• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.115-119
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• 2006

To investigate the effects of independent suspension technology(IST) of hiking boot on the stability and load of foot, eight participants performed medial and lateral drop landing from 33.4cm height and 85cm distance to uneven surface while wearing normal & IST hiking boots. For the stability of foot during the drop landing, the balance angle & suspension angle and rearfoot angle was analyzed using high-speed video analysis. Also kinetic analysis using the force plate and insole pressure measurement was conducted to analyze vertical & breaking ground reaction force and pressure distribution. Not only the balance angle & suspension angle but also rearfoot angle was improved with IST boots for lateral drop landing. These results indicate the IST boots may have the suspension function which keeps the foot to be stable during landing. However the IST boots did not show any effect for medial landing. This might be related to the hardness of medial part of outsole. Therefore the softer outsole of medial part could be recommended. Furthermore the impact force & breaking force and insole pressure were reduced with IST boot. These results means that IST boot has not only cushioning effect but also good grip effect. Therefore the hiking boots applied the independent suspension function may help to reduce fatigue and prevent injury such as ankle sprain in hiking on uneven surface.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.43-50
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• 2017

Purpose : There is no validated method for measuring the toe flexor strength that can isolate the intrinsic muscles of the foot from the extrinsic muscles. This study compared the hallux flexion force (HFF) and muscle activity in the foot and ankle according to ankle position [plantarflexion (PF), neutral, and dorsiflexion (DF)]. Method : The study enrolled 17 subjects. In the sitting position, the HFF and activities of the abductor hallucis (AbdH), tibialis anterior (TA), and gastrocnemius (GCM) muscles were measured using a digital dynamometer and a wireless electromyography system, respectively. Subjects were instructed to flex the great toe maximally in three different ankle positions. Three 5-second trials were performed to measure the HFF and muscle activities in each condition. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare the variables and paired t-tests with the Bonferroni correction were used for post-hoc pair-wise comparisons. The significance level was set at .016. Result : The HFF in DF was significantly greater than in any other ankle position (p<.01). The TA activity was greatest in ankle DF and that of the GCM was greatest in PF (both p<.01). However, there was no significant difference in AbdH activity according to ankle position. Conclusion : These results suggest that selective strength measurement of the foot intrinsic muscles in HFF should be performed with the ankle in the neutral position.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2018

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the influence of landing foot orientations on biomechanics of knee joint in order to identify vulnerable positions to non-contact knee injuries during single-legged landing. Method: Seventeen men (age: $20.5{\pm}1.1 years$, height: $175.2{\pm}6.4cm$, weight: $68.8{\pm}5.8kg$) performed single-leg drop landings repeatedly with three different landing foot orientations. They were defined as toe-in (TI) $30^{\circ}$ adduction, neutral (N, neutral), and toe-out (TO) $30^{\circ}$ abduction positions. Results: The downward phase time of TI was significantly shorter than those of N and TO. The flexion and valgus angle of N was greater than those of TI and TO at the moment of foot contact. At the instance of maximum knee flexion, N showed the largest flexion angle, and TO position had the largest varus and external rotation angles. Regarding ground reaction force (GRF) at the moment of foot contact, TO showed the forward GRF, while others showed the backward GRF. TI indicated significantly larger mediolateral GRF than others. As for the maximum knee joint force and joint moment, the main effect of different foot positions was not significant. Conclusion: TI and TO might be vulnerable positions to knee injuries because both conditions might induce combined loadings to knee joint. TI had the highest mediolateral GRF with a shortest foot contact time, and TO had induced a large external rotation angle during downward phase and the peak forward GRF at the moment of foot contact. Conclusively, N is the preferred landing foot orientation to prevent non-contact knee injuries.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of foot angles on plantar pressure and the center of pressure (COP) trajectory length during level walking. Methods: The study subjects were 30 female university students without orthopedic diseases in the foot. The foot angle was divided into three forms (out-toeing, normal, in-toeing). The subjects practiced each type of gait, and then performed each of level walking, three times, and their averages were calculated. A plantar pressure measurement instrument was used, and the maximum force was obtained by dividing the foot into nine regions covering the anterior medial-lateral, middle medial-lateral, and posterior medial-lateral. The COP trajectory length was statistically processed by obtaining medial-lateral, anterior-posterior, and entire travel distance. Results: During normal walking, the maximum force was significantly higher in the anterior lateral than in the other areas, and the COP trajectory length was significantly shorter in the front-back and entire travel distances (p<0.05). During stair climbing. Conclusion: Walking at abnormal foot angles does not cause appreciable problems in the short term as pressure is concentrated on a specific plantar part. However, it becomes the cause of deformed foot structures and can result in musculoskeletal disabilities in the long term. Therefore, a kinesiatrics-based intervention is required to maintain normal foot angles.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.411-417
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• 2022

In this paper, we propose a sensor with a C-shaped load cell to detect force change when a person sitting on the chair in an electrical transport-convenience vehicle is pushing ground by both heels. The load cell built in the vehicle is mechanically deformed by the vertical force owing to the human weight and the horizontal force by ground-pushing feet. The deformation rate of the load cell and its distribution are simulated using finite element analysis. In the simulation, the applied loads are preset in the range of 10 kg - 100 kg with a step size of 10 kg, and the ground-pushing force by feet is increased to 40 N with a step size of 5 N with respect to each applied load level. The resistance change of the load cell was observed to be linear in simulation as well as in measurement. the maximum difference between simulation and measurement was 0.89 % when the strain gauge constant was 2.243. The constant has a large influence on the difference. The proposed sensor was fabricated by connecting an instrument amplifier and a microcontroller to a load cell and used to detect the force by ground-pushing feet. To detect foot driving, the reference signal was set to 130% of the load, and the duration of the sensor output signal exceeding the reference signal was set to 0.6 s. In a test of a vehicle built with the proposed sensor, the footpushing force by the worker could be successfully detected even when the worker was working.

• The Korean journal of sports medicine
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.207-213
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• 2018

Purpose : The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of foot position on dynamic stability in female with genu varum. M ethods: Eight females with genu varum participated in this study and performed the four squat exercise methods that foot position ($-45^{\circ}$, $0^{\circ}$, $+45^{\circ}$) and $0^{\circ}$ squat with band. Center of pressure (COP; anterior-posterior, medial-lateral, traveled distance, ellipse area) and ground reaction force as dynamic stability were measured using footscan system. Multivariate analysis of variance and one-way repeated analysis of variance measurement with Tukey honestly significant difference were used to identify significant differences of foot angle ($-45^{\circ}$, $0^{\circ}$, $+45^{\circ}$) and $0^{\circ}$ squat with band method. Results: In anterior-posterior COP displacement, $-45^{\circ}$ foot angle and $0^{\circ}$ squat with band were significantly showed lower than $+45^{\circ}$ foot angle squat (p=0.006). Also, in COP traveled distance, $0^{\circ}$ squat was significantly showed lower than $+45^{\circ}$ foot angle (p=0.019). During the descending phase, ground reaction force significantly showed in -45 foot angle was lower than other exercise methods. Conclusion: The $0^{\circ}$ squat with band exercise showed higher dynamic stability and $+45^{\circ}$ foot angle squat exercise showed lower dynamic stability in female with genu varum.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.431-441
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the changes in the contact area, maximum pressure, maximum mean pressure, and maximum force of functional insoles and general insoles when walking. Methods: Foot pressure was measured by the ignition of functional insoles and general insoles on Company N shoes. The foot pressure was measured using a precision pressure distribution meter (Pedar - X mobile system, Novel, Germany). Each insole sensor contained 99 independent cells and was inserted between the foot and the shoe. A wireless Bluetooth-type program was used to measure the pressure detected by the measuring insoles. In order to eliminate adaptation and fatigue caused by wearing the guide during the experiment, sufficient rest was taken between each experiment, and the wearing order was randomly selected. Results: Functional insole significantly increased the forefoot and midfoot (medial, lateral) (p<0.05), while total foot, forefoot, and rearfoot peak pressure significantly decreased (p < 0.05) compared to the general insole. Conclusion: In the functional insole, a high contact area was measured inside, even in the middle of the foot, leading to a proper change in foot pressure. It was confirmed that the contact area was reduced and dispersion occurred well. In addition, it was found that the maximum pressure in the front and back of the entire foot was reduced, so the weight pressure dispersion in the functional insole was evenly distributed, and the maximum average pressure change was similar.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.161-173
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• 2003

This study was performed to investigate the kinematic and kinetic differences between functional walking shoe(FWS) and general sports shoe(GSS). The subjects for this study were 4 male adults who had the walking pattern of rearfoot strike with normal feet. The movement of one lower leg was measured using force platform and 3 video cameras while the subjects walked at the velocity of 2/1.5 m/s. The findings of this study were as follows 1. The angle of lower leg-ground and angle of knee with FWS was greater than with GSS at the moment of strike the floor and the moment of second peak ground reaction force. The decreasing rate of angle of ankle was smaller in FWS from the strike phase to the second peak ground reaction force. These mean upright walking and round walking along the shoe surface. 2. The maximal Increased angle of Achilles tendon and the minimal decreased angle of rearfoot were smaller in FWS very significantly(p<0.001). Thus FWS prevent the excessive pronation of ankle and have good of rear-foot control. 3. The vortical ground reaction force and the rate of it to the BW were smaller in FWS statistically(p<0.001). The loading rate was smaller in FWS, too, and thess represent the reduction of load on ankle joint and prevention of injuries on it.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.350-356
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• 2004

This paper presents a farce manipulability analysis of multi-legged walking robots, which calculates force or acceleration workspace attainable from joint torque limits of each leg. Based on the observation that the kinematic structure of the multi-legged walking robots is basically the same as that of multiple cooperating robots, we derive the proposed method of analyzing the force manipulability of walking robot. The force acting on the object in multiple cooperating robot systems is taken as reaction force from ground to each robot foot in multi-legged walking robots, which is converted to the force of the body of walking robot by the nature of the reaction force. Note that each joint torque in multiple cooperating robot systems is transformed to the workspace of force or acceleration of the object manipulated by the robots in task space through the Jacobian matrix and grasp matrix. Assuming the torque limits are given in infinite norm-sense, the resultant dynamic manipulability is derived as a polytope. The validity of proposed method is verified by several examples, and the proposed method is believed to be useful for the optimal posture planning and gait planning of walking robots.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.19-22
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• 2000

Fracture and dislocation of the four lateral metatarsal head and neck at the metatarsophalangeal joint, which may be associated with a hyperextension force, axial load, and additional rotating force, has rarely been reported. The patient was a 32-year-old man who sustained the injury in a motor vehicle accident. Manual reduction was easily performed but maintenance of reduction was difficult, due to the associated fractures of the metatarsal necks. Thus percutaneous internal fixation with Kirshner's wires was required.