019

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Whether practicing in judo influences the muscle strength and morphological characteristics of the foot is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the toe flexor muscle strength and morphological characteristics of the foot in judo athletes. Judo athletes (JUDO, men=24) and age-, gender- and body mass-matched physically active healthy subjects (CON, men=24) were recruited, and their toe flexor strength and morphological characteristics of the foot were compared. The maximum isometric toe flexor strength and foot intrinsic muscle thicknesses were measured using a toe grip dynamometer and a B-mode ultrasound, respectively. Foot arch height was assessed as the distance between the navicular tuberosity of the foot and the floor in the sitting and standing positions. JUDO showed a significantly lower foot arch height and smaller foot arch index than CON, whereas foot length and muscle thickness did not significantly differ between groups. The toe flexor strength relative to total muscle thickness was significantly larger in JUDO than CON. The foot arch dynamics was significantly larger in JUDO than CON. This study suggests that exercise training specific to judo may affect the force-generating capacity, morphological structure and arch function of the foot.

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“…The effects of footwear on foot development have focussed primarily on the morphology of the medial longitudinal arch [ 4 , 7 , 8 , 20 , 21 ], although more recent studies are beginning to focus on the functional effects of footwear [ 4 , 19 , 22 , 23 ]. Through measurement of static footprints, Echarri and Forriol [ 7 ] investigated the development of foot morphology in 1851 Congolese children aged 3–12 years and reported that footwear had little influence on morphological parameters of the feet.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Big issues for small feet: developmental, biomechanical and clinical narratives on children's footwear

Morrison

Price

McClymont

et al. 2018

Journal of Foot and Ankle Research

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The effects of footwear on the development of children’s feet has been debated for many years and recent work from the developmental and biomechanical literature has challenged long-held views about footwear and the impact on foot development. This narrative review draws upon existing studies from developmental, biomechanical and clinical literature to explore the effects of footwear on the development of the foot. The emerging findings from this support the need for progress in [children’s] footwear science and advance understanding of the interaction between the foot and shoe. Ensuring clear and credible messages inform practice requires a progressive evidence base but this remains big issue in children’s footwear research.

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Foot Structure and Function in Habitually Barefoot and Shod Adolescents in Kenya

Cited by 24 publications

References 41 publications

Human athletic paleobiology; using sport as a model to investigate human evolutionary adaptation

Human athletic paleobiology; using sport as a model to investigate human evolutionary adaptation

Toe Flexor Muscle Strength and Morphological Characteristics of the Foot in Judo Athletes

Big issues for small feet: developmental, biomechanical and clinical narratives on children's footwear

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