The Influence of the Shoe over the Medial Foot Arch and the Lower Limbs Kinematics in Toddlers

Objective To evaluate the biomechanical behavior of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) of the foot and the kinematic parameters of the lower limbs with biomimetic footwear (BF) and non-biomimetic (NB1, NB2, NB3 and NB4) footwear in children at the beginning of the gait acquisition phase. Methods Four toddlers were evaluated at the beginning of the gait acquisition phase under the following conditions: walking barefoot, ambulation with BF and NB1, NB2, NB3 and NB4 footwear in hard floor. BF is described as biomimetic because of its property of emulating natural and irregular floors through a dynamic internal insole. The MLA and kinematics of the hip, knee, and ankle during gait were evaluated by three-dimensional motion analysis system. The similarity between the kinematic curves of barefoot and footwear conditions was analyzed by root mean square error (RMSE). Results The use of BF presented the highest magnitude of MLA and the greatest difference in relation to barefoot condition (higher RMSE). The BF showed less difference in the kinematics of the knee and ankle joints during gait when compared to barefoot condition (lower RMSE). NB2 footwear presented hip kinematics more similar to barefoot condition (lower RMSE). Conclusion Biomimetics footwear and NB2 shoes (both with wider forefoot region) generated smaller differences in lower limbs compared to barefoot. In addition, the MLA was higher in the BF, probably because different design from other shoes.