The role of footwear in minimizing lower limb injury

Abstract

The shoe can be thought of as a powerful tool for controlling human movement. A well-designed shoe can assist in reducing the number of lower limb injuries arising from sport and training activities. The purpose of this paper is to present a summary of the main thrusts of research in this field by means of a digest of current thinking and practice. The paper initially presents a survey of work in the biomechanical field with particular reference to the design of footwear. A review of the types of injury acquired by sportsmen in both training and playing is then followed by a discussion of aspects of footwear design and their role in both contributing to and preventing lower limb injury. Finally, the paper considers support and shock absorption techniques in the context of footwear design. It is concluded that research has been wide-ranging and thorough. However, the complexity of the biomechanical system being studied has prevented definitive recommendations for the prevention of injury being made in every case. Nonetheless, it is clear that a number of guiding principles have been established which should be the basis for future developments in footwear design to minimize the chance of lower limb injury.

Cushioning and lateral stability functions of cloth sport shoes

“…In running, the peak vertical impact force between the ground and the foot in the first 20-30 ms after the foot strike was found to be two to three times the runner's weight (Munro et al, 1987). Repetitive impact force may cause lower limb injury (Barnes and Smith, 1994) and low back pain (Voloshin and Wosk, 1982). Therefore regular runners should equip themselves with suitable running shoes that can cushion the impact force during foot strike.…”

A Field Study of Low-Top vs. Mid-Top vs. High-Top American Football Cleats

“…Discrepancies between studies are expected given the variability inherent in such techniques [1,36], the use of shoes from different sports and manufacturers, and the use of athletes of different builds, so results may not be directly comparable. The cutting maneuvers from the studies in Appendix A are similar to the cutting drill employed in the present study whereas the jumping maneuvers from the studies in Appendix B are similar to the ladder drill employed in the present study.…”

“…Orthoses, prophylactic taping or spatting, and prophylactic bracing are often used in conjunction with cleats, particularly in the context of American football, yet conflicting evidence exists regarding the effects of combining appliances [18,23,31,36,46]. Other shoe factors that deserve research because they may modify the effects of shoe height include: the material the upper is constructed from [16]; outer sole properties, such as traction [26] or height and configuration the studs [47]; midsole properties including cushioning [26,48]; heel characteristics such as flares and height in relation to the forefoot [48]; shoe features such as straps or inner boots [31]; and lacing configurations such as eyelet numbers, lacing patterns, tautness, and notched eyestay systems [1,10,28,49]. Another question that remains to be addressed is "how much" additional shoe height provides stability benefits, though some studies [50] have laid the foundation for such a quest.…”

“…Proper footwear is vital to optimal performance and injury prevention and should be based on individual athlete characteristics (such as stature and injury history), movements required by the sport, and playing environment [1][2][3][4][5]. Shoe height is one design element that impacts footwear properties.…”

Do thicker midsoles increase shock attenuation and do thin midsoles facilitate propulsion during lunge maneuvers? Footwear design for racket-sport industry

“…Although a thinner midsole might compromise shock attenuation according to material testing [4], "minimalist footwear" has yielded beneficial effects on reduction of impact force during running [5]. Minimalism in the manufacturing of shoes would be related to material and structural properties as well since it can reduce the mass of the shoes and thus may increase efficiency in running performance.…”