Search Results (6)

This systematic review, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42025101243), aimed to evaluate how specific badminton shoe design features influence lower-limb biomechanics, injury risk, and sport-specific performance. A comprehensive search in six databases yielded 445 studies, from which 10 met inclusion criteria after duplicate removal and eligibility screening. The reviewed studies focused on modifications involving forefoot bending stiffness, torsional stiffness, lateral-wedge hardness, insole and midsole hardness, sole structure, and heel curvature. The most consistent biomechanical benefits were associated with moderate levels of forefoot and torsional stiffness (e.g., 60D) and rounded heel designs. Increased forefoot bending stiffness was associated with reduced foot torsion and knee loading during forward lunges. Torsional stiffness around 60D provided favorable ankle support and reduced knee abduction, suggesting potential protection against ligament strain. Rounded heels reduced vertical impact forces and promoted smoother knee–ankle coordination, especially in experienced athletes. Lateral-wedge designs improved movement efficiency by reducing contact time and enhancing joint stiffness. Harder midsoles, however, resulted in increased impact forces upon landing. Excessive stiffness in any component may restrict joint mobility and responsiveness. Studies included 127 male-dominated (aged 18–28) competitive athletes, assessing kinematics, impact forces, and coordination during sport-specific tasks. The reviewed studies predominantly involved male participants, with little attention to sex-specific biomechanical differences such as joint alignment and foot structure. Differences in testing methods and movement tasks further limited direct comparisons. Future research should explore real-game biomechanics, include diverse athlete populations, and investigate long-term adaptations. These efforts will contribute to the development of performance-enhancing, injury-reducing badminton shoes tailored to the unique demands of the sport. Full article

The forefoot longitudinal bending stiffness of shoe soles, measured through the widely used three-point bending test, is a key factor influencing running economy and lower-limb biomechanics. This study utilizes the finite element method to simulate three-point bending, examining the influence of different loading rates on stiffness and analyzing the impact of various plate thicknesses and forefoot curvature radii on the stiffness of plates and the ‘plate-sole’ system. The results indicate that within the same displacement range, varying the loading rates did not affect stiffness. However, increased thickness significantly enhanced both the stiffness of the plate and the ‘plate-sole’, while a larger curvature radius of the plate resulted in a modest 5–10% stiffness increase for both. To conclude, the present study provides a theoretical foundation for further exploring the mechanical properties of carbon plate configurations in footwear. Plate stiffness is affected by both thickness and curvature radius, with thickness having a greater impact. The same applies to the ‘plate-sole’. The stiffness of the ‘plate-sole’ is not a simple sum of the individual contributions from the shoe and the plate. This non-additive response emphasizes the significant role of the shoe material in altering the plate’s mechanical properties, which is an important consideration for optimizing shoe design. Full article

We investigated how midfoot stiffness of running shoes influences foot segment kinematics and ground reaction force (GRF) during heel-toe running. Nineteen male rearfoot strike runners performed overground heel-toe running at 3.3 m/s when wearing shoes with different midfoot bending stiffnesses (low, medium, and high) in a randomized order. A synchronized motion capture system (200 Hz) and force plate (1000 Hz) were used to collect the foot-marker trajectories and GRF data. Foot kinematics, including rearfoot-lab, midfoot-rearfoot, forefoot-rearfoot, and forefoot-midfoot interactions, and kinetics, including GRF characteristics, were analyzed. Our results indicated that high midfoot stiffness shoes reduced the forefoot-rearfoot range of motion (mean ± SD; high stiffness, 7.8 ± 2.0°, low stiffness, 8.7 ± 2.1°; p < 0.05) and forefoot-midfoot range of motion (mean ± SD; high stiffness, 4.2 ± 1.1°, medium stiffness, 4.6 ± 0.9°; p < 0.05) in the frontal plane. No differences were found in the GRF characteristics among the shoe conditions. These findings suggest that an increase in midsole stiffness only in the midfoot region can reduce intersegmental foot medial-lateral movements during the stance phase of running. This may further decrease the tension of the foot muscles and tendons during prolonged exercises. Full article

In this paper, to investigate the independent effect of the construction of the forefoot carbon-fiber plate inserted to the midsole on running biomechanics and finite element simulation, fifteen male marathon runners were arranged to run across a runway with embedded force plates at two specific running speeds (fast-speed: 4.81 ± 0.32 m/s, slow-speed: 3.97 ± 0.19 m/s) with two different experimental shoes (a segmented forefoot plate construction (SFC), and a full forefoot plate construction (FFC)), simulating the different pressure distributions, energy return, and stiffness during bending in the forefoot region between the SFC and FFC inserted to midsole. Kinetics and joint mechanics were analyzed. The results showed that the footwear with SFC significantly increased the peak metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) plantarflexion velocity and positive work at the knee joint compared to the footwear with FFC. The results about finite element simulation showed a reduced maximum pressure on the midsole; meanwhile, not significantly affected was the longitudinal bending stiffness and energy return with the SFC compared to the FFC. The results can be used for the design of marathon running shoes, because changing the full carbon fiber plate to segment carbon fiber plate induced some biomechanical transformation but did not significantly affect the running performance, what is more, reducing the peak pressure of the carbon plate to the midsole by cutting the forefoot area of the carbon fiber plate could be beneficial from a long-distance running perspective for manufacturers. Full article

Several sources of variation can affect the performance of a mechanical test. Hence, the measurement system performance should be assessed. The gage repeatability and reproducibility study is a method used to assess and quantify the variation of a mechanical test. Since it seems that this method has not yet found its way into the field of sports engineering, this paper promotes its application by demonstrating a practical example based on a current problem in sports shoe development. In detail, a novel mechanical simulation to determine the forefoot bending stiffness of athletic footwear during plantar flexion movement was developed and its quality assessed. The ANOVA Gage R&R study was performed based on 64 randomized trials of eight footwear samples assessed by two appraisers. The mechanical test was evaluated as acceptable for the desired application and the resolution was quantified to be 0.04 Nm/°. Full article

Wearable ground reaction force (GRF) measurement systems make it possible to measure the GRF in any environment, unlike a commercial force plate. When performing kinetic analysis with the GRF, measurement of multiaxial GRF is important for evaluating forward and lateral motion during natural gait. In this paper, we propose a bendable GRF measurement system that can measure biaxial (vertical and anterior-posterior) GRF without interrupting the natural gait. Eight custom small biaxial force sensors based on an optical sensing mechanism were installed in the proposed system. The interference between two axes on the custom sensor was minimized by the independent application of a cantilever structure for the two axes, and the hysteresis and repeatability of the custom sensor were investigated. After developing the system by the installation of force sensors, we found that the degree of flexibility of the developed system was comparable to that of regular shoes by investigating the forefoot bending stiffness. Finally, we compared vertical GRF (vGRF) and anterior-posterior GRF (apGRF) measured from the developed system and force plate at the same time when the six subjects walked, ran, and jumped on the force plate to evaluate the performance of the GRF measurement system. Full article