Influence of footwear on foot movement during walking and running in boys and girls aged 6-7

Abstract

The choice of children's shoes can be decisive in the appearance or prevention of problems associated with children's feet individual characteristics. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate foot movements during the support phase of walking and running gait, with and without shoes. Twenty-four primary school students (12 boys and 12 girls) participated in the study. Vicon 3D motion analysis system was used to obtain foot kinematic variables. Results showed a significant decrease in the flexion of metatarsophalangeal joint with shoes in both genders in walking and running around 20 (p < .05 and high effect size), which suggests that shoes design should be more accurately adapted to children population.