Journal of Research in Rehabilitation Sciences
The Effect of Shoe Insole Stiffness on Leg Stiffness during Stance Phase of Running in Two Different Speeds among Active Men
Document Type : Original Articles
Authors
1 MSc, Department of Sport Biomechanics, School of Physical Education and Sports Science, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Sport Biomechanics, School of Physical Education and Sports Science, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
3 PhD Student, Department of Sport Biomechanics, School of Physical Education and Sports Science, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: The effect of shoe insoles with different characteristics and in different running speeds on lower-limb stiffness is still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two types of insoles (soft and semi-rigid) in two different running speeds on leg stiffness during stance phase of running among active men. Materials and Methods: 15 male students without any background of lower extremity injury were selected. Subjects were asked to run with two controlled velocities of 3.0 ± 0.2 and 5.0 ± 0.1 m/s in control and insole conditions (soft and semi-rigid) on a force plate, placed on the middle of 15-meter runway. The cinematics and cinetics of motion were measured and calculated using 5 video cameras and one force plate. The leg stiffness was achieved via dividing the vertical ground reaction force by leg compression. Two-factor repeated measures ANOVA was used to test the hypothesis at the significance level of P £ 0.050. Results: There was a significant difference between the two types of insoles on leg stiffness. In fact, semi-rigid insole significantly increased leg stiffness (P < 0.001). However, this discrepancy was not related to the running speed (P = 0.999). In addition, there was no significant difference between the two different speeds on leg stiffness (P = 0.632). Conclusion: It seems that the increase in shoe insole stiffness may increase the leg stiffness. Furthermore, the effect of insole stiffness is not related to the running speed, and leg stiffness will remains constant in low to medium running speeds.
Keywords
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