Development for Foot Motion Analysis System with Footwear

Abstract

The motion of the talonavicular joint in shoes is important for understanding the mechanism of sports injury, but there is no method for analysis under normal shoe stiffness. We examined the motion of the talonavicular joint using the stretch strain sensor （STR） that can measure the motion of the talonavicular joint with shoes on. Fourteen feet of 14 healthy adult males were included in the study. The talonavicular coverage angle （TNCA） was assessed in the sitting and standing positions using X-rays, and the arch strain （AS） was measured in the same postures using an STR. The AS was measured by four attachment methods and the correlation between the AS and changes in TNCA was analysed. The method with the highest correlation was used to examine the changes in the AS waveform of running motion in barefoot and shoe conditions. The AS condition with a line connecting the medial malleus and navicular, and an inclination of 50 degrees downwards to the floor correlated significantly with changes in TNCA （r = 0.60, p = 0.02） . There was no significant difference in AS during running between with the shoe and without shoe conditions. Therefore, AS measurement by STR might be able to assess the motion of the talonavicular joint during running.