Gait characteristics in women's safety shoes
1Graduate School of Health and Welfare, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398 Shimami-cho, Kita-ku, Niigata City, Niigata 950-3198, Japan.
Applied Ergonomics
|August 14, 2017
Summary
Wearing stiff safety shoes increases lower extremity muscle activity, potentially impacting gait and increasing injury risk for workers. This study analyzed gait and muscle responses to safety footwear.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Biomechanics
- Ergonomics
Background:
- Mandatory safety footwear in Japan raises concerns about associated occupational accidents.
- The biomechanical impact of rigid safety shoes on worker gait and muscle function requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the effects of hard-soled safety shoes on spatiotemporal gait characteristics.
- To assess the impact of safety shoes on lower extremity muscle activity during walking.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen young women participated in a 5-meter gait trial and surface electromyography.
- Participants walked in both safety shoes and flexible sports shoes for comparison.
- Paired t-tests were used to analyze differences in gait and muscle activation.
Main Results:
- Walking in safety shoes significantly increased muscle activity in the vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, and tibialis anterior.
- Gait characteristics were altered when wearing safety shoes compared to sports shoes.
- Increased muscle activation suggests compensation for reduced shoe flexibility.
Conclusions:
- Hard-soled safety shoes necessitate greater muscle effort in the lower extremities.
- This increased muscle activity may be a contributing factor to occupational accidents.
- Further research should explore strategies to mitigate these effects and improve safety shoe design.
