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Published on: September 14, 2017
Footwear traction and lower extremity joint loading
John W Wannop1, Jay T Worobets, Darren J Stefanyshyn
1University of Calgary, Human Performance Lab, Faculty of Kinesiology, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. bwannop@kin.ucalgary.ca
The American Journal of Sports Medicine
|March 30, 2010
Summary
Increased shoe traction significantly elevates ankle and knee joint moments during athletic V-cuts. Reducing shoe traction may lower injury risk without impacting performance.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Sports Medicine
- Orthopedics
Background:
- Traction is influenced by footwear and playing surfaces.
- Increased traction may increase injury risk, but the mechanism is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how varying shoe sole designs and traction affect knee and ankle joint moments during athletic movements.
Main Methods:
- Controlled laboratory study involving 13 recreational athletes performing running V-cuts.
- Traction testing of tread vs. smooth sole shoes using a robotic machine.
- Kinematic and kinetic data collected using motion capture and force plates.
Main Results:
- Tread shoes exhibited significantly higher translational traction and rotational moments compared to smooth shoes.
- High-traction shoes resulted in significantly greater peak ankle and knee external rotation moments.
- Higher peak knee adduction moments and impulse were observed with high-traction shoes.
Conclusions:
- Elevated shoe traction significantly increases ankle and knee joint moments during V-cuts.
- No performance differences were noted despite significant traction variations.
- Decreased shoe traction may reduce joint moments and injury risk in sports without compromising performance.
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