• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.33-42
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• 2018

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the Flex-OA shoe, a specific functional shoe, in terms of the range of motion (ROM) of hip and knee joint during walking when compared to a standardized shoe. Methods : Twenty-six healthy adults (18 males, 6 females) participated in this study. Subjects performed 8 walking trials consisting of two different shoe conditions to evaluate the hip and knee ROM using a three-dimensional motion capture system. Visual 3D motion analysis software was finally used to coordinate the kinematic data. Result : The total ROM and maximal abduction range of the hip joint in the coronal planes when wearing the Flex-OA shoe were significantly increased during walking compared to wearing a standard shoe (p<.05). On the other hand, significantly increased ROM was observed in the sagittal plane when wearing the Flex-OA shoe in the knee joints compared to a standard shoe (p<.05). Conclusion : Although clinical application of the specific functional shoe has known clearly positive effects on knee moments, the results of this study could provide important clues to explain the background of these effects in terms of the hip and knee joints when applying a specific functional shoe.