Curved carbon plates inside running shoes modified foot and shank angular velocity improving mechanical efficiency at the ankle joint.

Recent technologically advanced running shoes have been designed with higher stack height and curved carbon plate-reinforced toe springs to enhance running performance. The purpose of this study was to examine how curved carbon-plate reinforcement modulated mechanical efficiency at the ankle joint during the running stance phase. We prepared two footwear conditions: Non and Carbon, both had a 3D-printed midsole (40-mm heel thickness). A full-length curved carbon plate was inserted along the toe spring in Carbon. The participants included 14 non-rearfoot long-distance athletes. They were required to run at a speed of 12 km/h on a 20-m runway with both shoes. Mechanical-energy expenditure (MEE, indicating mechanical work) and compensation (MEC, indicating mechanical efficiency) were calculated in the following mechanical-energy transfer phases: concentric, eccentric, and no-transfer. Running with Carbon exhibited improved MEC and reduced MEE at the ankle joint during the concentric transfer phase than with Non. The improvement in the concentric MEC at the ankle joint indicates that a larger amount of mechanical energy is transferred from the shank into the foot segment that compensates for the force exerted by the plantar flexor muscles, which implies more mechanically efficient plantarflexion movement. As the ankle joint is the largest energetic contributor in the running stance phase, greater MEC and lower MEE and torque at the ankle joint could improve running performance. Hence, the curved carbon plate may be a key feature of advanced footwear technology.

A novel method for estimating sternoclavicular posterior rotation with promising accuracy: A validity comparison with minimizing acromioclavicular rotation approach.

The human shoulder complex's motion is modeled by nine rotational degrees of freedom (DoF) at the sternoclavicular (SC), acromioclavicular (AC), and glenohumeral joints. Non-invasive measurement of these rotations is desirable for shoulder kinematic assessment or musculoskeletal modeling. Accuracy of the conventional method for estimating SC posterior rotation is unclear and might be overestimated because it assumes no rotation in the AC joint. We aimed to explore whether our new method, allowing AC rotation, provides a more accurate estimation of SC posterior rotation than the conventional method. We compared estimates by both methods, in 18 postures among 8 healthy men, with those measured by the registration method from magnetic resonance images. Posthoc analyses showed significant differences between the registration and conventional methods in all 18 postures and in only one posture when compared to our method. While the conventional method tended toward overestimation and showed a 22.7° root-mean-square error for all postures, the new method had greater accuracy (6.8° root-mean-square error). By combining this method with the scapulothoracic rotation measurement method and other traditional methods, it should be possible to indirectly measure 3-DoF AC rotation, implying that non-invasive measurement of all 9-DoF rotations of the shoulder complex would now be possible.

Redistribution of knee and ankle joint work with different midsole thicknesses in non-rearfoot strikers during running: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this work was to i nvestigate the effects of midsole thickness on non-rearfoot strike runners' redistributions of knee and ankle joint negative and positive work. METHODS: Fourteen healthy male runners wore minimalist, traditional and maximalist shoes and ran in a straight line in each shoe in the laboratory at a speed of 15 km/h, with a ±5% difference being allowed. Whole-body kinematics and ground reaction forces were recorded, and the data of eleven non-rearfoot strikers were used for the analysis. Ankle and knee joint negative and positive work was calculated by integrating each joint's torque power. Friedman test was used for statistical comparisons. RESULTS: Running in minimalist shoes induced significantly greater ankle joint negative and positive work than in other shoes. Running in maximalist shoes induced significantly lower ankle joint positive work and greater knee joint negative work than in other shoes, and significantly greater knee joint positive work than in minimalist shoes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that nonrearfoot strikers redistributed joint negative and positive work from the knee to the ankle when using minimalist shoes or from the ankle to the knee when using maximalist shoes. It is recommended that future research employs more rigorous study designs, such as randomised controlled trials and longitudinal studies, to provide a more accurate assessment of the effect of these shoes on in.