Walk This Way: Crocs and the Impact of Heel Strap Utilization on Overground Walking Performance and Lower Limb Joint Kinematics

Journal of Applied Biomechanics · 2026-01-01

Gait kinematics undergo significant alterations stemming from shoe type that can enhance performance or result in musculoskeletal injuries that impact daily living. Crocs surge to mainstream consumers, along with their presence throughout other industries, begs the question of the impact of this shoe on walking performance and kinematics. This study examined the impact of Crocs with and without heel strap on walking performance and lower body kinematics. Thirty-one participants completed 3 walking trials at self-selected pace for each condition: control (CON): socked; sports mode: Crocs with heel strap; and comfort mode: Crocs without heel strap. Inertial measurement units were used to calculate sagittal kinematics of the hip, knee, and ankle. Sports mode significantly improved walking velocity and stride length compared with comfort mode and control conditions while walking. Hip and knee angles were different only when comparing shod conditions to the control condition. Ankle dorsiflexion during stance, range of motion during the swing phase, and plantarflexion during toe-off differed significantly between the sports mode and comfort mode conditions and provide insight to the contributions of heel straps to shoe fit, walking performance, and joint mechanics. The ankle kinematics suggest that when worn without a heel strap, Crocs negatively impact ankle mechanics and impact lower limb kinematics.

Effects of Positive and Negative Self-Talk on Balance and Postural Sway in College Students

Journal of Kinesiology & Wellness · 2024-02-14 · 1 citations

Self-talk pertains to phrases individuals recite aloud or internally to increase motivation and focus and is a frequently used psychological skill that promotes enhanced sport performance. Several studies have examined how different these forms of self-talk can affect the execution of specific tasks in sport, but few have examined if self-talk can improve performance in basic activities of daily living, such as balance. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two different self-talk strategies on static balance and body stability during a single-leg balance task. Twenty-nine participants were divided into three groups (control group, positive self-talk group, negative self-talk group) and performed a single-leg balance task on the right and left leg while donning inertial measurement units and standing on a force platform and while reciting a positive, negative, or no self-talk strategy (i.e., control). No significant differences (p > 0.05) were detected in the anterior-posterior center of pressure displacement and velocity, and the anterior-posterior center of mass displacement and velocity of the right and left legs. The findings of this study do not suggest that positive or negative self-talk impacts performance during a single-leg balance task.

Vertical stiffness and lower limb inter-joint coordination in older versus younger runners

Journal of Biomechanics · 2023-06-28 · 2 citations

A Guided Physical Activity Intervention for Fundamental Motor Skill Improvement in Children with Autism

Annals of Applied Sport Science · 2023-11-01

A Guided Physical Activity Intervention for Fundamental Motor Skill Improvement in Children with Autism

Atypical Gaze Behavior in Children with High Functioning Autism During an Active Balance Task

Annals of Applied Sport Science · 2023-04-01 · 3 citations

Background.Unusual gaze behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was reported very early in the literature.Objectives.The current study examined gaze behavior in children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children while performing an active balance task on the Wii balance board.Methods.8 children (male) diagnosed with high-functioning ASD and 9 TD children (3 female, 6 male) were recruited for the study.Eye movements were recorded at 60 Hz during the soccer game on Wii balance board.Results.There was no significant difference in the game scores between the two groups (p > 0.05).However, evidence indicates differences in gaze behavior, particularly total fixation durations on the main area of interest (center AOI) (p < 0.05).While performing the active balance task, children with ASD spent less time looking at the center of the screen than typically developing children.Shorter fixation durations in ASD compared to the TD group could indicate how our ASD group had enhanced perceptual processing.The second possibility for shorter total fixation duration in ASD is that they are more scattered in their fixations.Conclusion.Shorter fixation durations in children with ASD while performing the active balance task could be because of enhanced perceptual processing or a deficiency in their ability to plan.However, no advantage or disadvantage was observed in the Wii-fit game's performance.

EFFECTS OF CONTROLLED WHOLE-BODY VIBRATION TRAINING ON BALANCE AND FALL OUTCOMES AMONG HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS: A 6-WEEK PILOT STUDY

Journal of Aging Research and Lifestyle · 2022-01-01 · 1 citations

Background: Falling is the second leading cause of injury-related death worldwide and is a leading cause of injury among older adults. Whole-body vibration has been used to improve balance and reduce fall risk in older adults. No study has assessed if vibration benefits can be retained over time. Objectives: The aims of this study were to examine if six-weeks of whole-body vibration could improve balance and fall outcomes, and to assess if benefits associated with the training program could be sustained two months following the final training session. Design and Setting: Repeated measures randomized controlled design. Participants: Twenty-four independent living older adults were recruited and were randomly assigned to the whole-body vibration or control group. Intervention: Participants performed three sessions of whole-body vibration training per week with a vibration frequency of 20 Hz or with only an audio recording of the vibration noise. An assessment of balance and fall outcomes was performed prior to, immediately following, and two-months after the completion of the training program. Main Outcome Measures: Composite balance scores from the Berg Balance Scale and treadmill fall rates were assessed pre-training, post-training, and two-months post-training. Results: Seventeen participants completed the study. No between groups differences were found (p<0.05) in the measures of balance or fall rates. Conclusions: Findings revealed that six weeks of whole-body vibration was not effective in improving balance scores or fall rates.

Initiation of Body Segment Reorientation in Steering is not Altered While Dual Tasking

Journal of Rehabilitation Practices and Research · 2022-01-01

Changing the direction of locomotion, often referred to as “steering”, is an integral component of human locomotion. This study sought to investigate the role of cognition in steering using a dual task paradigm in healthy young and healthy older adults. Twenty-five healthy young adults and nineteen healthy older adults completed a 900 walking turn at a comfortable pace under single and dual task conditions. Dependent variables included the time taken to turn and the turn onset of the head, trunk, and pelvis segments. Results indicate dual tasking increases the time taken to turn but does not alter the sequence of initiation of segment reorientation into the turn. The effects of aging on these behaviors were minimal. Most notable was that the older adults did not slow their turns as much as the young adults did during dual tasking. These results suggest that initiation of segment reorientation is independent of cognitive influence but that increased cognitive load is considered when planning movement time.

Effects of Controlled Whole-Body Vibration Training on Functional Performance Among Healthy Older Adults: A 6-Week Pilot Study

Journal of Aging Research and Lifestyle · 2021-01-01 · 3 citations

Background: Falling is the second leading cause of injury-related death worldwide and is a leading cause of injury among older adults. Whole-body vibration has been used to improve fall risk factors in older adults. No study has assessed if vibration benefits can be retained over time. Objectives: The aims of this study were to examine if six-weeks of whole-body vibration could improve fall risk factors and to assess if benefits associated with the training program could be sustained two months following the final training session. Design and Setting: Repeated measures randomized controlled design. Participants: Twenty-four independent living older adults were recruited and were randomly assigned to the WBV or control group. Intervention: Participants performed three sessions of whole-body vibration training per week with a vibration frequency of 20Hz or with only an audio recording of the vibration noise. An assessment of fall risk factors was performed prior to, immediately following, and two-months after the completion of the training program. Main Outcome Measures: Fall risk factors including functional capacity, mobility, strength, and walking speed were assessed pre-training, post-training, and two-months post-training. Results: Seventeen participants completed the study. No improvements (p<0.05) between groups were found in the measures of physical performance. Conclusions: Findings revealed that six weeks of whole-body vibration is not effective in improving fall risk factors or producing benefits post-training.

Load Carriage During Walking Increases Dynamic Stiffness at Distal Lower Limb Joints

Journal of Applied Biomechanics · 2021 · 5 citations

• Medicine
• Orthodontics
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation

The addition of a load during walking requires changes in the movement pattern. The investigation of the dynamic joint stiffness behavior may help to understand the lower limb joints' contribution to these changes. This study aimed to investigate the dynamic stiffness of lower limb joints in response to the increased load carried while walking. Thirteen participants walked in two conditions: unloaded (an empty backpack) and loaded (the same backpack plus added mass corresponding to 30% of body mass). Dynamic stiffness was calculated as the linear slope of the regression line on the moment-angle curve during the power absorption phases of the ankle, knee, and hip in the sagittal plane. The results showed that ankle (P = .002) and knee (P < .001) increased their dynamic stiffness during loaded walking compared with unloaded, but no difference was observed at the hip (P = .332). The dynamic stiffness changes were different among joints (P < .001): ankle and knee changes were not different (P < .992), but they had a greater change than hip (P < .001). The nonuniform increases in lower limb joint dynamic stiffness suggest that the ankle and knee are critical joints to deal with the extra loading.

The Effects Of A 6-Week Controlled Whole-Body Vibration Training Program In Reducing Falls Risk Among Healthy Older Adults

scholarworks - UTEP (The University of Texas at El Paso) · 2020-01-01

Falling is the second leading cause of accidental or injury-related death in the aging population worldwide and a leading cause of serious injury. Whole-body vibration (WBV) training has been implemented as a way to improve functional performance among the elderly and reduce the falls risk. The purposes of this study were: 1) examine to what extent a six-week course of WBV training reduced falls risk and improved fall outcomes in response to slips, and 2) examine whether the benefits of WBV training could be retained at least 2 months after the completion of the entire training session. A total of 17 independently living, healthy older adults were recruited for the 6-week WBV intervention and were randomly assigned to the WBV group or the control (CON) group. Participants in the WBV group performed three ten-minute sessions per week for six weeks with a vibration frequency of 20 Hz and 1.3-millimeter vibration amplitude. The CON group performed the same protocol, but instead of vibration, they encountered an audio recording of the vibrator motor noise. Fall risk evaluation and treadmill slip outcomes were assessed prior to the six-week training period, at the end of the six-week training period, and two-months after the completion of the protocol. There were no significant (p<0.05) improvements between groups in any of the measures for the fall risk evaluation or the treadmill slip outcomes. Both groups saw significant improvements throughout the study, showing signs of performance retention for the ten-minute walking test (10MWT) and the two-minute walking test (2MWT). Overall, the study findings revealed that six weeks of WBV was no more beneficial than the CON group.