2004 Volume 19 Issue 2 Pages 107-110
In Japan, pregnant women customarily to wear shoes with flat soles in order to prevent them from falling down. Recent information indicates that shoes with 2-3 cm heel height are appropriate for pregnant women. However there is no study that has investigated the biomechanical effects of heeled shoes when worn by pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to make reference data of pregnant women walking in high heeled shoes in respect of biomechanics. We investigated the basic gait parameters and lower extremity joint moment with seven healthy women who walked wearing simulated pregnancy jackets and shoes with flat sole or 3 cm heel height. We captured their motion and floor reaction force using 4 force plates and a three-dimensional motion analysis system. The results showed that ankle joint plantar flexor moment when subjects used shoes with 3 cm heel height was 4.1% smaller than that when using shoes with flat soles. Therefore using shoes with 3 cm height might decrease excessive ankle plantar flexors load.
