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http://dx.doi.org/10.9718/JBER.2010.31.1.033

Influence of the Midsole Hardness on Shock Absorption along the Human Body during Running  

Lee, Yong-Ku (Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Kyung Hee University)
Kim, Yoon-Hyuk (Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Kyung Hee University)
Publication Information
Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research / v.31, no.1, 2010 , pp. 33-39 More about this Journal
Abstract
During running, the human body experiences repeated impact force between the foot and the ground. The impact force is highly associated with injury of the lower extremity, comfort and running performance. Therefore, shoemakers have developed shoes with various midsole properties to prevent the injury of lower extremity, improve the comfort and enhance the running performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate influence of midsole hardness on shock absorption along the human body during running. Thirty two expert runners consented to participate in the study and ran at a constant speed with three different pairs of shoes with soft, medium and hard midsole respectively. Using accelerometers we measured the shock absorption from shoe heel to cervical vertebral column. In conclusion, at the shoe heel, shock was the greatest with the hard midsole. However because most shock was absorbed between shoe heel and the knee, notable influence of midsole was not detected upper knee. At shoe heel, regardless of midsole hardness, the shock of younger female was the greatest. The authors expect to apply this result for providing a guideline for utilizing proper midsole hardness for manufacturing age and gender-specific shoe.
Keywords
Midsole hardness; Running; Shock absorption; Acceleration; Age effect; Gender effect;
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