Evaluation of Spike Shoes for Short Distance Race from Standpoint of Elastic Energy of Crural Muscle-tendon Complex and Element of Sport Injury Occurrence

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to investigate the effect of the elastic energy of the crural muscle-tendon complex on sprint performance and evaluate the function of sprint spike shoes. For these purposes, subjects performed a planter flexion jump (PFJ), a counter movement jump (CMJ), and a drop jump (DJ) using a slider seat system developed in this study, while wearing the several spike shoes. According to the results, in wearing spike shoes having high plate elasticity the relationship between the using ratio of the elastic energy and the increasing ratio of the mechanical power was positive in DJ. Furthermore, the relationship between the forces added the foot joint toward the frontal-horizontal axis in wearing the above-mentioned spike shoes and that in bare foot was positive. These results suggest that the using ratio of the elastic energy in high density counter movement was dependent on an increase of the mechanical power in the foot joint which resulted from wearing spike shoes having high plate elasticity and was, however, related to the sport injury occurrence.