2016 Volume 23 Pages 67-73
The windlass mechanism is one of the foot functions that generate propulsion at the toe-off in gait. However, the role of the windlass mechanism during running remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in the windlass mechanism during running and walking. Nine healthy young men participated in this study. The subjects were instructed to run (at 2.5 ms−1) or walk (at 1.3 ms−1) on the treadmill. The medical longitudinal arch angle and hallux dorsi flexion angle (dorsi flexion angle of the first metatarso-phalangeal joint) were calculated in the stance phase as indexes of the windlass mechanism. While the peak value medial longitudinal arch angles during the two tasks showed no significant difference (157.4±6.0° and 156.9±4.9°, respectively), the peak hallux dorsi-flexion angles during running were significantly lower than those during walking (32.9±7.3° and 39.9±9.0°, respectively ; p<0.05). The present study, therefore suggested that the windlass mechanism has a minimal role in propulsion during running.
