Orthotic Insole - Ideastep

Variability in musculoskeletal structure has the potential to influence locomotor function. It has been shown, for example, that sprinters have smaller Achilles tendon moment arms and longer toes than non-sprinters, and toe length has been found to correlate with toe flexor work in running humans. These findings suggest that interindividual variation in human foot structure allows for function that is adapted to various motor tasks. The purpose of this study was to test for correlations between foot anthropometry and single-joint maximal-height jumping performance. Ten male subjects performed static jumps using only their ankles for propulsion. Several anthropometric measures were taken. Bivariate correlation analyses were performed between all anthropometric variables and the average jump height for each subject. Results showed that the best jumpers had longer lateral heel lengths (r=0.871; p=0.001) and longer toes (r=0.712; p=0.021). None of the other anthropometric var

Comfort has been shown to be the most desired football boot feature by players. Previous studies have shown discomfort to be related to increased plantar pressures for running shoes which, in some foot regions, has been suggested to be a causative factor in overuse injuries. This study examined the correlation between subjective comfort data and objective plantar pressure for football boots during football-specific drills. Eight male university football players were tested. Plantar pressure data were collected during four football-specific movements for each of three different football boots. The global and local peak pressures based on a nine-sectioned foot map were compared to subjective comfort measures recorded using a visual analogue scale for global discomfort and a discomfort foot map for local discomfort. A weak (r_s = -0.126) yet significant (P < 0.05) correlation was shown between the peak plantar pressure experienced and the visual anal

Geckos employ their adhesive system when moving up an incline, but the directionality of the system may limit function on downhill surfaces. Here, we use a generalist gecko to test whether limb modulation occurs on downhill slopes to allow geckos to take advantage of their adhesive system. We examined three-dimensional limb kinematics for geckos moving up and down a 45° slope. Remarkably, the hind limbs were rotated posteriorly on declines, resulting in digit III of the pes facing a more posterior direction (opposite to the direction of travel). No significant changes in limb orientation were found in any other condition. This pes rotation leads to a dramatic shift in foot function that facilitates the use of the adhesive system as a brake/stabilizer during downhill locomotion and, although this rotation is not unique to geckos, it is significant for the deployment of adhesion. Adhesion is not just advantageous for uphill locomotion but can be employed to help deal with t

There is evidence supporting that habitual barefoot runners are able to disperse impact loading rates by landing pattern modification. Yet, case studies suggested that barefoot running may result in severe running injuries, such as metatarsal and calcaneal stress fractures. Injuries may be due to a difference in biomechanical response between habitual and novice barefoot runners. This study investigated the initial effects of barefoot running in habitual shod runners in terms of landing pattern modification and vertical loading rates. Thirty habitual shod runners (mean age 25.5±5.2years; 18 men; with a minimum running mileage of 30km per week for at least one year) ran on an instrumented treadmill at 10km/h shod and barefoot in a randomized order. Vertical average (VALR) and instantaneous loading rates (VILR) were obtained by established methods. Landing pattern was presented as a ratio between the number of footfalls with a heelstrike and the total step number. Twenty pa

Foot torsion angles have previously been studied for different athletic movements. Sport shoes often contain a torsion element even though the location of the rotation axis of the foot is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to quantify the torsion axis location and determine if the location is influenced by the movement or the subject. The torsion axis location was calculated using a modified finite helical axis approach, which allowed the calculation of the rotation axis between the forefoot and the rearfoot without the influence of forefoot flexion. The torsion axis location during the lateral jab was 9.72 mm below and 26.96 mm lateral to a marker located at the posterior, central heel, whereas the shuffle cut resulted in an axis location of 9.59 mm below and 26.19 mm lateral to the reference marker. There was no significant difference for the average axis location between movements. There was, however, a significant difference for the location between sub

> Objective: > To examine ground reaction forces (GRFs); frontal plane hip, knee, and ankle joint angles; and moments in high-arched (HA) and low-arched (LA) athletes during landing. > Design: > Experimental study. > Setting: > Controlled research laboratory. > Participants: > Twenty healthy female recreational athletes (10 HA and 10 LA). > Interventions: > Athletes performed 5 barefoot drop landings from a height of 30 cm. > Main outcome

Human movement involves the coordination of individual segments controlled by the central nervous system and powered by the muscles. However, visualization of this high-dimensional coordination between kinematic and kinetic parameters is challenging. The purposes of this study were (a) to identify differences in lower extremity coordination between different types of foot orthoses using Kohonen self-organizing maps (SOM) and (b) to demonstrate the SOM visualization of high-dimensional coordination in gait. This study used gait data for twenty subjects while running in four different orthotic conditions (control, posted, molded, and posted-molded) from a previous study. Data for one exemplar participant was used to demonstrate the visualization technique. In this visualization, areas on an output map represent certain characteristics of the gait cycle. By comparing trials of gait in different orthotic conditions a visual analysis of high-dimensional coordination is possibl

In this study we estimated time-varying cortical connectivity patterns from a group of Spinal Cord Injured (SCI) patients during the attempt to move a paralyzed limb. These data were compared with the time-varying connectivity patterns estimated in a control group during the real execution of the movement by using time-varying Partial Directed Coherence. Connectivity was estimated from high resolution EEG recordings with the use of realistic head modelling and the linear inverse estimation of the cortical activity in a series of Regions of Interest of the cortex (ROIs). The experimental evidences obtained support the conclusion that the SCI population involved a larger cortical network than those generated by the healthy subjects during the task performance. Such network differs for the involvement of the parietal cortices, which increases in strength near to the movement imagination onset for the SCI when compared to the normal population. Such details about the temporal

Modelling the effect of soleus and gastrocnemius contractions against the floor resistance in a forward dynamics simulation revealed that hip flexion, internal rotation and adduction together with external pelvic rotation could be attributed to a direct, but distant effect of triceps surae contraction. Knee flexion smoothed out the effect. To validate this clinically relevant biomechanical observation, ankle plantar flexion was correlated with hip and pelvic rotation retrospectively in children with spastic cerebral palsy. In 49 children with spastic hemiplegia, plantar flexion showed a significant correlation with increased pelvic retraction and hip internal rotation. In contrast, in 47 children with spastic diplegia no significant effect of the triceps surae on hip and pelvis kinematics was found. Bilateral hip and knee flexion in diplegia appeared to prevent the proximal effect of the triceps surae seen in the hemiplegics. In diplegia triceps surae overactivity did not

The closed kinetic chain effects of peroneus longus (PL) activity on the medial column of the foot were investigated in seven fresh-frozen cadaver specimens using a three-dimensional radiowave tracking system. Specimens, consisting of the distal half of the leg and the intact ankle and foot, were mounted on a nonmetallic loading frame which allowed positioning of the foot to simulate midstance position of gait. The tibia and fibula were axially loaded to 400 N. Receiving transducers were attached to the first metatarsal, medial cuneiform, navicular, and talus. Tarsal movements were measured as specimens were axially loaded and midstance motor function was simulated using pneumatic actuators. Tensile loads of 0-150% of predicted maximum force were incrementally applied to the PL tendon. Three-dimensional data sets recording osseous positions and orientations were collected and analyzed. Significant frontal plane rotation of the medial column in the direction of eversion oc

Knowledge of the foot morphometry is important for proper foot structure and function. Foot structure as a vital part of human body is important for many reasons. The foot anthropometric and morphology phenomena are analyzed together with hidden biomechanical descriptors in order to fully characterize foot functionality. For Croatian student population the scatter data of the individual foot variables were interpolated by multivariate statistics. Foot morphometric descriptors are influenced by many factors, such as life style, climate, and things of great importance in human society. Dominant descriptors related to fit and comfort are determined by the use 3D foot shape and advanced foot biomechanics. Some practical recommendations and conclusions for medical, sportswear and footwear practice are highlighted. Ideastep Insole Factory offer orthotics insole , provide OEM & ODM Orthotics. Your Sole Insole Shop provide

Ground reaction forces (GRF) reflect the force history of human body contact with the ground. The purpose of this study was to explore human gait abnormalities due to planovalgus by comparing vertical GRF data between individuals with planovalgus and those with neutrally aligned feet. Second we estimated associations between various measurements and vertical GRF parameters in a pediatric population. Boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 18 years (72 planovalgus feet and 74 neutrally aligned feet) took part in this study. Ground reaction forces were recorded by two Kistler platforms and normalized to body weight. Comparison of vertical GRF between planovalgus and neutrally aligned feet suggests that the first and the second peaks of vertical force (Fz1, Fz2) are most affected by planovalgus. The results also indicate that neutrally aligned feet display a different ground reaction force pattern than planovalgus, and that differences between boys and girls may be observed