Reduction of Heel Slippage of Ladies’ Shoes Applying Dynamic Foot Deformation in Walking

Abstract

Pumps, one of the most popular types of ladies’ shoes, have a good appearance. However, they sometimes slip off from the heel in walking due to their short insteps. In this study, we attempted to mitigate the slippage of pumps by applying dynamic foot deformation to make them fit better during walking. From the results of gait analyses, we found that the slippage occurred before heel-off. In this period, because the plantar arch is extended, the navicular bone is bulged and the length around the ball-jointed girth is stretched. Therefore, we propose a mechanism for decreasing the slippage using a stiff line, which can fasten the topline of the pumps by applying the stretch of the ball-jointed girth. We tested this by arranging a line between the inner and outer leathers of the pumps, starting from the ball-jointed girth to the topline like a figure-of-α. Using a prototype with of line mechanism, we measured the slippage for 10 feet of 9 female subjects. As a result, for all subjects, the slippage significantly decreased approximately 23% at 50% of the gait cycle. Furthermore we confirmed endurance of the effect after daily use.